Graphics and the 35,000-Foot View

Graphics and the 35,000- Foot View

Let's recap what you've learned about presentation graphics in the past four chapters:

The overarching principles that govern all graphics are : Presenter Focus, Less Is More, and Minimize Eye Sweeps. All of these principles are particularly important in creating text and numeric slides.

Mix and match text and numeric slides with the other two major graphic options, pictorial and relational slides, to avoid the dreaded Presentation-as-Document Syndrome. Use all these elements to craft the slides that will express your story in a Storyboard Form.

Presenter Focus, Less Is More, and Minimize Eye Sweeps.

The Storyboard is the 35,000-foot panoramic view of the entire presentation. Microsoft PowerPoint's Slide Sorter view provides this panoramic aspect. The Storyboard enables you to check that the graphics convey the sequence clearly. If the transitions from slide to slide or section to section aren't clear, consider reorganizing your slides, or crafting strong verbal transitions to make the logic apparent in your narration.

Finally, use the Graphic Continuity techniques, Icons, Indexing/Color Coding, Anchor Objects, and Anticipation Space, to help navigate your audience through your presentation. Use Bumper slides to help the flow by creating clear transitions between topics.

These tools can ensure that everyone in your audience understands exactly where he or she is at all times, as well as how any given slide fits into the overall flow of the presentation.

Figure 9.33, is called the Storyboard Flow Form, and it combines the Story Form (from Chapter 5, Figure 5.2) with a Storyboard, relating all of the above techniques in one integrated view. By combining the well- constructed story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end with the slide layout, you can see how to express your entire presentation. This is the ultimate forest view .

Figure 9.33. The Storyboard Flow Form.

The form provides a useful guide for putting all your essential elements together. Notice that I've left the slides blank. They contain only high-level concepts and dynamic inflection points so you can focus on the flow. Here's how it works:

• The Opening Title slide is the background for the Opening Gambit, which links to:

• The Unique Selling Proposition (USP) slide , which links to:

• The Proof of Concept slide , where the linkages culminate in a spoken Point B.

• This is followed by the all-important (and often overlooked) forward link to the Overview slide , which serves as a preview of the entire presentation. This is followed by another forward link to a statement that the Overview serves as a roadmap , or an agenda, which is then followed by a forecast of the time. Then, we return to the top of the roadmap to begin the presentation.

By combining the well-constructed story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end with the slide layout, you can see how to express your entire presentation.

The narration then navigates through all the slides in the full body of the presentation. In the example in the figure, the Opportunity/Leverage Flow Structure organizes all the slides. Upon concluding the body, move to:

• The Summary slide , which recapitulates the entire presentation and concludes in a spoken Point B.

• The Company Logo slide leaves the audience with the brand image of your company, reinforcing your Point B ( I see and I remember ).

Here's how Carol Case, the salesperson from Argus Insurance, applied the Storyboard Flow Form to combine her narrative with her slides:

• Over her Title slide , Carol delivered her Opening Gambit anecdote about the Argus customer whose home burned down. Then she continued with her link: "Our customer is like many customers who purchase a basic policy not customized to their individual needs. He now realizes that means being just one stop away from disaster. Luckily, we at Argus Insurance have a solution."

• Clicking to her USP slide , Carol continued: "Argus can provide you with a customized, value-added package of insurance that provides for your individual needs to protect you against serious financial loss." She linked to her Proof of Concept over the same slide: "Maybe that's why Argus is one of the fastest growing insurance brokers in the state." Continuing with the same slide, she delivered her spoken Point B: "I know that you'll want to take advantage of the opportunity and sign up for this important coverage today."

• Clicking to her Overview slide , Carol then linked forward from Point B: "So that you can consider signing with Argus " Then she ran through the bullets of her Overview slide and concluded by saying: "Please consider this a roadmap for the next 15 minutes of my presentation. Let's begin at the top."

The Storyboard Flow Form provides the 35,000-foot overview of your presentation, which in turn enables you to convey a clear sense of continuity and flow to your audience. When you feel in command of your material, you communicate a sense of confidence to your audience, and heighten the persuasive power of your presentation.