Chris always does a great job of helping me understand what I am asking for and how it might help my business. I also really enjoy the time he takes to listen about a task request and then help me to see if it fits strategically. Chris should be a personal coach as well as a business coach because not only does he deliver what he says he will, he is always teaching along the way.
Key Takeaways
- Use supporting materials to SUPPORT your presentation.
- Effective imagery sets the tone and reinforces the message.
- Go easy on the text!
- Powerpoints don’t have to suck.
The Story
Our strategic partner, Jackie Schwabe from Press Play Lifestyle, approached Vacano Creative to help put together a slide deck to accompany a presentation she was preparing to deliver at a national conference for caregivers.
In our preliminary discussions, we came to an immediate meeting of minds that this presentation needed an edgy and non-conventional approach to the slides.
Everybody’s had to sit through at least one presentation where the speaker is simply reciting the bullet points listed on the slides on the screen. If you’re lucky, they may elaborate on the points a bit. Sometimes they’ll even throw in a Dilbert cartoon and then explain why it’s relevant to the talk.
Yuck!
Our approach: to connect each of the 6 key points of the talk to a distinct, easily absorbed concept, illustrated with quotes and pop culture references. So the slide on the screen doesn’t to tell the whole story, thereby distracting from the talk. In fact, the slides are quite sparing in their use of text, emphasizing strong imagery instead. They set the mood and tone for each point, much like the musical score of a film.
The result has proven to be effective, entertaining, and engaging.