Advanced Presentations by Design (2^nd Ed.) 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 forAdvanced 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

Foreword xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction 1

PART I: WHO? 15

CHAPTER 1: AUDIENCE

Understanding What Types of Communication Will Be Most Effective for Your Audience 17

Step 1: Identify the Communication Preferences of the Different Personality Types in Your Audience 17

How to Estimate Your Audience’s Personality Types 18

How to Match Your Presentation Design to Different Personality Types in the Same Audience 19

Additional Information About Your Audience 25

PART II: WHAT? 27

Why You Should Have Specifi c Presentation Objectives 27

Why Discuss Problem Solving in a Book About Presentation Design 28

Why You Should Always Focus Your Presentation on an Audience Problem 28

You Do Need Evidence! 29

The Reality Principle: Show Concrete and Specific Data Whenever Possible 30

CHAPTER 2: OBJECTIVE

Setting a Measurable Objective for Your Presentation 33

Step 2: Set Specific Objectives for What You Want Your Audience to Think and Do Differently After Your Presentation 33

The Typical—and Wrong—Way to Set Presentation Objectives 33

Developing Effective Presentation Objectives 35

The Curse of the “Update” Presentation 37

How Do You Know Whether You Have Set the Right Objectives? 38

CHAPTER 3: PROBLEM SOLUTION

Articulating the Audience’s Problem and Your Proposed Solution to It 39

Step 3: Identify a Problem Your Audience Has That Your Presentation Will Contribute to Solving 39

Choosing the Right Problem 40

Crafting Your Solution 48

CHAPTER 4: EVIDENCE

Marshalling Your Evidence 57

Step 4: List All the Information That You Think You May Need to Include in Your Presentation 57

What Kinds of Evidence Should You Include? 57

Is There Any Kind of Evidence That You Should Exclude? 61

Where Do You Find All This Evidence? 62

PART III: HOW? 64

PART IIIA: HOW TO TELL YOUR STORY 64

Facts and Logic Alone Are Not Enough to Persuade Most People 64

The Importance of Storytelling 65

Ethical Persuasion 66

CHAPTER 5: ANECDOTES

Assembling the Anecdotes That Will Illustrate Your Evidence 67

Step 5: Identify Brief Anecdotes That Highlight Your Most Important Points 67

What Kinds of Stories Should You Use in Your Presentation? 67

How to Tell a Story Using the Seven Basic Plots 70

Where to Find Useful Stories 73

CHAPTER 6: STORY

Sequencing Your Evidence 77

Step 6: Sequence Your Information So That It Tells a Compelling Story 77

The Structure of All Effective Stories 79

Using the S.Co.R.E.™ Method to Sequence Your Evidence 82

What to Do with What Doesn’t Fit into Your Storyline—The Role of the Appendix 91

PART IIIB: HOW TO SHOW YOUR STORY 93

Should You Use Visual Aids? 94

Should You Use PowerPoint? 94

Should Each Slide Have Seven Bullets and Seven Words Per Bullet? 96

CHAPTER 7: VISUALS

Visual Presentation Elements: Graphics, Charts, Color, Animation, and Fonts 99

Step 7: Identify the Most Effective Graphical Elements to Use in Your Presentation 99

What Kinds of Graphics Should You Use? 99

Should You Use Clip Art? 100

How Do You Decide Which Type of Chart Will Best Communicate Your Data? 100

Which Type Fonts and Sizes Should You Use? 105

Should You Use Bullet Points, Color, Animation, Transitions, or Animation? 105

CHAPTER 8: LAYOUT

Laying Out All the Elements of Your Presentation 109

Step 8: Create Visuals That Communicate Your Information Concisely and Effectively 109

How to Lay Out Your Visuals So That They Grab the Audience’s Interest and Convey the Intended Message Persuasively 110

How to Decide Which Presentation Design Style to Use 113

How to Design Effective Ballroom Style Presentations 115

How to Design Effective Conference Room Style Presentations 115

How to Design Prezi Presentations 120

When to Use Multiple Presentation Styles in the Same Presentation 121

How Much Detail to Put on Each Slide 122

How to Avoid Bad Detail (“Chartjunk”) 130

How Much Text to Put on Each Slide 132

Whether to Combine Graphics and Text on the Same Slide 135

Preparing to Lay Out Your Presentation 135

How to Draw Your Slides—and Where to Find Examples of Layouts That Pass the Squint Test 140

PART IV: WHO, AGAIN? 145

CHAPTER 9: STAKEHOLDERS AND MEASUREMENT Satisfying Your Stakeholders and Measuring Success 147

Step 9: Identify Any Potential Roadblocks to Achieving Your Objectives, and Make a Plan to Deal with Each 147

Step 10: Decide How You Will Measure the Success of Your Presentation 147

CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSION

The Scalability of the Extreme Presentation Method 151

A Language and a Framework for Providing Effective Feedback 151

Contradicting Other Approaches to Presentation Design 152

PART V: APPENDICES 155

Appendix A. Worksheets 157

Appendix B. Extreme Presentation Makeover 163

Appendix C. Thirty-Six Layouts That Pass the Squint Test 173

Appendix D. Further Reading 177

Appendix E: 1,000 Good Books 179

References 181

Index 191

About the Author 203

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.