Advanced Presentations by Design Creating Communication that Drives Action

Based on extensive research studies from the fields of communication, marketing, psychology, multimedia, and law, Advanced Presentations by Design, Second Edition, provides fact-based answers to the most-often-asked questions about presentation design. The book shows how to adapt your presentation to different audience personality preferences, what role your data should play and how much of it you need, how to turn your data into a story, and how to design persuasive yet comprehensible visual layouts.

The book's accessible 10-step Extreme PresentationTM method has been field-tested in organizations such as Microsoft, ExxonMobil, HJ Heinz, PayPal, and the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Written from the perspective of a marketer and business manager, this new edition offers practical, evidence-based advice for bringing focus to problems and overcoming challenges. The book offers practical guidelines for:

• Structuring Stories: The book presents the SCORE method for sequencing data (Situation, Complication, Resolution, Example) into a powerful story that grabs the audience's attention at the beginning and holds it through to the end.

• Using Graphics: The author provides numerous examples of charts and other graphics, explaining which can help you best present your data.

• Setting Goals for Presentations: The book reveals why it's important to set measurable objectives for what you want your audience to think and do differently after your presentation.

This comprehensive resource offers a proven process for creating a presentation that gets noticed and compels your audience to take action.

Praise for Advanced Presentations by Design

"Shocking but true: You don't have to be Steve Jobs to create presentations that your audience will enjoy and that will also get you results. Even for everyday presentations, I've found that Dr. Abela's unique approach helps you replace crushingly dull and overlong presentations with fresh work your audience really cares about and that you actually enjoy creating!"

—Sanjay Acharya, Vice President, Akamai Technologies

"Advanced Presentations by Design is the best researched book on presentation design that I've ever had the privilege of reading. I recommend it for those of you who want the confidence of knowing how best to plan and design successful presentations."

—Gene Zelazny, author, Say It with Charts and Say It with Presentations

"This book is essential for any executive who doesn't have time to wade through sixty-page PowerPoint decks. You will want to make this book required reading for all your staff."

—Stew McHie, Global Brand Manager, ExxonMobil

Dr. Andrew Abela is the Dean of the School of Business & Economics at The Catholic University of America. He contributes to a wide-range of publications and consults to several major corporations on marketing and internal communications issues.

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I: WHO?

Chapter 1: AUDIENCE

Understanding What Types of Communication Will Be Most Effective for Your Audience

Step 1: Identify the Communication Preferences of the Different Personality Types in Your Audience

How to Estimate Your Audience’s Personality Types

How to Match Your Presentation Design to Different Personality Types in the Same Audience

Additional Information About Your Audience

Part II: WHAT?

Why You Should Have Specific Presentation Objectives

Why Discuss Problem Solving in a Book About Presentations

Why You Should Always Focus Your Presentation on an

Audience Problem

You Do Need Evidence!

The Reality Principle: Show Concrete and Specific Data Whenever Possible

Chapter 2: OBJECTIVE

Setting a Measurable Objective for Your Presentation

Step 2: Set Specific Objectives for What You Want Your Audience to Think and Do Differently After Your Presentation

The Typical—and Wrong—Way to Set Presentation Objectives

Developing Effective Presentation Objectives

The Curse of the “Update” Presentation

How Do You Know Whether You Have Set the Right Objectives?

Chapter 3: PROBLEM SOLUTION

Articulating the Audience’s Business Problem and Your Proposed Solution to It

Step 3: Identify a Problem Your Audience Has That Your Presentation Will Contribute to Solving

Choosing the Right Problem

Crafting Your Solution

Chapter 4: EVIDENCE

Marshalling Your Evidence

Step 4: List All the Information That You Think You May Need to Include in Your Presentation

What Kinds of Evidence Should You Include?

Is There Any Kind of Evidence That You Should Exclude?

Where Do You Find All This Evidence?

PART IIIA: HOW?

Chapter 5: ANECDOTES

Assembling the Anecdotes That Will Illustrate Your Evidence

Step 5: Identify Brief Anecdotes That Highlight Your Most Important Points

What Kind of Stories Should You Use in Your Presentation?

How to Tell a Story Using the Seven Basic Plots

Where to Find Useful Stories

Chapter 6: STORY

Sequencing Your Evidence

Step 6: Sequence Your Information So That It Tells a Compelling Story

The Structure of All Effective Stories

Using the S.Co.R.E.™ Method to Sequence Your Evidence

What to Do with What Doesn’t Fit into Your Storyline—The Role of the Appendix

Part IIIB: HOW TO SHOW YOUR STORY

Should You Use Visual Aids?

Should You Use PowerPoint?

Should Each Slide Have Seven Bullets and Seven Words Per Bullet?

Chapter 7: VISUALS

Visual Presentation Elements: Graphics, Charts, Color, Animation, and Fonts

Step 7: Identify the Most Effective Graphical Elements to Use in Your Presentation

What Kinds of Graphics Should You Use?

Should You Use Clip Art?

How Do You Decide Which Type of Chart Will Best Communicate Your Data?

Which Type Fonts and Sizes Should You Use?

Should You Use Bullet Points, Color, Animation, Transitions, or Animation?

Chapter 8: LAYOUT

Laying Out All the Elements of Your Presentation

Step 8: Create Visuals That Communicate Your Information Concisely and Effectively

How to Lay Out Your Visuals So That They Grab the Audience’s Interest and Convey the Intended Message Persuasively

How to Decide Which Presentation Style to Use

How to Design Effective Ballroom Style Presentations

How to Design Effective Conference Room Style Presentations

How to Design Prezi Presentations

When to Use Multiple Presentation Styles in the Same Presentation

How Much Detail to Put on Each Slide

How to Avoid Bad Detail (“Chartjunk”)

How Much Text to Put on Each Slide

Whether to Combine Graphics and Text on the Same Slide

Preparing to Lay Out Your Presentation

How to Draw Your Slides—and Where to Find Examples of Layouts That Pass the Squint Test

PART IV: WHO, AGAIN?

Chapter 9: STAKEHOLDERS AND MEASUREMENT

Satisfying Your Stakeholders and Measuring Success

Step 9: Identify Any Potential Roadblocks to Achieving Your Objectives, and Make a Plan to Deal with Each

Step 10: Decide How You Will Measure the Success of Your Presentation

Chapter 10: CONCLUSION

The Scalability of the Extreme Presentation Method

A Language and a Framework for Providing Effective Feedback

Contradicting Other Approaches to Presentation Design

PART V: APPENDICES

Appendix A. Worksheets

Appendix B. Extreme Presentation Makeover

Appendix C. Thirty-Six Layouts That Pass the Squint Test

Appendix D. Further Reading

Appendix E: 1,000 Good Books

References

Index

About the Author

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.