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.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

The best books, the best films and the best presentations start with an attention grabber. “Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. A retrospective review of prenatal ultrasound in South East Thames,” is unlikely to do that. If you grab the attention of…
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Acronyms rarely seem effective.

acronyms rarely seem effective

There are many effective and helpful tricks to maximising the impact of a presentation including the use of memes, themes, aliteration, analogy, allegory, rhetoric and repetition. Acronyms are a regularly used device but for them to be effective they must…
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On memes and themes and analogies

on memes and themes

When choosing to using a meme, theme or image in a presentation make sure that it is appropriate and easily understood for your audience. Improving the engagement and memorability of a presentation can be achieved by various tricks not the…
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Credit where credit is due.

credit where credit is due

In a previous post I recalled my sadness of hearing a colleague say “what he suggests is interesting, but I wouldn’t do it for an important presentation.” He was expressing the difficulty of change, the challenge of stepping out from…
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er…thank you?

A sentence without the final word is. A journey without reaching the destination is just tiring. Sadly many presentations simply reach a point where the presenter says, “thank you” and it is assumed that the suffering is over. Every presentation…
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Cinderella got married

Every great presentation has a message, one single message. The common failing in many presentations is they are simply a pile of data, a ramble or lists, not a message. When constructing any presentation one needs to determine early on…
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Covering The Reichstag

covering the reichstag

There is little guaranteed to strike more emotion in an employee than the words, “mandatory training”. Imagine being the person delivering it? Simply take all 249 facts in the guideline and read it out, in slightly more time than is…
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Change the world by your next presentation

Your next presentation should change the world. If you don’t agree, then don’t bother presenting. The purpose of you, speaking, is to change the  the world into which you have been offered the opportunity to speak. Your opinion, your message,…
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The Greatest Presentation in the World (tribute)

As titles of talks go, that is something to live up to. I was privileged to speak recently at a big conference and THAT was the title of the talk they asked me to give; no pressure eh? The reality…
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Miles ahead

  Miles Davis, improvisational jazz wonder developed a new form of jazz outwith the accepted boundaries of music. He eschewed accepted understanding of chords and scales and gave the world amazing music. He did this, not by adding notes but…
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