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Become aPowerPointGuru
[Sample Chapters]
Learn How to Create Effective Presentations
By Dave Tracy
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Thank you for your interest in my eBook. This PDF includes a sampling of
content from a number of chapters. Specifically, Ive included the
following sections:
4 pages from Chapter 6, Storyboarding
4 pages from Chapter 8, Approach 2 pages from Chapter 10, Charts & Uses
Enjoy!
Browse our catalog of PowerPoint
Diagram Packs
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Table of Contents
Section I Introduction
Chapter 1. Intro & Motivation 4
Section II The Basics
Chapter 2. PowerPoint Set-up 7
Chapter 3. Consulting Presentation Framework 9
Chapter 4. Rules of Thumb Checklist 13
Chapter 5. Critical Shortcuts 16
Section III Getting Your Story Straight
Chapter 6. Storyboarding 20
Chapter 7. Content Structuring 26
Section IV The Art of PowerPoint
Chapter 8. Approach 32
Chapter 9. Tracker 37
Chapter 10. Charts & Uses 38
Chapter 11. Building Diagrams 44
Chapter 12. Color Scheme Selection 51
Section IV Conclusion
Chapter 13. Final Thoughts 56
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Chapter 6
STORYBOARDING
This chapter will cover the proper techniques for creating a presentation that
follows a cohesive and logical sequence. We will discuss widely followed
principles used in management consulting, such as the Pyramid Principle (also
known as Mintos Pyramid) and MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively
Exhaustive).
First, recognize there are 5 basic principles of good writing. These principles
underline all good presentation writing.
1. Write for your audience.
2. Keep it simple.
3. Support assertions with facts.
4. Stay in the active voice (i.e. use verbs).
5. Tell a good story.
Now, lets dive deeper into this last point. You need to tell a story your
audience can follow with ease. A scattered storyline is a sure way to lose your
audiences interest! But, how do you tell a good story?
The Pyramid Principle
Lets forget about creating slides for a moment. The purpose now is just to get
your story straight. After that, we can transfer story onto the slides in your
PowerPoint presentation. This whole process is known as storyboarding.
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To tell a good story, structure your information according to the Pyramid
Principle. The Pyramid Principle is also referred to as Mintos Pyramid or Minto
Pyramid Principle. A fun fact: Barbara Minto developed this structured thinking
and communication technique; hence the reference Mintos Pyramid.
There are 4 basic ideas that underlie the Pyramid Principle:
1. Information is always absorbed sequentially.
2. People have a limited capacity to take things in. (The critical number of
things a person can take in is 7.)
3. Comprehension is easier when information is summarized in logical
groups.
4. Groupings are perceived more easily when there is a shared criterion at
the higher level.
With these ideas, Minto suggested that the best way to structure your story is to
start with your high-level, basic message. Build to that with your supporting
statements; and then build each one of these statements with further sub-
points. The diagram below illustrates this concept and why it is referred to as a
pyramid. Note that in structuring your story like this, it clarifies the hierarchical
relationships between your arguments.
Thats simple enough, right?
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Each pyramid has three structure elements:
1. Key statement,
2. Vertical relationship, and
3. Horizontal relationship.
Key Statement
Your key statement should be short and catchy. Preferably, it can be explained
in 20 seconds (or less). Here is a made up example of a series of key
statements:
There is a noticeable change in consumer behavior as digital media
becomes more prevalentwe need to modify our business model to stay
relevant.
We have developed several strategic options to accommodate for
growing usage of digital media.
We recommend distributing digital media through Vendor X using a
subscription model.
Focus studies show that 70% of our existing consumer base and 80% of
our target market will buy digital media on a subscription model.
However, various technological and organizational barriers exist, which
we need to remove before we can successfully implement any changes.
Vertical Relationship
The vertical relationship implies that all statements as the same level of the
pyramid answer the same question. For example, they all answer a question of
what (what is the purpose of this software?), why (why is this option the best?),
or how (how can this solution save energy?). To provide a specific example, at
a common level, each statement can be a benefit to eating more dairy products.
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Horizontal Relationship
The horizontal relationship implies that sub-points under a common supporting
statement must follow a logical order. This logical order is typically one of the
following:
Based on Time / Chronological This helps illustrate timing. An
example would be steps in a process.
Based on Structure or Category This helps divide a whole (the
supporting statement) into component parts. It is used when ideas fall
under a structure. An example would be lines of business within an
organization.
Based on Relevance or Significance The relevance and significant is
a judgment call and is taken from the perspective of your audience or
your own organization (e.g. what do you want your own audience to pay
attention to?). An example would be different buckets of findings
resulting from a market research study.
MECE Principle
With your pyramid laid out, you will have the general structure of your storyline
laid out in a logical, understandable manner. In doing so, it is important to
always pay attention to the MECE principle. MECE stands for Mutually
Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. In other words, this principle ensures
the following:
Your story is comprehensive and doesnt leave any gaps. This is what
collectively exhaustive refers to.
