Below is a list of the questions asked via Sli.do at the War for Attention event. I’ve tried to give you the best answers I can but please feel free to contact me if anything is unclear.
Question 1
You mentioned that your football example story was to appeal to 80% of the group, but doesn’t following a strict story arc like that alienate the other 20%?
Answer
You’re right in that there is a danger you might alienate a small group when using a topic such as
If we were 100% sure that everyone in the audience was a huge football fan then we might have taken things even further.
Question 2
Aren’t those bullet points you’re using just posh bullet points?
Answer
I love the fact that someone pointed this out 😂. I guess you could have classed the symbols I used as ‘fancy bullet points’ and to be honest I should have ditched them. The point I was trying to make here was that rather than a flat white slide with black bullet points, you can easily add better visual and movement.
Question 3
How do you weave these stories into a presentation. For example, if you have been asked to come along to pitch for a contract, how can you weave stories in?
Answer
The simplest answer in a pitch scenario is to find customer success stories that you can use to sell the benefits of your business. I’m sure you do this already but try to go a step further and really emphasise the villain (customers problem) and the hero (your solution or service) when you tell the story.
If you have time and can do some research I would also try and find out more info on the people you’re pitching to. Are they young, old, male, female, sports fans, and so on. There might be some relevant stories you can use to really connect with them.
Question 4
Can you recommend a free image library to enhance presentations?
Answer
Try these sites:
www.canva.com
www.pexels.com
www.freepik.com
www.unsplash.com
Question 5
How would you present like this in an interview setting?
Answer
Very simply. Have an overview slide or Prezi that shows the different sections of your CV. Then ask the question ‘What would you like to know about me first?’.
Then dive into the relevant area and tell them a little about you. Once that is done zoom back out to your overview.
On a side note I have had close friends use Prezi for interviews (with my help of course) and they have always won the job.
Question 6
How can we make the presentation be consistent in all different slides/screens?
Answer
I assume you are referring to branding and layout. If that is the case there are some simple things you can do.
First make sure your brand colours and logo are set in Ppt or Prezi. Very easily done in either system.
When selecting imagery try to use the same source. If you find a great photo on www.pexels.com or www.shutterstock.com you will normally see more suggestions form the same photographer or a set of ‘related images’. Try and keep the visuals consistent in this way.
For layout use Slide Master in Ppt. If you use Prezi you can simply set up a layout, then copy and paste it onto your next page.
Question 7
Can we get a copy of the presentation after the workshop? ( even if don’t have prezi) to share with colleagues back at the office.
Answer
Oh go on then 😉
I did promise this anyway so here is the link:
https://prezi.com/view/kfD0it1Si83YkgJXdsqW/
As a side note I will be rolling out the content as Webinars later in the year so please let your colleagues know.
Question 8
If you include no words on a presentation what do you leave people afterwards?
Answer
A pink plastic toy soldier?!
Good question and depends on budget. We’ve had great success in creating a printed concertina for clients that can easily fit into peoples pockets. We take key elements (not every slide) from the presentation and place them onto the printed version.
It works, and looks, amazing.
Question 9
You mentioned analytics embedded in presentations when you share online. From this are you able to view how long someone has spent on one particular page?
Answer
Yes absolutely. You can even request that people enter a name and email before the
Question 10
Is Prezi easy to use?
Answer
Absolutely. Our
And if you ask me nicely I’ll even give you a discount code 😉
Question 11
Is Prezi worth the time investment it requires to deliver an effective presentation? We want to do presentations better, but time is a precious resource!
Answer
It certainly worked for me! I decided to put the time in when I first discovered it back in 2009. It’s now even easier to use, and our team are expert at helping people get the most out of Prezi.
I deliver the training for new users and our design team design branded templates for our clients. That means after just a few hours you can be up and running.
You can try to squeeze more juice out of Ppt of course, and maybe use some new features but in the same amount of time it takes to learn those you could probably get a good handle on Prezi.
Question 12
Why does your top say ‘bullet points don’t work’?
Answer
Because in a presentation they don’t. If humans engaged with and remembered bullet points we’d see them on billboards, tv ads, movies, and everywhere else imaginable.
Question 13
Does Prezi need to be facilitated/presented by a person or can it be independently delivered?
