Scott Stratten Proves PowerPoint is Not a Presentation Prerequisite

Photo courtesy of Sean Zinsmeister

Recently I had the priviledge of sitting in on a talk by Mr. UnMarketing himself, Scott Stratten, hosted by the Connecticut chapter of the American Marketing Association.  If you don't know him, you should - he's kind of a big deal on Twitter.  I drove through rain and crazy amounts of traffic for two hours (each way) just for the opportunity to hear him talk about his new book, aptly titled UnMarketing (seriously...I didn't do it just for the iPad raffle and free drink ticket, I swear).  I'll have a review of the book up very soon, along with a free UnMarketing book to give away so keep an eye out.

I had met Scott at the Audience Conference and we had a great talk about his Tweetathon for Tanner and how people who question the ROI of Twitter drive him up the wall.  I had already pre-ordered his book but after our conversation I was even more excited to read it.  When I found out he'd be stopping in the nutmeg state on the UnBook Tour, I knew I couldn't miss it.

So let me be the first PowerPoint presentation designer to say this - You don't NEED PowerPoint to give an effective, passionate, engaging presentation. Don't get me wrong - I do believe that when used correctly, using visual aids like PowerPoint/Keynote, Prezi, charts, and props can add great value to your presentation and make it even more memorable - however I'm not going to be closed minded enough to claim that PowerPoint or any other specific visual aid is a necessity.

Now on to Scotts talk...

Dressed far more casually that the marketing professionals surrounding him, Scott simply took a seat and started a conversation with the audience.  He used no notes because he spoke from the heart.  He spoke with passion.  This is content he knows inside and out because he lives and breathes it in his everyday business.  He doesn't need to plaster bullet-points on a slide so he won't forget a "mission critical value proposition."  Everytime he speaks, I'm sure there are certain things he wants to mention but forgets.  Who cares?  We're not perfect, and forgetting one or two things isn't the end of the world.

Scott told stories - lots of them.  The audience was glued to every word because they knew they'd gain a nugget of knowledge with every story they heard.  He welcomed questions at any time, which is very important.  Without audience interaction, it's a speech, not a presentation.  Effective presentations must be two-way streets.

It was a quick, enjoyable 90 minutes.  That's just a guess (the time), because I have no idea how long he spoke.  I never looked at a clock.  Afterwards Scott stayed to sign every book, answer every question, and talk with every audience member who wanted to talk to him.  I know this because we walked out together while the only two people remaining, the gracious hosts, packed up. 

Presentations are experiences.  Visuals can enhance them (when used properly, not Death by PowerPoint) but aren't totally necessary.  Like Scott, Gary Vaynerchuck gives amazing, passionate talks with no visuals.  Garr Reynolds, Steve Jobs, and even Al Gore have given incredible presentations with PowerPoint and Keynote.  It's not a right/wrong issue. 

Your visuals are not the presentation.  Your notes are not the presentation.  YOU are the presentation.  Be passionate, have great content, practice, and appreciate your audience.  Those are the only prerequisites you really need to deliver a great presentation.

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Comments

[ProPresent_UK]

Jon, great site and great observations. I am admiring your work!
I absolutely agree with you that you don't need visuals to give a presentation. But it's so rare to have the talent and the time to know your topic so well to hold an audience with just words. Most people could never achieve this level of competence. A professional comedian, an after dinner speaker and maybe some politicians achieve this level of comfort in speaking.
It's not a right or wrong issue but speaking without visuals is a bit like listening to the radio. Some people prefer it but the TV is more engaging for most.
I admire Scott for talking without visuals but go on admit it, you know you could have added some memorability to the points he was making with just a few visuals?
Warm regards
Gary
http://propresent.co.uk/ourblog

[Scott Stratten]

Hey man! Thanks for this, such a great event and appreciate the write up.

And have to disagree with the commenter Gary about "It's not a right or wrong issue but speaking without visuals is a bit like listening to the radio"

A good speaker is the visual, using expression and passion.

[Jonathan Thomas]

Gary,

Thanks for the compliments!

I think we're on the same page. I didn't intent this post to be anti-PowerPoint at all, and I tried to make that clear. Obviously I have nothing against visuals - I design presentations!

Visuals can make a presentation both more memorable and easier to keep the presenter on track. Presenting "naked", like Scott (who was wearing clothes), is not easy to do. You have to know your content inside and out, and not need to stick to any strict storyline. Scott's presentation was very story-driven and conversational. He wasn't following some checklist of points.

However, presentations have to be properly designed in order to add a visual point of reference without dumbing it down by adding boatloads of text to act as a crutch for the presenter. One argument I hear from upper-management when creating presentations for multiple people to use, they say "We need the bullet points so our presenters hit every point." Well, if your team is not capable of remembering the content, then you have a hiring problem, not a presentation problem.

I absolutely agree that properly designed visuals could have made Scott's presentation more memorable, but his presentation style didn't particularly lend well to slides and I wanted to show that PowerPoint is not a religion. You don't have to always use it.

People argue that presentation designers cram PowerPoint down people's throats and claim that no presentation can be good without PowerPoint. That's garbage. I think most of us believe that PowerPoint is a great tool when used effectively, but passion and content always come first.

Jon

[Jonathan Thomas]

Scott,

Much appreciated, as always.

Gary makes a point that's slightly flawed. I know what he's getting at, and depending on the presentation style and topic, adding visuals can add great value and make a presentation more memorable (easier to recall). However, they're not always necessary, and designed incorrectly will do a disservice for the presenter and audience.

The presentation was to a relatively smaller audience (sub 50) and the focus was on conversations, questions, and stories. Those are times when the attention is solely on the speaker, thus they become the visual.

It's a gray area - I see where you're both coming from, and I think you're both right.

Jon

[Anke Tröder]

When I introduced slides into my college and freelance seminars some 15 year back there was a sudden, new and strange emotional distance between me and my group.

I guess I have been fighting it ever since. Trying to bridge the digital divide. Go back to where I came from. Words.

Slides are great. I love slides. Visuals can underline a statement, raise a question, dumbfound your audience.

But if there is a power failure we still need to be able to paint images inside our audience’s mind the way we have always done it. With voice, with gestures, by raising a brow, by painting with words.

We were story animals first. And picture animals later.

So my verdict is: Use visuals only if you are 100% sure you can do without.

[Jonathan Thomas]

Anke,

"So my verdict is: Use visuals only if you are 100% sure you can do without."

Absolutely spot-on.

If you can do it without visuals, then you know your content (and have practiced). If you then choose to use visuals, they can be designed to enhance your presentation, not distract or act as a crutch.

Thanks much for the comment.

Jon

[John Zimmer]

Great post, Jon. Insightful and balanced. And good comments from your readers.

When it comes to slide presentations, many people, unfortunately, are found at the extremes. Either they use PowerPoint, etc. poorly or they are almost messianic in their repudiation of it.

There is nothing wrong with PowerPoint. It is a tool like any other. If you give me a shovel and ask me to dig a ditch, and I turn the shovel around, hold the spade and stick the handle in the ground, I am going to dig you one pathetic ditch. But don't blame the shovel - it's how I used it. Same goes for PowerPoint.

As you rightly said, the speaker is the presentation. Build from there. Speak from the heart. Tell your stories. And if PowerPoint can help deliver your message, then use it - wisely. But if not, don't.

Cheers!

John
http://mannerofspeaking.org