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.

p1 posts

Delete your slides

I received a question via Twitter about #presentationskills and where I might focus beginning the journey of improvement. As with so many things, the more I considered the issue the…

Design affects function

Simple design changes in the supportive media  make dramatic differences to the audience’s perception of value in a presentation. The overall value of a presentation (p cubed) is the product…

Never say, “I’m sorry.”

There is no place in a presentation for apologies. There should be nothing in your preparation that would cause you to apologise and nothing in your delivery that you should…

Spare some time guv?

We look past them, we try to avoid eye contact or politely but with a degree of embarrassment refuse their request. Our reasons for doing so are multiple but the…

Plan analogue

A major step forward in improving presentations is creative planning. The majority of presentations delivered are constructed within the presentation software; data is simply entered, re-organised and read out. The…

What are you talking about?

Seriously, what are you talking about? If you can’t explain in less than 3 sentences what your presentation is about, then you don’t know. Sadly, many presentations are just a…

  • Lessons from the Sensei (i) effective visual message

    I was privileged to spend time recently with…

  • Why are you presenting?

    The most important question a presenter should address…

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

    The best books, the best films and the…

  • Acronyms rarely seem effective.

    There are many effective and helpful tricks to…

  • On memes and themes and analogies

    When choosing to using a meme, theme or…

  • Credit where credit is due.

    In a previous post I recalled my sadness…

  • er…thank you?

    A sentence without the final word is. A…

  • Cinderella got married

    Every great presentation has a message, one single…

  • Covering The Reichstag

    There is little guaranteed to strike more emotion…

  • Change the world by your next presentation

    The world you will change will be that…