Excellent Post from Seth Godin

Do you read Seth Godin's blog?

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/07/the-200-slide-solution.html

Today he wrote:

The 200 slide solution

The next time you find yourself on the hook for a 40 minute presentation (with slides!) consider, at least for a moment, a radical idea:

A slide every 12 seconds. 200 slides in all.

You're used to putting three or four bullet points on a slide. That's at least four distinct ideas, but more often, each of those ideas has three or four sub ideas to it. In other words, you're cramming 32 ideas on a slide, and you're sitting on that slide as you drone on and on. Perhaps you spice it up with some reveals or animated bullets, but it's still 32 ideas going stale before our eyes.

What if you blew it up? Just one word on a slide. Or, perhaps just one image (no cheesy stock please). Maybe you write, "Cheaper" on one slide and, "More durable" on the next...

Slides create action. When did you decide that the appropriate amount of action was six or twelve times every half hour?

How would your pace change if you had 200 slides? How much better would the integration of slides and talk be?

I don't honestly expect you to do your presentation with 200 slides. I'm hoping this exercise will help you realize that you might not need any slides. Or that 50 or 100 slides will pick up your energy and make your argument more coherent.

But please, don't do that presentation you did last time.

Coolest presentation ever?

Ode to Joy on Water Glasses

10 No-Brainers for a Successful Presentation!

10 No-Brainers for a Successful Presentation!



Too many presenters fall flat on their faces. Follow my formula, and you’ll have flocks of fans fawning over you. (Not that audience adoration is your aim, but it’s a starting point.)



1. Write out loud.



Writing and speaking are two distinct forms or communication. What sounds great on paper may fall flat as a speech or presentation.

When speaking to an audience, you have only one shot at making your point. If they misunderstand you or get lost, there’s no opportunity for them go back and “re-read.”



In spoken language, there is power in simplicity.



Tip: Say your presentation out loud as you’re writing it.



2. If they’re snoozing, you’re losing.



Most audiences can be segmented into four groups of listeners.


(1) hanging on every word; would follow you anywhere
(2) engaged, but not enraptured
(3) present, but listening passively
(4) present, but mind is somewhere else



Your job is to connect with the 2s, 3s, and 4s. If your speech is too complex, or unfocused, or boring, you risk losing ¾ of your audience.



Tip: Your family and friends will tell you your talk is over-the-moon fabulous. Take that as a warning.



3. Why should they care?



Know your audience.
-- Are they friendly, hostile, or neutral?
-- Are they knowledgeable or are they newbies?
-- Why should they care about what you care about?



Ask yourself, what can I give them that’s worth something to them?



Tip: It’s about them, not about you.



4. And your point is…?


-- What is your central message? Write it down.
-- What do you want your audience to think and do
as a result what you say?



Tip: Write your call to action before you write your speech.



5. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.



Creata a simple outline that focuses your topic. Here’s a proven formula:
-- Opening story or icebreaker
-- State your thesis (central message)
-- Create three bullets to support your thesis.
-- Finish with your call to action.
-- Script and memorize your closing sentence. Don’t just stop
talking.



Tip: Print a hard copy of the outline. Place it beside your screen while you write.


6. Keep it simple, Simon. (KISS)



In writing the script:
-- Use active voice and active verbs
-- Write with ESP -- economy, simplicity, precision
-- Avoid complexity -- stay focused on central message.
-- Use short, simple stories, quotes and anecdotes to support
your points.
-- Resist the temptation to show how much smarter you are
than your audience.



Tip: Nobody brought a dictionary. So don’t use words they have to look up.



7. Don’t commit death by PowerPoint.


If using visuals, rely on pictures and one-word text slides.



Tip: Think of visuals as wallpaper – not as content support.



8. Shine privately, and you’ll shine publicly.



-- Practice out loud, with someone present (or a mirror).
-- Use a Time Timer (timetimer.com).



Tip: Don’t fall victim to: “I’m not good in rehearsal, but I’ll be great with an audience to inspire me.” Most often, poor rehearsal means poor presentation.



9. Stop talking and start communicating.



Connect with your audience
-- Feel what you’re saying
-- Transmit that feeling to the audience
-- 93% of audience buy-in is based on delivery
-- Yes, your content is entirely valid, BUT you still
must convince your audience.



Tip: Rod Stewart once sang: “I look to find a Reason to Believe.”
Give your audience that reason.



