5 “Weird Tricks” for making better presentations Overriding principles

Trick #1: Pyramid principleTrick #2: Remind them where you’re goingTrick #3: 1 idea per pageTrick #4: Break up your textTrick #5: Hide the detail

Bonus trick: Don’t be afraid to start with paperIcons by Freepik© Rob Atkinson

© Rob Atkinson

Always do these three things!

• Know your audience

• Know what type of presentation it’s going to be

• Keep it simple

© Rob Atkinson

5 “Weird Tricks” for making better presentations Overriding principles

Trick #1: Pyramid principleTrick #2: Remind them where you’re goingTrick #3: 1 idea per pageTrick #4: Break up your textTrick #5: Hide the detail

Bonus trick: Don’t be afraid to start with paper

© Rob Atkinson

#1: Pyramid Principle: lead with your most important conclusion

Most important idea

Main points Main pointsMain points

Process / Supporting

detail

Process / Supporting

detail

Process / Supporting

detail

Process / Supporting

detail

© Rob Atkinson

Don’t confuse process with structure

• This flow approximates how you come up with a presentation’s content

• Past process is usually not very interesting to your audience

Process followed; facts

discovered

Main points emerge

Conclusion / recommendatio

n reached

© Rob Atkinson

5 “Weird Tricks” for making better presentations Overriding principles

Trick #1: Pyramid principleTrick #2: Remind them where you’re goingTrick #3: 1 idea per pageTrick #4: Break up your textTrick #5: Hide the detail

Bonus trick: Don’t be afraid to start with paper

© Rob Atkinson

#2: Remind them where you’re going (and where you’ve been)

• Situate each point within the larger presentation context

• Employ repetition to reinforce points and frameworks

• Preview future points for later in the presentation

Trackers and agenda pages are helpful tools

© Rob Atkinson

5 “Weird Tricks” for making better presentations Overriding principles

Trick #1: Pyramid principleTrick #2: Remind them where you’re goingTrick #3: 1 idea per pageTrick #4: Break up your textTrick #5: Hide the detail

Bonus trick: Don’t be afraid to start with paper

© Rob Atkinson

#3: Each idea should have it’s own page

3 main benefits:

Your audience is much more likely to get the key message

Supporting information is cleanly matched with the point it supports

You are forced to consider whether a point or supporting information is really necessary

If a point isn’t important enough for it’s own page, it

may not be important enough

to make at all

© Rob Atkinson

5 “Weird Tricks” for making better presentations Overriding principles

Trick #1: Pyramid principleTrick #2: Remind them where you’re goingTrick #3: 1 idea per pageTrick #4: Break up your textTrick #5: Hide the detail

Bonus trick: Don’t be afraid to start with paper

© Rob Atkinson

#4: Graphics or structured text is better than (boring) bullet lists

Visual metaphor

Conceptual framing

• Group similar ideas together graphically

• (Vertical boxes on this page are an example)

Flows show a process

Visual interest

• Varying your page layout will make your pages more interesting

• Pages that vary are easier to rememberTemples show

overall conceptual architecture

© Rob Atkinson

5 “Weird Tricks” for making better presentations Overriding principles

Trick #1: Pyramid principleTrick #2: Remind them where you’re goingTrick #3: 1 idea per pageTrick #4: Break up your textTrick #5: Hide the detail

Bonus trick: Don’t be afraid to start with paper

© Rob Atkinson

#5: If you need more detail, use a pre-read or an appendix

Pre-read• A more detailed version of

the presentation sent out before

• Ask that people review it before the meeting

• Helps reserve the meeting for actual discussion

• Particularly effective with smaller, highly engaged groups

Appendix• Series of slides in the back

of the actual presentation• Useful during Q&A• Put all the interesting but

not directly relevant information back here

Detail can build credibility, but don’t lose your audience trying to slog through it if they’re not interested

© Rob Atkinson

5 “Weird Tricks” for making better presentations Overriding principles

Trick #1: Pyramid principleTrick #2: Remind them where you’re goingTrick #3: 1 idea per pageTrick #4: Break up your textTrick #5: Hide the detail

Bonus trick: Don’t be afraid to start with paper

© Rob Atkinson

Bonus: Start on paper before going to PowerPoint

© Rob Atkinson

Appendix

© Rob Atkinson

If I had a lot of detail behind my process, I could keep it back here in case anyone asked

(This isn’t really that kind of presentation)