Saturday, February 18, 2006
Are You a Slick Presenter?
Believe it or not, there are some audiences that respond very unfavorably to hip PowerPoint design trends. They're put off by not just the big egos associated with fashion, but wary of overly polished presenters.
I witnessed a presentation recently that had all the latest PowerPoint design trimmings - the carefully constructed spare & lean approach. I’ve seen this quite a bit lately - heavy emphasis on professional, high-quality photos. Limited text and bullet points.
Oh-so painfully perfectly-coordinated hip-and-now colors.
So, I talked to the presenter, (I'll call him Mr. Slick) after his dog & pony show. He very proudly told me he spent a fortune developing his presentation with a pricey design firm.
I left the presentation thinking, "My, that dude was slick."
And by slick, I don’t mean smooth, charming, or persuasive. By slick, I mean oily, insincere, and superficial.
So I didn't buy his product. And I didn't see anyone else ask him about his product, either-- but I did hear people ask about his presentation.
Conversely, I went to hear a speaker who was a designer's worst nightmare. His PowerPoint presentation was a clip-arty, color-clashing, bullet-point ridden mess. However, the presenter (Mr. Allheart) was wonderful. He told fascinating stories and weaved a wealth of facts throughout his performance. People were waiting in line to buy his products after his show.
I feel certain no one asked him about his presentation design.
In all fairness, I'm sure Mr. Slick would have gone over very well in certain crowds where ego, fashion, and design are all-important. But he didn't connect on an emotional level with this particular Midwestern audience. And conversely, Mr. Allheart would have been scorned and ridiculed if his audience was filled with heartless fashionistas.
Design with the audience in mind. ¶ 2/18/2006 11:17:00 AM
Believe it or not, there are some audiences that respond very unfavorably to hip PowerPoint design trends. They're put off by not just the big egos associated with fashion, but wary of overly polished presenters.
I witnessed a presentation recently that had all the latest PowerPoint design trimmings - the carefully constructed spare & lean approach. I’ve seen this quite a bit lately - heavy emphasis on professional, high-quality photos. Limited text and bullet points.
Oh-so painfully perfectly-coordinated hip-and-now colors.
So, I talked to the presenter, (I'll call him Mr. Slick) after his dog & pony show. He very proudly told me he spent a fortune developing his presentation with a pricey design firm.
I left the presentation thinking, "My, that dude was slick."
And by slick, I don’t mean smooth, charming, or persuasive. By slick, I mean oily, insincere, and superficial.
So I didn't buy his product. And I didn't see anyone else ask him about his product, either-- but I did hear people ask about his presentation.
Conversely, I went to hear a speaker who was a designer's worst nightmare. His PowerPoint presentation was a clip-arty, color-clashing, bullet-point ridden mess. However, the presenter (Mr. Allheart) was wonderful. He told fascinating stories and weaved a wealth of facts throughout his performance. People were waiting in line to buy his products after his show.
I feel certain no one asked him about his presentation design.
In all fairness, I'm sure Mr. Slick would have gone over very well in certain crowds where ego, fashion, and design are all-important. But he didn't connect on an emotional level with this particular Midwestern audience. And conversely, Mr. Allheart would have been scorned and ridiculed if his audience was filled with heartless fashionistas.
Design with the audience in mind. ¶ 2/18/2006 11:17:00 AM
