Winning The Room

Foreword xvii

Preface xxi

Acknowledgments xxv

About the Book xxvii

Intended Audience xxxi

Overview of the Contents xxxiii

Section 1 Planning: Reviewing Strategic Fundamentals 1

Tip 1: Results Are Not the Biggest Factor in Success 3

Tip 2: Data Literacy Is a Two-Way Street 5

Tip 3: Don’t Write Your Story . . . Tell Your Story! 7

Tip 4: Facts and Figures Are Not a Story 10

Tip 5: Know Your Audience 12

Tip 6: Slides Must Be Short, Visual, and to the Point 14

Tip 7: Charts and Graphs Are Like Jokes 16

Tip 8: Short Presentations Are Harder to Prepare Than Long Ones 18

Tip 9: An Executive Presentation May Have No Slides at All 20

Tip 10: Budget Appropriate Time 22

Tip 11: Be Yourself and Be Authentic 23

Tip 12: What Is the Audience Buying Into? You! 24

Section 2 Planning: Designing The Presentation 25

Tip 13: Different Presentation Venues Require Different Approaches 27

Tip 14: Try Different Ways to Organize Your Story 29

Tip 15: Too Many Technical Details Will Undercut Your Impact 31

Tip 16: Reveal Details Only to the Extent Required 33

Tip 17: Focus on How to Use Your Results 35

Tip 18: Use Analogies to Make an Impact 37

Tip 19: Make Liberal Use of Appendices 38

Tip 20: Create a Distinct Leave-Behind Document 40

Tip 21: Create “Launch” Slides 43

Tip 22: Break Content into Smaller Pieces 45

Tip 23: Animations Are Your Friend 48

Tip 24: Action Settings: A Hidden Gem 50

Tip 25: Show the Fewest Numbers Necessary 52

Tip 26: Distinguish Technical Significance from Business Significance 54

Tip 27: Give the Audience Your Headlines 56

Tip 28: Start with Your Recommended Actions 58

Tip 29: Don’t Focus on the “What” 60

Section 3 Developing: Wording and Text 63

Tip 30: Minimize the Number of Words on Your Slides 65

Tip 31: Use Simple Terms and Definitions 67

Tip 32: Don’t Use Technical Terms 69

Tip 33: Clarify Your Definitions 70

Tip 34: Provide Layperson and System Labels 72

Tip 35: Use Consistent Phrasing 74

Tip 36: If It Can’t Be Read, Don’t Display It 76

Tip 37: Don’t Shrink Your Font, Shorten Your Text 78

Tip 38: Use Appropriate Spacing 80

Tip 39: Use the Same Font throughout Your Presentation 82

Tip 40: Beware the Missing Font 85

Tip 41: Address Every Agenda Item Listed 87

Tip 42: Identify When an Agenda Item Is Covered 89

Tip 43: Spellcheck Is Not Always Your Friend 91

Tip 44: Charts and Images Are Misspelling Factories 93

Tip 45: Beware the Right Word, Wrong Place 94

Tip 46: Keep Your Text Horizontal 95

Section 4 Developing: Numbers and Labels 97

Tip 47: Use Consistent Precision 99

Tip 48: Use Only the Precision Required to Make Your Point 101

Tip 49: Match Precision to Accuracy Level 103

Tip 50: Always Format Numbers 105

Tip 51: Always Show Percentages as a Percentage 108

Tip 52: Provide Quantities and Percentages 110

Tip 53: Never Use Scientific Notation 112

Tip 54: Use Names, Not Numbers, for Categories 114

Tip 55: Watch for Truncated Labels 116

Tip 56: Define All Acronyms and Abbreviations 118

Tip 57: Use Dedicated Definitions Slides 120

Tip 58: Clarify Aggregations Applied 122

Tip 59: Focus on the Outcome of Interest 124

Tip 60: Validate That Your Numbers Make Sense 126

Tip 61: Add a Scale to Every Chart 128

Tip 62: Ensure Your Charts Have Consistent Scaling 130

Tip 63: An Axis Usually Should Start at 0 132

Tip 64: Number Your Slides 134

Section 5 Developing: Charts, Images, and Layouts 135

Tip 65: Use a Mix of Chart Types 137

Tip 66: Use a Mix of Slide Layouts 139

Tip 67: Do Not Show Raw Output 142

Tip 68: Keep It Simple 145

Tip 69: Choose Charts That Are Easy to Interpret 147

Tip 70: Don’t Show Incomprehensible Graphics 149

Tip 71: Use Complex Graphics Strategically 151

Tip 72: Coordinate Your Colors 153

Tip 73: Keep Colors in Context 155

Tip 74: Shun Technical and Architectural Diagrams 157

Tip 75: Don’t Let Accent Graphics Steal the Show 159

Tip 76: Format Tables Consistently 161

Tip 77: Use Shading to Make Tables Easily Readable 163

Tip 78: Don’t Put Borders Around Charts 165

Tip 79: Limit the Number of Categories 167

Tip 80: Label Your Data 169

Tip 81: Avoid Stacked Bar Charts 171

Tip 82: Put the Cause on the X-Axis 173

Section 6 Delivering: Final Presentation Preparation 175

Tip 83: Practice Your Presentation 177

Tip 84: Consult Some Confidants 179

Tip 85: Don’t Overprepare 181

Tip 86: Adjust Your Story to the Audience 182

Tip 87: Focus on Time, Not Slide Counts 185

Tip 88: Always Be Prepared for a Short Presentation 187

Tip 89: The Audience Won’t Know What You Left Out 190

Tip 90: Scale Figures to Be Relatable 192

Tip 91: Be Clear about the Implications of Your Results 194

Tip 92: Call Out Any Ethical Concerns 196

Tip 93: Use Simplified Illustrations 198

Tip 94: Don’t Include Low-Value Information 200

Tip 95: Make Critical Numbers Stand Out 202

Tip 96: Make Important Text Stand Out Too 204

Tip 97: Have Support in the Room 206

Tip 98: Always Have Several Backup Plans 207

Tip 99: Use a Slide Clicker 209

Tip 100: Do Not Send Your Presentation in Advance 210

Section 7 Delivering: Giving The Presentation 213

Tip 101: Do Not Read Your Slides . . . Ever! 215

Tip 102: Read the Room and Adapt 217

Tip 103: Do Not Look at the Screen! 219

Tip 104: Physically Point to Important Information 221

Tip 105: Don’t Let Bright Lights Throw You Off 222

Tip 106: Don’t Stand Still 223

Tip 107: When Presenting Online, Look Right at the Camera 225

Tip 108: Anticipate Random and Irrelevant Questions 227

Tip 109: Handle Difficult People with Grace 228

Tip 110: Don’t Correct People in Front of the Room 230

Tip 111: Never Pretend You Know If You Don’t! 232

Tip 112: Stress the Positive 234

Tip 113: Be Honest about Costs as Well as Benefits 236

Tip 114: Don’t Hedge Too Much 239

Tip 115: Be Clear about the Measure You Are Discussing 241

Tip 116: Don’t Ask Which Findings Are Important 242

Tip 117: Tie Facts to Impacts 243

Tip 118: Provide Specific Recommendations for Action 245

Tip 119: Close with a “Wow” Tied to the Larger Context 247

Afterword 249

About the Author 251

About the Website 253

Index 255