You're Not Stupid

I wanted to point out a post from Marketing Guru Seth Godin's blog today and what it means for presenters, especially those who design their own presentations.  He mentioned that "...a closed-minded worldview doesn't mean you're stupid, it means that you are selling yourself and your colleagues and your community short."

It immediately reminded me of the close-minded view many people in all levels of business have concerning presentation design (notably PowerPoint).  Everyone truly believes that all presentations must abide by the rules set forth by Microsoft and their templates.  They also must be identical to every other presentation seen in business today.  Any deviation is blasphemy! (sigh)

It's just not true.  Breaking the mold and presenting differently (and effectively!) will only enhance your message.  Your presentations don't have to be like the rest!  When I hear a colleague or client ask me to add a few "talking points", aka "bullet points", I don't think they're stupid - I just think they're under the wrong impression.  It's your message - make it your own!

Comments

[Mary Schmidt]

Here's a truly RADICAL idea. Try giving a presentation without any PP at all! If you can do that, then the PP can be an interesting and fun enhancement to your presentation.

Of course, some people frown on having "fun" in business. Sigh.

I spend far more time looking for terrific, off-the-wall images for my presentations than I do on "bullets" If I don't know my stuff well enough to talk it, then I need to do some more thinking - not generate more boring cells.

[Jon Thomas]

Mary - very well said. PowerPoint is best utilized when it is complimenting what you say instead of scripting what you say.