[00:00:00] Mel: Imagine this, a client or someone in your business comes to you with a presentation. It is a pack they've created themselves, and it's going to be used in a meeting with a VIP, maybe a C suite leader. They've asked if you can take a look at it. Sure. You say you open the file. And your retinas burn out of your skull.

[00:00:20] Mel: The pack is a mess. It's full of long, wordy, bullet point lists, graphics they've created themselves, and no discernible structure. Does this sound familiar? It is very familiar to me. Over 20 plus years I've been presented with this situation countless times, literally just in the last few weeks. again, multiple times.

[00:00:41] Mel: So what do you do in this situation? How do you even begin to tackle it and educate people along the way so that it's not up to you all the time to do it? That's what today's episode is all about.

[00:00:55] Mel: Hi friend, and welcome to another episode of Less Chatter, More Matter, The Communications [00:01:00] Podcast. I'm Mel Loy, and I'm recording this episode on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal people here in Meanjin, Brisbane. And today I'm going to give you some top tips for helping others to create presentations that actually work. I'm not trying to put anyone out of a job, by the way, but rather free up time from doing this stuff and focus on the things that actually matter. And this is top of mind for me, because as I said, in the intro recently, I've had to put my skills to the test to help others with their presentations.

[00:01:29] Mel: So I wanted to step through the approach I take and give you some tips on how to make those slide packs actually work. So let's get into it. I've got seven top tips to share. Number one, ask for the purpose. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is they just dump everything they know onto their slides.

[00:01:47] Mel: They certainly don't start with what they want to achieve or who they're talking to. So the first question I ask is, Who are you presenting to, and what are the key messages you want them to take away from this presentation? [00:02:00] So again, who are you presenting to, and what are the key messages you want them to take away from this presentation?

[00:02:07] Mel: It is all about taking that audience centered approach and starting with the end in mind. It's about the purpose of presenting in the first place. Because once you know what those key messages are, what it is you're trying to achieve, You can work your way backwards from there to determine what to include to make sure those key messages are loud and clear.

[00:02:26] Mel: And once you know your audience, you can determine things like the level of detail you'll need to talk about, what you'll need to include to make it relevant to them, the likely questions that they will have, and that you will need to be prepared to answer. And what's important to them right now. So, for example, let's say you need to do a presentation to a senior executive about how a project is progressing.

[00:02:48] Mel: When we think about the key messages you want them to take away, it could be things like the project is progressing well and we're confident we could achieve the deadline. Or the project is at risk if we don't onboard [00:03:00] a change comms consultant. Hi, that's me. Or maybe there's a key decision to be made.

[00:03:05] Mel: Between option A and option B, and we'd really like it to be option A. Now, once you know exactly what you want to achieve, you can focus on just including the content that helps you achieve that result and tailoring it in a way that suits your audience. And what I mean by that is, well, are they detailed people or do they like to see the big picture?

[00:03:23] Mel: What else are they responsible for that might be impacted by the work? What's top of mind for them right now, for example? So maybe they have a budget deadline to meet or they're concerned about engagement, etc, etc. If you don't know the answers to those questions, it is time to find out. And you do that by thinking about recent interactions you've had with the audience and what questions they've asked.

[00:03:44] Mel: You can do that by asking other people who know them well, or simply ask them themselves, what would you like to know when we meet? So that's step number one, start with a purpose. Number two is, once you're clear on the purpose of the presentation, it's about [00:04:00] structure. This is about having a logical flow of information that leads the audience to the conclusion you want them to have.

[00:04:07] Mel: And it can be as simple as What? So what? Now what? That's a favorite of mine. It always works really well. Another good structure for presentations is past, present, future. So what's happened to lead us to where we are now? What are we experiencing now? And where do we want to go? And highlighting the gap between where you are now and where you want to go.

[00:04:27] Mel: You can also use a really simple structure like, tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell them - Then tell them what you told them. And it obviously depends on the outcome you want to achieve as to which structure is most appropriate. But whatever you choose, it helps, it needs to help you and your audience follow that logical progression of ideas.

[00:04:46] Mel: If you just jump around between different concepts and timeframes, it's really confusing for the audience. So you really diminish the chance of getting what you want. So determine a structure and then drop in the content you want to cover in each part of the [00:05:00] structure. Now, for example, if you're after more money and people for your projects, your structure could be like number one, using a past, present, future, where we are today and what we've achieved so far, number two, where we want to be and the gap between the future state and the current state.

[00:05:16] Mel: And number three, what will it take us to get there in this case, time and money. Now, a few top tips here when it comes to structure. Number one, signpost throughout the presentation. So what I mean by signposting is using words like. Here's what I'm going to talk about today. We will cover three points.

[00:05:34] Mel: The first key point is blah, blah, blah. Secondly, blah, blah, blah. To recap, the three key points we talked about are, etc. So use your words to signpost where you are in the presentation. And secondly, think about the primacy and the recency effects. So, What, basically what you say first and last matters, you want to start strong in a way that captures attention and sets the tone for how you want the conversation to go.