The key statements, supporting statement, and sub-points in your story
are clear and distinct. In other words, you arent making the same point
in various components of your pyramid. If you are, this indicates
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Chapter 8
APPROACH
You will find most executive presentations have an Approach slide somewhere
in the beginning. The Approach shows a simple, intuitive diagram of how a
certain initiative is laid out. An example would be phases of a project (e.g. 1.
Define the Problem, 2. Generate Hypotheses, 3. Conduct Research, etc.). This
chapter will cover how to quickly create an Approach Diagram and leverage it
throughout your presentation for consistency.
First off, an Approach is nothing more than a sequence of steps. A very basic
example is a series of phases. See below for an illustrative example:
Almost every presentation produced by a consulting firm has a diagram like the
one above. PowerPoint also makes it very easy to draw a diagram like that, as
it is comprised of 2 PowerPoint AutoShapes, the Pentagon (used to start the
Approach) and the Chevron (used for all other subsequent steps). You can
find both these AutoShapes under Block Arrows. Because these two shapes
are so widely used, you may have noticed I have added them as shortcuts in
my PowerPoint Set-up (Chapter 2). See below.
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When you construct this diagram, always use a pentagon to start the Approach.The flat edge on the right delineates that this is the start of the Approach.
When creating the diagram initially, dont worry about sizing things correctly.
Once you create the full, X-Step Approach diagram, select all the shapes and
group them (i.e. Ctrl+G). This will allow you to easily resize the diagram as a
cohesive unit.
Building on the Approach Diagram
There are many small things you can add on to this simple diagram to add
additional insights and depth. For instance, adding numbered circles furthers
emphasizes the sequence of steps. You can highlight a specific chevron to
indicate current phase/step. Furthermore, you can add an element of timing
using a parallel arrowor, by resizing the lengths of the chevrons. The
examples below illustrate Approach diagrams with added embellishments.
Example 1
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Example 2 (Approach-Gantt Hybrid)
Beyond the Basic
So, a series of steps not cutting it for your approach? There are various
deviations from the basic Approach Diagram outlined above. Here are the most
common:
Steps in parallel instead of series
Steps that are cyclical i.e. the last step returns to step 1
Steps that converge
Creating parallel steps requires some rudimentary creativity. For me, it helps
tremendously to first draw out the full diagram on paper and then transferring
that vision into PowerPoint. The general idea here is piece together various
polygon AutoShapes into an overall pentagon/chevron. These polygons can be
prebuilt shapes or you can create your own polygons using the PowerPoint
Freeform AutoShape (found under Lines). See the example below.
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This may require some practice, at first. To maintain a straight edge for the
long sides, hold down the Shift key. Remember, you can readjust the corners
of a polygon you constructed with the FreeForm AutoShape by right clicking on
the shape and selecting Edit Points.
There are several ways to create cyclical steps that form a circle. The easiest
way is to piece together circles, arrows, and slender rectangles. The best way
to understand what I may by this is through illustration. Observe the before and
after depiction below.
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Chapter 10
CHARTS &USES
In representing quantitative data, it is best to use charts. Not only are charts
intuitive for your audience to quickly grasp, but theyre also a lot more pleasing
to the eye then just a table of values.
However, it is equally as important to know what charts work best for what
types of messaging. If you use a chart incorrectly, it may be misleading and
lead your audience to draw inaccurate conclusions.
The table below breaks down the most common forms of charts mapped
against different types of data comparison. Use this as a reference guide in
selecting a chart for visual enhancement.
Now, lets discuss each data comparison type (i.e. the columns) in more detail.
Composition Charts
There are 4 commonly used charts to depict composition:
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Stacked Columns These are bar charts, where
the segments/bars for each column add to the total
height. The most important segment goes at the
bottom of the column. You can add dashed lines
between segments to emphasize comparison. State
the absolute value at the top of each bar.
Pie Chart Use a pie chart if you only have a single
data series. Unless your purpose is to show
fragmentation, use a maximum of 5-6 segments.
Lump the smaller segments into a catch-all bucket,
such as Other. Order your segments from largest
to smallest, with the exception of Other, which goes
last. Start at 12 oclock and go clockwise.
Waterfall Chart This is one of the most graphic
ways to demonstrate the change from one position to
another, to provide a breakdown of an aggregate
number into its components, or to show a change in
position. It is most frequently used as a descriptor ofthe causes of financial change. However, it can be
just as effective as a conceptual representation of
any change.
Mondrian Graph This is similar to the stacked
columns, except it is stretched both vertically and
horizontally to occupy the whole space in the chart.
Its strength lies in the visual impact of the largestareas, which represent the most significant parts of
the universe. Some great uses for a Mondrian
include market maps, post-merger portfolio analysis,
trend analysis, and substitution analysis.