Answer
Not at all. You can send a Prezi view link to anyone so that they can view it in their own time, or you can embed a Prezi into your website. The end user can then click through it
Question 14
How do you deter clients from defaulting to PPT to present information that doesn’t need to be?
Answer
That’s a tough one as so many people use Ppt for everything these days. The amount of reports I’ve seen built in Ppt is staggering.
I think it’s all about asking the right questions and really drilling down into the objective of that piece of communication. People tend to flippantly say ‘I need a slide deck on …’ But when you ask them things like:
- How is this being presented?
- Who is the target audience?
- How does the target audience like to receive content?
- Do you want it to be available online for all to see?
- Do you need to make any edits to it in the future?
- And so on…
you’ll start to realise (as will they) that maybe Ppt isn’t the answer. Maybe it should be a video, or a printed communication, or a Prezi.
Question 15
What would you recommend for the type of environment to deliver effective presentations ie (dark room, auditorium seating, presenter stood at the front etc)
Answer
This is a really interesting one. If I had my way we would have delivered the War on Attention event on a fake battle field surrounded by armoured tanks 😂That would have been epic.
I do believe though that we should try to move away from the ‘Dark room with presenter at the front’ scenario. I know, I know, it’s what I did at the event but unfortunately we are confined to the design of board rooms.
A lot depends on the audience size, but I would try to create an environment that doesn’t feel like a classroom.
Question 16
Where did you get the visuals you’re using in your presentation today?
Answer
From the super talented team I employ. They use Adobe photoshop and other tools to create visuals for me and our clients.
But I do want to add that you don’t need to achieve the same level of design to be a huge success when presenting.
Question 17
How many slides would you recommend for a 30 minute presentation?
Answer
Brilliant question. Ideally you should try and give the audience some new visual stimulus every 30-60 seconds. Movie directors these days change the audiences visuals every 0.9 seconds!
Question 18
What are the pros and cons of Prezi vis-a-vis Keynote and PPT?
Answer
This blog I wrote a while back might help answer that. It focuses on Prezi vs Ppt as we don’t use Keynote here.
Question 19
How can you create a story that puts the audience in the centre, when you don’t know the audience?
Answer
Do not think about a pink elephant. What did you just think of?
You’ll never know all of the audience but you can ask them to put themselves in the story. Try using simple phrases like, ‘Imagine you’re alone in the desert’. Or ask them ‘Have you ever been alone in a desert?’.
You can tell them what to focus on.
Question 20
My CV had bullet points inside bullet points. Will I go to hell?
Answer
Without a doubt. Serves you right!
Seriously though, bullet points don’t work on presentations because the audience normally only see’s the presentation visuals once. Something like a CV, an email, a shopping list, are all fine to use bullet points in. These are documents we can refer back to anytime.
You might be safe 👿
Question 21
Part of our training presentation cover transport legislation, how would you visualise this?
Answer
Hard to say without seeing the exact content or knowing your brand, but as a creative I can honestly say there will be a million and 1 ways this could be done.
This question didn’t have a name against it so please send the ppt to me and I’m happy to make suggestions for you.
Question 22
How do you manage hecklers?
Answer
3 strikes and they are out.
If they have a good point of view that is interesting for the rest of the audience I may keep them around, but if they are being disruptive I normally speak to them during a break and ask them to leave.
Only ever happened to me once in nearly 15 years of presenting.
Question 23
How do you get speakers to stop presenting if they have gone overtime and ignored your STOP sign?
Answer
So hard to answer as I’ve never had to deal with other speakers. If it were me though I’d walk up onto the stage next to them and as they finish a sentence I’d clap and say ‘thanks for your time today’.
Or if all else fails hit the buildings fire alarm, Lol.
Question 24
How do you persuade staff to prepare their presentation 2 – 4 weeks from an event when they say they have their day job to do and other priorities?
Answer
I’d empathise with them first of all, but then I’d remind them of the importance of the presentation, how many people are coming to see them talk, what’s at stake, and maybe even use the ROI concept I mentioned.
There will be X number of people attending.
The average wage for them combined is £XX.
If we don’t engage or inspire them we will waste £X,XXX.
If you have any more questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact myself or the team here at The Prezenter. We’re a friendly bunch and always willing to help.
Regards,
Russell
