by Tim Calkins
The approach won’t work for most business presentations.
If you are meeting with the head of a company and produce a slide with just one word on the page, people may well be completely confused. It is a recipe for disaster.
Businesses have hierarchies. Some people are more impor-tant and some people are less important. In most cases, the less important people are making recommendations to the more important people.
As a result, a less important person can’t just say “Invest” and expect people to fall into line. The senior people will want to hear some rationale.
To make a compelling recommendation for senior people, you need data and information. This requires numbers and facts. You need to show timing, pricing and projected returns. Showing a page with just a word or a picture isn’t going to carry the day.
Keep Things Private
One of the truly remarkable things about Steve Jobs was his ability to maintain privacy. He never revealed a product or a project until it was perfect. During the time he was working on it, he ensured that the team preserved absolute privacy.
This worked out well for Jobs, clearly. By keeping things private, he preserved surprise. More important, he protected his lead vs. competition. Jobs knew that other companies would start working on his new products as soon as possible, so privacy was critical.
One might then conclude that you also should preserve privacy and keep things quiet. It would be possible to implement this idea at a company; you minimize updates on your project or initiative as much as you can to protect the surprise.
My advice, again: don’t do it.
Communication is essential in a corporate setting. People have to know what is going on. If you keep things quiet, this doesn’t happen. Lack of communication creates problems with both senior executives and cross-functional peers.
Senior managers need to know what is happening. You will not do well if you leave them in the dark. If a project is on track, you should let the senior people know. If you make an important decision, you give them an update.
The simplest way to create issues with your boss is to limit the flow of information. You need to communicate more, not less.
The same dynamic works with cross-functional peers. Your colleagues need to know where things stand. If you keep them in the dark, they will probably be frustrated. More important, they won’t be able to help.
17
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT PRESENTING
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People have a lot of questions when it comes to presenting; there are many issues to deal with. Here are a few of the most common questions I encounter.
Do I have to use PowerPoint?
No. You do not have to use PowerPoint.
PowerPoint is just one software tool that you can use to display information. There are many other tools and these can work just as well, or even better.
When I was a child, I remember watching my father prepare for talks. He was a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo Medical School. He would spend days working on his presentation and then send the visuals off to a production facility. A week or so later he would get slides back.
He would then start rehearsing. Each slide was about a two-inch-by-two-inch square. To show a page, he would pick up the slide, drop it into his small projector and talk about it. Then he would drop in the next slide and continue along.
My father was quite adept at using his rather cumbersome projecting device. He deftly moved from one slide to the next while he presented. After the meeting he carefully organized and stored the slides; we had a big case in our dining room where he kept all his presentation slides lined up, ready for the next talk.
If you want to be somewhat retro and use this sort of slide device for your presentation, go right ahead. It certainly would make a statement.
If you are an Apple fan and want to use Keynote, Apple’s presenting software, do so. If you prefer Prezi, the rather flashy presentation platform, use it. If you can develop your own system, fine.
Just remember two things:
First, only use a program or technique that you are comfortable with. A presentation to the CEO is not the best time to try out a new piece of software. There is a good chance it won’t go well, and that will make you look unprepared. It will raise questions and create doubt about your skills and competence. The CEO might think, “If this fellow can’t even manage to do the presentation without issues, I can’t imagine the project will go well.” You don’t want this.
Second, remember that the rules of presenting still apply, regardless of the software. You need a title page, an agenda and an executive summary. You should have a headline on each slide. You need support points. Your pages should be simple and easy to follow.
Regardless of the platform, don’t just pass out the presentation for people to flip through. You want to use a system that forces you to stand up and take charge of a room. A handout suggests that you can remain seated while you present. This is casual and friendly, but it doesn’t help you as a presenter.
When talking to a group, the ability to stand up is critical for attracting and holding attention. The person standing naturally has a prominence in the room. People look at this person. Their voice might be louder and carry farther.
Now, if you are the CEO or president, you don’t need to worry about this too much. People will listen to you because they know you have the power to fire them. That is usually enough to hold their attention.
If you aren’t the CEO, however, you need everything you can get to take control of the room. People won’t naturally defer to your authority and prestige. Standing is one way to get this.
However, you need a reason to stand, which means you need a presentation on a wall. You need something to walk up and talk to and point to. Don’t lose your authority by sitting down.
Should headlines always go at the top of the page?
Yes, you should always put the headline at the top of the page.
The reason is simple: people generally read the top of the page first. You want people to get your most important point, so you should put it in the headline.
