Presentation Skills’ Post

I spent 90 days preparing a presentation ↳ Still not done! I was asked by my manager to prepare a presentation on a certain project. (He put a tentative farway deadline) So, every other day I kept adding and improving the presentation. The issue... When the deadline approaches, it gets pushed back further. ↳ This happened mutiple times. At the end, I couldn't finish the presentation as there was no clear date. I kept adding, improving, and refining the presentation for many weeks. (Lessons Learned) 1. Done is better than perfect. 2. If anyone assigned a task to you, make sure they assign a deadline as well.

Let's face the truth about (most) presentation masters. Every company has one, many departments rely on it, and while some know how to use it, no one loves it. HOLISDECK is used to turn boring into bold, but every time the topic of “masters” comes up, it is more about turning pain into pleasure. HOLISDECK cracked the code. Here is how to write the prompt (just kidding): 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘: ease of use, on-brand look, and high output 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋-𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄: analyze and understand the business needs and (common & specific) use cases 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘: flexibility within consistency by categories ------------ Sneak Peek at 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 Here’s an example of how your categories might turn out: 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒: Universal slides for any occasion (e.g. about, mission, [company] in numbers) 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋: Basic slides found in all presentations (e.g. agenda, chapter, contact) 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋: Slides for ongoing projects/topics (e.g. checklists, to-do lists, timelines, status updates) 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋: Slides to impress and inform clients or audiences (e.g. insights, takeaways, synthesis) 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐒: Custom-designed slides to stand out (e.g. title, product, cases) ------------ 𝐒𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫, 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝... 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 – 𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤!

Setting Right Expectations! Just visualise that the next 2 sentences have been said by your supervisor / stakeholder or a client: - Prepare a nice presentation faster - We have a tight budget for this project What do you get from these 2 sentences? Different people will get different meanings from these 2 sentences. If you are working with these supervisors / stakeholders or clients from a long time then you may / accurately know the meaning of prepare, nice presentation, faster, tight budget, project etc. but if you have started working with these people recently then you need to set the expectations on various aspects like: - Prepare means I need to prepare it or get it prepared from others etc. - Word nice presentation needs to be defined: Is it look & feel only, what about the purpose of presentation, who will be the audience for it, type of template, language & so on. -Faster - Define timelines for first cut & the final cut. - Tight budget - Define tight budget, end objective, show the ROI & explore the possibility of increasing the budget, extracting funds from some other project - Project - What actually is the project? How is it linked to you? Deadlines etc. As a receiver, you need to set the right expectations from the beginning, keep checking the changes in the expectations in between as it gets changed many times & finally, delivering results which meets expectations or are above expectations. If you are a sender of such messages then think from a receiver perspective, do the necessary changes in the communication, set the clear & right expectations, check the understanding & provide necessary support when required. Remember, it's the responsibility of both parties to set right expectations from each other. Outcomes can go horribly wrong without setting right expectations. The key is to take less assumptions & ask more clarity questions on the same with listening. I realised that setting right expectations is equally important in personal & professional life both. How do you set the right expectations? Do share it. #expectations #communication #right #professional

If are working on your presentations, executive summaries, business cases, trying to obtain buy in from decision makers, preparing for meetings to present your updates/ideas... ...but not sure how to structure it and how much time you need to spend on each section... ...try a story telling mountain approach. I have been working with my 9 year old son trying to teach him to write a story in school. We are using a Story Mountain approach. → A story mountain is a way of visually planning the plot and structure of a story, by separating the plot and structure into clear stages or sections. 🤔 This made me realise that we often have to tell and write stories at work and this model works just as well. Stories that raise an awareness, solve a problem and help decision makers make a decision based on the presented information. Let's say you have a 25 min meeting trying to present something and help the audience make a decision. → Opening (5 minutes): 1. Begin by grabbing your audience's attention with a compelling opening statement or story hook. 2. Introduce the main characters, setting, and context of your story. 3. Clearly state the purpose or objective of your presentation and what your audience can expect to learn or gain from it. → Build up (5 minutes): 1. Provide background information and context that is essential for understanding the situation or problem you're addressing. 2. Describe the actions, decisions, or steps that led to the situation or challenge. 3. Build empathy by connecting the audience emotionally with the characters or the situation. → Problem (5 minutes): 1. Present the central problem, challenge, or conflict that needs to be addressed. 2. Explain the consequences or potential impact of not resolving the problem. 3. Highlight the urgency of addressing the issue. → Resolution (5 minutes): 1. Describe the actions, decisions, or strategies that were implemented to address the problem. 2. Share key events, turning points, or discoveries that led to a resolution. 3. Highlight the results or positive outcomes achieved as a result of resolving the problem. → Ending (5 minutes): 1. Summarise the main takeaways or lessons learned from your story. 2. Connect these lessons to the broader message or objective of your presentation. 3. End with a memorable closing statement or call to action that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. p.s. This structure allows you to tell a complete and engaging story while staying within a 25-minute time frame. Make sure to rehearse your presentation to ensure that each section fits comfortably into the allotted time and that your transitions between sections are smooth. Visual aids, anecdotes, and engaging storytelling techniques can enhance the impact of your workplace story. I post daily visuals about work productivity, communication at work and the new world of work. If interested in the same follow for more Sanja Williams

