Don’t Make Your Audience Guess “Whodunnit?”: Why You Should Lead with Your Answer

by John Polk | Jul 20, 2021 | Presentation Coaching, Presentation Design

Clue logo by SantaMinion  Do you like to read mystery novels? Watch mystery movies? The fun is in guessing whodunnit while the author throws red herrings at you. You don’t want your audience guessing “whodunnit” in a business presentation because...

What the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Data Visualization: How to Avoid Common Biases

by John Polk | Mar 25, 2020 | Presentation Design

Information = Data + Bias. This formula is another mathematical nugget of data visualization wisdom from my professor, Dr. Harold Kurstedt. You met Dr. Kurstedt in my Platinum Rule post. This formula came back to me when I was stress-watching cable news about the...

Find Your Walk-Up Song: How Music Can Boost Your Confidence

by John Polk | Sep 15, 2019 | Presentation Coaching

It’s a simple but fun tradition. The batter walks to the plate, and the crappy stadium sound system blares AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.” Or The Troggs’ “Wild Thing” made popular in the movie Major League. Or Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” If you don’t have a...

Take a Sad First Impression and Make it Better: The Right Way to Kickoff Your Presentation

by John Polk | Jul 9, 2019 | Presentation Coaching, Presentation Training

So, um, ah, [clears throat] hi, hello. How’s everybody doing today? [Tepid applause] C’mon, you can do better than that. HOW’S EVERYBODY DOING TODAY? [Forced enthusiastic applause and whoops] That’s better. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m John. I’m an expert...

If It’s Not Communicating, It’s Irritating: How to Reduce Noise In Your Presentations

by John Polk | Oct 8, 2018 | Presentation Design

I hated electrical theory – it was the hardest-earned B- of my college career. But one concept stuck with me, the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). It’s a simple concept, which might explain why it’s the only thing I remember from that course. If you’re listening to a...