p1

p1 is the basis of the presentation. It is the data, the story, the message that the presenter wishes to deliver to the audience. This section covers blog posts that address any part of the construction of p1; taking the “what” of the data and converting it into a “so what” for the particular audience. In particular, this covers audience needs, the value of a single, identifiable message, an elevator pitch, the arc of the story and development of sparklines.

The cornerstone articles on p1 are below but please surf through the links to gain a deeper understanding of why p1 (the story) is the basis of your presentation and must be the starting point in construction.

1.Hysteron proteron – the place to start with a presentation is the message.

2. It is not acceptable or valuable to just talk, you must have a message.

3. The aim and objective of a presentation are not the same thing.

4. The best presentations are planned analog. Shut the laptop and be creative.

5. Consider principally “why” you are presenting, not what to present.

Give the message early

give message early

Give the message early in a talk so the audience will want to pay attention. If the message has value and relevance for them, they will follow the presentation. If the value is only delivered at the end, few will…
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lists of facts

lists of facts

Lists of facts do not make a good presentation. Sense is made by structure in an argument. Lists of facts impose a structure and hierarchy. Indenting text makes it sub-ordinate to the preceding text. The majority of text on a…
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Good analogy- guest post

good analogy

A good analogy can make or break a presentation. It’s always a pleasure to share thoughts and ideas from other presenters on the site. I was pleased to receive this guest from Simon McCormick giving some of his thoughts around…
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Effective communication

The purpose of a presentation is effective communication. Effective communication is not recitation of a list of facts. Effective communication is about a message. That message is only effective from the perspective of the audience. Effective communication is about converting…
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p1 is not a story, but the story.

p1 is the story not a story

Every presentation is made up of three parts; p1 the story, p2 the supportive media and p3 the delivery. p1 is not “a” story, once upon a time or somesuch, p1, “the” story is the data of the piece converted…
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Lessons from The Sensei (4) creativity

creativity lesson

In the 4th of a series of Lessons I learned from a presentation by Garr Reynolds (my Sensei) I’d like to consider creativity in presentations. Delivering a presentation is more than reading a list of facts. Changing the facts into…
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Lessons from The Sensei (3) beginner’s mind

beginner's mind

Do it the way you’ve always done it. You can do that, you’re not good enough. Where is the standard background? Not enough text. Use a pie chart. Make sure you put references at the bottom of the page. Read…
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Lessons from The Sensei (2) Turn off the computer

turn off the computer

Continuing the series of thoughts I learned from The Sensei on design issues, perhaps the most important is to turn off the computer. The rationale behind this is clear, the results are immediately observable and yet few people will follow…
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Lessons from the Sensei (i) effective visual message

lessons from sensei 1

I was privileged to spend time recently with Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen and really my Sensei (Teacher) in starting my journey in all things presentation. His books are compulsory reading for anyone keen to improve their presentations and…
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