When I started delivering presentations, I was making multiple mistakes. I talked longer than the allocated time, and about topics that were mostly interesting for me but maybe not that much for the audience. I was finishing presentations minutes before going to the stage, and realizing afterwards I forgot to include something very important that would have made the presentation better. I wasn’t doing a bad job on the delivery, but I knew I could do better, so I set myself a goal to improve. The question was where to start? The first step I took was to watch as many speeches as I could from people I admired. I soaked in as much from them as I could, and that helped me. However, that wasn’t enough, I knew I could do even better, so I started to read books on the matter, and took ideas and thoughts from each one of them. Armed with all those learnings, I decided I needed to have a process and to have the discipline to follow it with every presentation I was going to work on. That process helped me to improve drastically, and deliver effective and memorable presentations, and I am sharing it here with you today. If you want to see more details, check my Substack (Link in my profile and at the end of the slides)

I believe, your team's presentation begins the moment you first meet the client. This initial meeting provides a valuable opportunity to not only showcase your relevant skills and expertise but also to listen to the client's real problems and challenges. By doing so, you can avoid frustrating creative iterations trying to fit the brief later on. Instead, you can identify any misalignments with the task early on, and work to adjust them accordingly. By prioritizing active listening and problem-solving during this first meeting, you may find that you gain a fully engaged project partner rather than just a client. So, in essence, your presentation has already started before you even set foot in the meeting room.

Crafting a compelling presentation is an art that demands a delicate equilibrium between precision and harmony. Creating a presentation that balances precision and harmony involves careful planning, thoughtful design, and effective communication. Remember that achieving a balance between precision and harmony is an ongoing process of refinement. Regularly reassess and adjust your presentation based on feedback and evolving needs. Follow for more presentation hacks… #presentationskills #communicationmatters #confidentspeaker

🔥 Hot take: You need to redefine "bold." No one would describe their ideal presentation as comfortable, safe, and underwhelming. Yet, that's where a lot of people land. And they land on safe presentations despite an active desire for their presentation to be bold. To be fresh. To stand out from the crowd. The truth is, the thought of delivering a truly bold presentation is terrifying for most people. Why? Because a bold presentation pushes you out of your comfort zone. It requires you to speak and deliver in ways you're not used to. It requires you to think outside the box and take communication risks. So, most people don't do it. Instead, they water down the definition of what it means to be bold and inevitably deliver a presentation that looks, feels, and sounds eerily similar to what they've been doing for years. Bottom-line: If you truly want a bold presentation, you must be willing to define "bold" correctly and create a presentation based on the true definition. #HotTake #Presenting #PresentationSkills

When you are making a business presentation, it's dumb to present to people who don't know what you are about to present - especially if you are expecting to get clear direction and, ideally, approval to a recommendation. Asking people (usually, busy and preoccupied people), to take in what you are telling them, in real time, process it and spit back truly constructive feedback and agreement, well, that's unlikely to happen. What you have typically signed up for, is another meeting. Instead, I like the idea of no surprise witnesses - you issue a pre-read - the expectation is, the attendees (who are there because they will provide the needed feedback and approvals) will have read it. If they haven't read it, they don't attend - if you need them to approve it, cancel the meeting. Then, the meeting is not about presenting the deck - it's about (a) answering questions of clarity (b) taking in feedback (c) either getting approval or clear understanding as to the gap between where you are, and approval Oh, and that deck you give them - it should be structured as such: 1. Tell them what you are going to tell them and the desired action - The Executive Summary - one page 2. Tell them - headline on top, supporting facts below 3. Tell them only what they need to know to provide approval 4. Tell them again - finish with the Exec Sum (I know, but sometimes they don't go back) Done.