[00:05:59] Mel: So starting [00:06:00] with like, uh, I've seen it done recently, actually, you know, uh, you know, I'm not really quite sure that this is what you want, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Or, uh, look, I don't really know if this is what you wanted that really, you know, we try and soften ourselves a lot of the time. And in the process we start from a really weak position.

[00:06:18] Mel: We don't start in confidence. So. Start in strong and then end in a way that reiterates the key messages. The reason being is we tend to be influenced by what we hear first and last. And we also tend to remember the first and last things more than whatever's in the middle. Now, because we're talking about asking people for more time and money and people in general, I am going to give you a few bonus tips here for getting that outcome.

[00:06:45] Mel: So my top tip when you're asking for more is to provide two to three options for your audience to consider. Now, the reason I say that is you want to make them feel like they are in control and they've got a choice. If you just go in there with one option, one dollar [00:07:00] figure, you will get a lot of questions and you will definitely get caught up in time consuming rework of your presentation.

[00:07:06] Mel: So give them that illusion of choice, but also make it clear which option you would prefer and why. A couple of tips on this one too. Number one, make sure your preferred option is the middle of the three. The reason being is a thing called the Goldilocks effect, where we're likely to go for the middle option because we're risk averse.

[00:07:24] Mel: So the biggest of three options feels too much. But we also like to think we're getting more bang for our buck, that there's more value than the basics. Another trick here we can use is called the door in the face technique. Basically, go in with a really big ask, knowing they will say no. And when they do, offer up what you're really after, which will seem much more palatable in comparison.

[00:07:46] Mel: Another tip, be concrete in your figures. It gives people a sense of confidence in you and your work than if you just gave a really vague round figure or span of figures. So, for example, 10, 000 to 30, 000 rather than, [00:08:00] you know, we anticipate 22, 500 dollars. And finally, talk about the risk of not getting the funding or the people all the time.

[00:08:09] Mel: So what happens if that project doesn't get the extra cash injection or it doesn't get an extra few pairs of hands to help? What is the risk to the business? And that's about creating the burning platform for the business, not for you or the project. Okay. So that's the second tip. Start with structure.

[00:08:28] Mel: Tip number three. One slide, one message. It's really common to see people dump a whole lot of dot points on a page that cover a whole lot of different ideas. Or they include so much content, whether it's words or images or both, that nobody can actually read anything because it's too small. And people have no idea what it is you're trying to say.

[00:08:50] Mel: Remember that your slides are there simply to reiterate your key points. They don't replace your voice, your spoken words. They help signpost to the audience. What it is you're [00:09:00] talking about and where you are in the structure of your presentation. So for example, let's say you've got a slide with five dot points.

[00:09:07] Mel: Two of them are about the background to the project. One is about who is involved and two others are about key milestones to date. That's a lot of ideas on one slide. So I would take the first three, which were the background and who's involved, and make one slide because the message there is This is why the project was developed and who's been involved.

[00:09:25] Mel: The last two dot points are a different idea. That message is about look at what we've achieved so far. I often find that when I'm given slides like these, we can actually group a few of those points together in one message that deserves its own slide. And most of the time, All of those dot points can be reduced from long sentences to just one or two words.

[00:09:45] Mel: So when you've got your structure and you're starting to create the slides, for each slide, ask yourself, what is the key message for this slide? And stick to that message. At the end of the day, like any comms, we want to make it easy for our audience to understand our message. [00:10:00] Which leads me to the fourth tip.

[00:10:02] Mel: Simplify, simplify, simplify. Or in other words, use fewer words. And more useful images and make the complex simple. So let's start with fewer words and more useful images. Like I just said, when we talk about one slide, one message, many times it's because people have just dumped a whole lot of dot points on a slide.

[00:10:21] Mel: And you can often clear most of those out and shorten the bullet points themselves. But there's also opportunity here to replace the words entirely with a graphic that tells the story in a more engaging and succinct way. So let's say that you've got a few dot points talking about the things that your project has achieved in recent months.

[00:10:39] Mel: Replace that with a visual timeline and one or two words indicating each achievement along the timeline. Or if you've got dot points talking about two different options for a product or a service, for example. Just create two circles, one with option one, one with option two, and a two or three word description below each.

[00:10:56] Mel: Just listing the key info like the cost, for example. People are [00:11:00] much more likely to remember those two circles than a list of dot points. And then the second part of this is taking those complex ideas and making them simple. A classic example here is anything related to IT, especially when communicating with an audience that is not the IT department.

[00:11:16] Mel: And I've seen all sorts of faux pas here, like using lots of technical jargon, putting a whole database map on a slide that nobody understands or reads, trying to squish in all the names of all the systems you use, et cetera, et cetera. Again, this isn't taking an audience centred approach. This is often complex information that needs to be simplified so your audience understands.

[00:11:36] Mel: Because if they don't understand you, you're not going to get what you want. So how do we simplify the complex in a presentation? Well, a few tips here. Number one, use an analogy or a metaphor that the audience understands and can relate to number two. Use a simple image to show a flow of work or information.

