Become a PowerPoint Guru

[Sample Chapters]
Learn How to Create Effective Presentations

By Dave Tracy
dave@learnppt.com

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!

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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

Table of Contents

Section I
Chapter 1.

Introduction
Intro & Motivation 4

Section II
Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5.

The Basics
PowerPoint Set-up Consulting Presentation Framework Rules of Thumb Checklist Critical Shortcuts 7 9 13 16

Section III
Chapter 6. Chapter 7.

Getting Your Story Straight

Storyboarding Content Structuring 20 26

Section IV
Chapter 8. Chapter 9. Chapter 10. Chapter 11. Chapter 12.

The Art of PowerPoint

Approach Tracker Charts & Uses Building Diagrams Color Scheme Selection 32 37 38 44 51

Section IV
Chapter 13.

Conclusion
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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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

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 subpoints. 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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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

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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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

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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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

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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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

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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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

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 of the 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 largest areas, 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.

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Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]