10. Be you – not a talking head.


-- You’re not a presenter. You’re a person who’s presenting.
-- Loosen up.
-- Lighten up.
-- Activate your adrenalin.
-- And enjoy the moment.



Tip: It’s OK to let the real you come through.


And if there’s a Q&A…

11. Q&A -- Shut up and listen.


-- Listen actively.
-- Let questioner know you’re listening.
-- Let questioner finish before you start.
-- Repeat the question to entire audience.
-- Be BRIEF so more audience members can participate.



Tip: Long responses are a Q&A killer.

Top 11 Keys to Effective Email

Top Eleven Keys to Effective Email.

You’ve seen Email Top Tens before. But you’ve never seen anything like my Email Top Eleven.

Here we go:

1. Don’t make me nervous – I’ll delete you.

Avoid ominous subject lines. They scare readers away.

NO: Quarterly report is troubling.

Lure readers inside with a positive or provocative subject line.

YES: Quarterly report reveals opportunities.

YES: Need your counsel on the quarterly report.

2. “Please get to the point sometime before my scheduled retirement date.” Don’t bore your reader with long buildups to the issue.

NO: I’m writing to address an important marketing issue that we have been struggling with since the staff meeting that was held at the beginning of last quarter. Clearly, we have wide differences of opinion as to which of the ad agencies interviewed at that time would be the best fit for the direction we have chosen for the future of our marketing plan. Accordingly, we should…

Place your key message in the first line.

YES: It’s time to decide which ad agency we will hire.

3. Using passive voice can confuse the reader.

NO: I was struck by your clenched fist.

Use Active Voice -- SVO – Subject/Verb/Object.

YES: Your clenched fist underscored the point. I’m sold.

4. Pretend Jack is listening. (He may be.)

NO: Jack is being a jerk about this issue.

YES: Jack doesn’t agree with me on this issue.

OH NO: Hey Jim…Jack, here. Got a copy of your email to Jan. Meet me in the parking lot after work.

5. Brevity rocks! Avoid the sentence that never ends.

NO: It has come to my attention that the most critical issue confronting our business is not that product users don’t like our products but that our marketing of these products is creating an expectation we can’t deliver on within our existing strategy.

Employ ESP: economy, simplicity, precision.

YES: The issues we face are:

-- Product sales are well short of forecast.

-- Our marketing strategy may need an overhaul.

6. No comprende?

Avoid idioms, slang, and terms that may not translate to other cultures and nationalities.

NO: We have to think outside box, get on the same page, and sing from the same hymnal.

NO: Dudes, either we’ve all gotta be down with this idea or else eighty-six it ASAP.

YES: We all have to agree on this and work together.

7. Texting in email is unprofessional.

NO: R U abbrev. 2 much?

YES: Let’s agree to use standard business English in our emails.

8. Use “you” frequently. Use “I” sparingly.

This email is about the recipient. It’s not about you.

NO: I believe the team should follow the course I outlined. I spent weeks developing it and I need you to support me.

YES: What are your thoughts about my proposal? We're all in this together and your ideas are critical to its success.

9. OMG! What was I thinking?

Read your email as if you were the recipient. Will it backfire? If you’re not sure, wait five minutes, then read it again.

NO: Frankly, I feel that you were way out of line at the meeting.

YES: I didn’t understand some of your comments at the meeting. Could we meet for coffee later today?

10. Edit, proof, spell-check – carefully!

Tom Peters says: “To airline passengers, coffee stains on the seats means the engines haven’t been maintained.” Careless mistakes reflect badly on you and your company.

NO: Thank you for your reccomendation. I will try to be more accomodating in the future.

YES: Thank you for your recommendation. I will try to be more accommodating in the future.

11. No, wait!

The second you click SEND, you realize your mistake. Jack was on that list. Time to sign up for Tae Kwon Do.

For more great tips of effective communication, go to my website:

www.i-Cue.com

Seth Godin's "What Matters Now"

Permission marketer Seth Godin released a free eBook today called "What Matters Now." Over a dozen writers and marketers contributed short slides about marketing challenges for 2010.

Download it and skip to slide 18:

"Speaking" by Mark Hurst of Creative Good shows you how to start crafting a compelling presentation.

Download "What Matters Now" -- and post your own ideas for 2010 on Twitter.

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