[00:11:55] Mel: Number three, avoid the jargon, explain keywords [00:12:00] and phrases. Don't assume people know what you're talking about. Number four, try not to use lots of different images and colors and fonts. Keep the visual simple and easy to follow as well. And number five, if you are using lots of numbers, Put them into terms that people will actually understand.

[00:12:16] Mel: So for example, if you say, for example, the company is losing 10 million a month in sales, you could talk about what that means in real terms, e. g. that's 50, 000 fewer t shirts sold, or that's the equivalent of 25, 000 fewer sales per month, whatever it might be, but put it into terms that your people can understand.

[00:12:35] Mel: Okay, the next tip number five, if you are planning on providing the presentation pack as a reference, then make two versions. One is your presentation, one is for reference. There is a difference. So remember, the presentation pack you use when presenting is just there to signpost what you're talking about and help people follow.

[00:12:54] Mel: It is not there for you or your audience to read notes from. If you did that, it would be [00:13:00] absolutely pointless having the presentation in the first place. People will be too busy reading what's on the screen and not listening to you. A reference version of the slides is where you include that extra detail that will help the person make a decision.

[00:13:12] Mel: So maybe it's in the notes or you have a different version of the slides altogether. Is this more work? Yes. But does it make a difference in how the information is consumed? Also, yes. So that's tip number five, two versions for two different purposes. Another big tip that we've spoken about on this podcast before with great guests like Matisse Hamel Nellis and Kelly Thibodeau is.

[00:13:33] Mel: Make it accessible. Now, there is a lot to consider when it comes to accessibility, so I won't go through it all. And also, I highly recommend anyway, go back and listen to those episodes with Kelly and Matisse, if you haven't already, because we cover a lot of ground. But, the top tips in the accessibility space when it comes to presentations are, number one, use black text on white background.

[00:13:55] Mel: It is easier for everyone to see. Number two, use large [00:14:00] fonts, which therefore means fewer words, thankfully. Number three, avoid putting text over images. That's really difficult for a lot of people to read. And if you are using images, use alt text and explain verbally and in writing what those images are.

[00:14:15] Mel: Number five, avoid using colors that are hard for some people to see like reds and greens together. And six, if there's a diagram on the slide, Don't assume everyone can follow it. You may need to describe the diagram verbally and also what it's intended to communicate. So something like, so what you see on the screen here is a map of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[00:14:33] Mel: And what you can see in this map is, okay, so make sure you're explaining what's on this slide. And number seven, avoid using moving GIFs. Um, as again, people with visual processing challenges may find them hard to see. Remember the best practice accessibility actually makes communication better for everyone, not just those who need it.

[00:14:51] Mel: So accessible is number six. And my final tip, number seven, and probably the most important tip [00:15:00] is the presentation is not the pack, it's the person. You are the presentation, not what's on the screen. What's on the screen is just there to help your audience follow what you are saying. You need to be able to write and speak clearly and concisely with your audience.

[00:15:17] Mel: If your entire presentation is written word for word on each slide, as I said earlier, people will be too busy reading that to listen to you. You will use your slides as a security blanket rather than showing up confidently and speaking well, and people will be bored out of their brains. So nothing will sink in.

[00:15:35] Mel: So while we've spoken today about the slide packs themselves, what I really want you to think about is your presentation skills or your. Our client's presentation skills as a person. How would they present the same topic and information if they had no slides at all? Think about any TED talk you've ever seen.

[00:15:52] Mel: Most of them use very few slides. In fact, many presenters use no slides at all. And yet they are so engaging from beginning to [00:16:00] end. Another topic for another day will be how to do that, but for now it is time for your episode recap. Today we covered seven tips to create more engaging presentation packs that actually work.

[00:16:12] Mel: Tip number one was start with the end in mind. Who is the audience and what are the key messages you want them to take away from your presentation? What's the purpose? Why are you presenting in the first place? Once you're clear on that, you can get clear on structure and content. Number two, start with structure.

[00:16:29] Mel: This will help create a logical flow of information that is easier for you to speak to confidently and for your audience to follow as well. Number three, one slide, one message. Don't try and cram a whole bunch of information onto one slide. Think about the key message you want people to get from that slide and only include what's relevant to that message.

[00:16:50] Mel: Number four, simplify. Cut down on the number of words you use, get rid of the jargon and make the complex simple. Number five, create two [00:17:00] versions. One version of the pack is what you will use to present. The other is for reference afterwards. They serve two different purposes. Number six, make it accessible.

[00:17:09] Mel: Things like large black text on a white background and visuals that are easy to follow or explain are really key here. And the final tip number seven, the presentation is not your pack. It is the person. All right, that's all we've got time for today, folks. Thanks for joining in another episode of Less Chatter, More Matter.

[00:17:28] Mel: By the way, we've just released the dates and the bookings are open for our 2025 public workshops. These are virtual. There's crisis comms and there's change comms workshops. So make sure you head over to heymelcomms.com.au and you'll be able to find all the details there or just shoot me a message if you're interested.

[00:17:47] Mel: And that's it for another episode. I will see you all again same bat time, same bat channel next week. For now, keep doing amazing things, and bye for now.