This approach makes it easy for your readers. They can quickly see the point of the page. If they agree with your main point, they can move on to the next page, skipping over the analysis. Why spend time on data supporting a point you already agree with?
If they disagree with your point, they can look at the supporting information. Just how strong is your rationale, anyway? Where is the flaw in your logic?
Some people recommend putting the key point at the bottom of the page. There is logic behind this approach; the bottom point is a summary of the data above. It only makes sense to reach a conclusion after presenting some data.
In reality, this doesn’t work well because you are assuming that people will read the entire page. They probably won’t.
Other people like having both a headline at the top and a summary point at the bottom. In theory, this rather complex design brings together the best of both approaches; the headline states the point of the page while the conclusion point at the bottom seals the argument.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work well, either. If you put your main point at the bottom of the page, your audience probably won’t ever get to it, in which case you missed an opportunity. If you put your main point in the headline, then the point at the bottom becomes redundant. What is the difference between the headline and the footer? It is all rather confusing.
It is best to keep things simple and put the main point in the headline.
Short presentations are better than long presentations, correct?
No. It is always better to have a simple presentation than a complicated presentation; there are few times when increasing complexity will result in a more effective presentation.
This point doesn’t mean that shorter is necessarily better.
Sometimes you need many pages to review a situation and make a recommendation. If you are working
on a business that is particularly complicated, you’ll need a number of slides to explain what is happening.
Trying to compress information onto a single slide, or just a few slides, can make the presentation much worse. A single slide that presents a complex analysis and the resulting implications probably won’t work well; it is simply too much information. You would be better off putting the information on several different pages. The first page might explain the approach, the second page could highlight key assumptions and the third page might show the actual analysis, while the fourth page clarifies the implications.
In many cases, a presentation with eighty pages will be simpler, easier to follow and more convincing than a presentation with twenty pages.
Some of the most elegant presentations I’ve delivered went on for many pages. My recommendation to restructure pricing for Parkay Margarine, for example, was over seventy pages. I presented a very complex analysis and series of calculations in a step-by-step fashion. Each page was simple and led to the next page. I made a controversial and risky recommendation, but the presentation was so logical that it seemed like an obvious move to the audience.
Should I memorize my talk?
No. You never want to memorize a presentation. Memorizing is bad for three reasons.
First, if you memorize your talk, you will be less convincing. Your goal is to persuade your audience to support your recommendation. To do this, you want to speak naturally and with conviction. You don’t want to preach or lecture to someone; you just want to explain your thinking. The best way to do this is to naturally talk about the material, reviewing the logic.
If you memorize a speech, you probably will appear stiff and stilted, with your face scrunched up as you try to remember the next phrase.
This is particularly true if you write out your talk. People don’t speak like they write. There is no better way to destroy your image of a confident, savvy and composed presenter than to break into a memorized talk.
Second, it is easy to get flustered when you are reciting a memorized speech. You are so focused on trying to remember things that, when you stumble, it can be hard to recover. It is a bit like the theater on a very bad night. Someone forgets their lines and stands there, helpless. They can’t remember the flow; they can’t get restarted until someone yells a cue from offstage, perhaps “Steven, how could you deceive me this way?” The actor finally restarts with the help of the prompt.
If you don’t try to memorize your talk, you won’t forget it. You completely eliminate the risk that you’ll lose track of your words. Remember that in a business talk people won’t prompt your next line. Your colleague isn’t likely to read off her script: “And that is why we looked at the non-promoted price.”
Third, memorizing a talk simply takes too much time. Learning a sixty-minute speech is not an easy task. You have to write out the presentation, study it, memorize it, practice it and then practice it again. If you have a terrific memory, it might go quickly. Most people will struggle. Why devote so much mental energy to memorization? It is better to spend your time checking your logic and analysis.
Can the same document be effective both read and presented?
There is no question that a document meant to be read is different than a document meant to be presented. It is a bit like comparing a book and a film. The story and the material may be the same but the execution is completely different.
For this reason, many people argue that there is no way to create one document that serves both purposes. You can’t create one presentation that will be both read and viewed. Jerry Weissman, author of Presenting to Win, writes, “A presentation is a presentation and only a presentation, and never a document.”1
The problem is that, in the business world, presentations have to play both roles. The same document will be read and presented.
It is important to keep this in mind as you build the document. You need enough explanation and detail that someone can follow it even if they didn’t attend the meeting. You also need to keep the presentation uncluttered.
