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Stop Annoying Your Audience: The Top 10 Presentation Design Pet Peeves and What to Do Instead
I start every "Presentations That Drive Action" workshop by asking participants about their presentation pet peeves and best practices. Often the pet peeves are simply the opposite of the best practices. But asking for pet peeves lets the PowerPoint haters get it out...
You’ve Visualized Your Data, Now Actualize Your Promotion: How Effective Presentation Skills Can Set You Up for Promotion
I sat through approximately 160 cross-calibration conversations for analysts in my career. A cross-cal is how many companies ensure associates get a fair performance rating versus just letting your boss decide your rating. While I’m a fan of making sure associates get...
Don’t Make Your Audience Guess “Whodunnit?”: Why You Should Lead with Your Answer
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 then they aren't...
What the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Data Visualization: How to Avoid Common Biases
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
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 walk-up song,...
Take a Sad First Impression and Make it Better: The Right Way to Kickoff Your Presentation
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
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...
What Amtrak Can Teach Us About Presentation Standards: How to Create Professional Presentations in Less Time
I took the train from Richmond to New York twice last summer. It’s doesn’t take much longer than flying, it’s a lot less hassle, and you can get more work done. But there’s one thing that drives me crazy. When you get to Washington, DC, you wait in the dark with no...
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