While it’s challenging to succeed at this task, a presentation needs to work both ways.
Should I try to be funny?
No. Business matters are not naturally funny. Most people don’t break out laughing when they think about a pricing move or a new product introduction. It just isn’t an area that lends itself to great hilarity. As a result, humor can feel awkward and forced. So don’t do it. As business journalist Geoffrey James recommends, “Leave comedy to the professionals.”2
Imagine a business presentation where the focus is on humor.
Good morning. I always like to start a meeting with a joke. Why did the banana cross the road? He wasn’t peeling well! I love that one.
Well, now we should get to the new product recommendation. This new product is so good. It reminds me of this joke. What do you get when you cross a bear with a skunk? Winnie the Phew!
Seriously, this is a great new product. We are more excited about this launch than a camel on hump day. A bit like Geico.
It just doesn’t create an impression of competence. Instead, your audience starts to think, “Who is this joker, anyway? And why is he working on this project?”
There are three problems with using humor in a business presentation. The first problem is that it sends the wrong signal. If you are telling jokes, it suggests that you don’t take the material seriously. That is not going to make your audience feel confident and secure in your recommendation.
Few business topics get better with humor. Does a pricing recommendation improve with a couple good jokes? Will the decision to close a factory get easier with some levity? How about the decision to kill a product?
The second problem is that you can easily offend people in a bid to be funny. This is particularly a concern if you are working in a global business. Humor can be very culturally specific. What is funny in one country can be insulting in another. The risk of committing a faux pas is very high when you are trying to be funny. It just isn’t worth it.
The third issue is that the joke might not go over well. If you say, “Let me tell you this great joke,” you are setting yourself up for disappointment. What if nobody laughs at all? You then have a problem; instead of building momentum and gaining altitude in your presentation, you have just completely stalled. And for no reason; the joke wasn’t essential. It did a lot of damage for no benefit. You don’t want to take a risk if there isn’t a significant upside.
Now, a certain amount of witty banter is fine. This is particularly the case if you are presenting to someone who appreciates humor that aligns with your style. Nobody likes to sit in a terribly dull meeting. A bit of levity can lighten things up.
If you are going to try humor, I would suggest three things. First, always tell the joke or funny story; don’t put it on your slide. This way the moment can quickly fade away if something doesn’t go well. Documents and slides can last forever and are easy to take out of context.
Second, be sure you know your audience well. If you don’t know the group, then be safe and avoid the witty comment or joke.
Third, make fun of yourself. An entertaining story about your recent travels can work well; you are having fun at your own expense. Just be a little careful. Saying “I am so bad with numbers I’m amazed I remember my ATM code” isn’t going to enhance your stature in the organization; it will just raise questions about your skills and competence.
What should I do if I notice a big mistake in my presentation?
There is nothing worse than discovering a significant error in your presentation while you are delivering it. Grammatical mistakes are bad. Mathematical mistakes are even worse.
As much as we try to avoid mistakes, they will happen. How you respond to the situation will have a significant impact on your reputation and career.
Your response should reflect the type of error. If it is a small spelling mistake or formatting glitch, it is best to simply ignore it. You might just mov
e to the next slide quickly and hope that people didn’t notice it. Later, of course, you can fix the mistake so the official file is correct.
A major mistake in the financials is a larger problem.
There are two types of calculation mistakes. One is a mistake in the presentation. Perhaps you flipped two numbers, put a comma in the wrong place or simply inserted the wrong figure. These are notable errors but, as with formatting mistakes, you might be able to move along. If people question the numbers, you can recognize the mistake: “This should actually be 1,792, not 7,192. I will get that fixed. I’m sorry about that error.”
A fundamental mistake in the calculations is entirely different. In this case you have to play for time. If the numbers might be wrong, you can’t push for agreement; you don’t want people signing up for a plan that is based on some incorrect calculations.
At the same time, you can’t just end the meeting. If you announce, “Oh, would you just look at that, these numbers are completely off. I wonder how that happened,” you will look unprepared and incompetent. This is a career-limiting situation.
The challenge: you need to deliver the presentation while giving yourself the freedom to change the recommendation if the numbers are indeed off. This is not an easy task!
The key is to immediately back off a strong statement; you want to start hedging right away. You could say, “One of the things we’ve been thinking about is this,” and “These are just some initial numbers; we will be getting back to you with a set once we’ve validated some of the key assumptions.” With a bit of hedging, you make it clear that you are planning to have another meeting, at which time you will have updated and more accurate numbers to work with.