0. Boston College Case Study Program A Presentation on Presentations…
October 28, 2005
Jim Rowan
Deloitte.

1. Agenda
Think About It
Build IT
Prepare For It
Present It

2. Before you get started building a presentation…
Think
Plan ahead!
Who is the audience? How many people will be attending?
How long will I have to speak?
What equipment will be available? Do I know how to set it up and operate it?
What are my objectives? What are the audience’s objectives?
Is there a specific template I should use?
What medium should I use to deliver my presentation?

3. Storyboarding
Think
Creating a Storyboard Provides an Outline for the Presentation and the Path You will Follow
Webster’s Dictionary defines a storyboard as “a series of panels on which is tacked a set of… rough drawings depicting… the important changes in scene and action…”
Storyboarding:
Maps out the storyline of a presentation
Allows the reader to skim pages for key messages and relevant support
Is supported by both horizontal and vertical logic.
Helps organize work
Establishes evaluation frameworks and criteria used in the assessment
Facilitates greater productivity and higher quality
Keeps an engagement focused
Remember that the storyboard can take the form of an outline in Word, Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation. For the remainder of this session, we will be be talking about storyboarding from a PowerPoint presentation perspective.

4. Think Presentations require key threads
Storyboarding Flow
Think
When structuring a storyboard, you must first consider the narrative, logical flow of the presentation topics (horizontal logic)
Can the headlines be scanned to determine the context of the presentation?
Can the presentation document tell a story (at a high level) without you there to explain it?
If the presentation document did not have page numbers, could your audience put it in the correct order based on how the headlines flowed?
Presentations require key threads
The flow, often referred to as horizontal logic, leads the audience from one page to another. It is the art of taking a complex analysis and boiling it down in the form of a headline so that everyone can understand. Headlines (horizontal logic) are similar to what you would read in a newspaper--you can read the headline and get the point of the article. The narrative should flow smoothly from one storyboard to the next.
Horizontal Flow????
Short complete sentences are the best practice
Type of headline used depends on the client culture, expectations, type of deliverable, etc
Headlines should state findings, conclusions and recommendations
Threads flow through the entire deliverable
This creates a narrative
story
A narrative’s logic should be easy to follow

5. Storyboarding - Content
Think
E-tailers must focus on increasing Volumes.
The company should build a warehouse in Chicago.
Seen increase in volumes over 3-year time period.
Vertical logic is the content on each slide (or included in a section) which supports a headline.
The content on each page/section must support the headline. This content information is found during the Data Gathering stage and incorporated into the deliverable during the Diagnosis (analysis) phase.
Resolutions often include persuasive graphs. At this point you may not know what the data will look like, but you can define the possible axes for graphs or logical graphic layouts.
Emphasize that at this point in the case, there is little data for the context yet.
Ask Yourself:
Does the content of the page match the heading?
Is the page clean, simple and uncluttered?
Does the page convey a message through the use of tasteful graphics and text?

6. Agenda
Think About It
Build IT
Prepare For It
Present It

7. Build Start with an agenda…
An agenda is a good way to highlight what will be covered
It gives a reader a sense of place in the presentation
During longer presentations, it is a good idea to come back to the agenda during the presentation to let your audience know where you are
Remember… No Clip Art
… Because people want to know what you will cover

8. Tell a story using headers and footers on a slide
Build
If the contents of the slide were gone and the header and footer remained, the slide would still tell a compelling story
Also note the effective use of text and graphics
… because a story wraps the content of the slide together

9. Use diagrams effectively…
Build
Properly represented graphics provide clear representations of data
Be careful to not misrepresent the data to prove a point
Always source your data on the slide
… because they can clarify a point and appeal to multiple learning styles

10. Diagrams can help explain technical concepts…
Build
Note the use of non-technical terms where possible when explaining the components
Avoid acronyms or provide a key to explain difficult terms
… and make it easier for non-technical people to understand them

11. Some Key Formatting Rules
Build
The entire effect of the document can be lost if the message is difficult to read, slides are cluttered, or if formatting is not aesthetically pleasing
Effective Formatting
Distractive Formatting
Bullets
Consistent capitalization
Parallel indentation
Inconsistent capitalization
Varying indentation
Colors
Use three/four colors maximum
Decks are often printed in B&W – do not use dark shading
Multiple colors throughout the document
Shading that is dark and busy, distracting from the message of the slide
Fonts
Use a consistent font throughout the deck
Preview the slide show to ensure fonts are right size
Mixing fonts throughout the deck
Font sizes greater than “36” or smaller than “10”
Details
Use consistent slide template used throughout the deck
Include page numbers, dates, and documentation
Various slide formats lacking page numbers, dates, and documentation
Language
Use active words/verbs
Ambiguous, boring language

12. Reviewing
Build
After you have completed the presentation document, it is extremely important to review and edit prior to presenting
The following, simple checklist is helpful in assessing the quality of your presentation
Strong points developed using Storyboarding and Brainstorming
Logical flow to the presentation
Relevant visuals with insight to analysis
Consistent, proper formatting throughout the deck
Iterative Process
Editing a deliverable is time consuming, therefore, it is recommended that you edit as you create the storyboards to reduce editing time at the end. It is a good idea to reserve at least a day to have others review and edit the deliverable. Always print and review the deliverable before giving it to the client. It is also a good idea to reserve a day for reproduction when multiple copies are needed. Be extremely diligent in your review when reusing a previous deliverable as a template. It would not reflect well on you or Deloitte if another company's name were on a deliverable meant for someone else.
When reviewing your storyboards, there are certain things you should check:
Can the headlines of the deliverable be scanned to determine the context of the document?
Does the page convey a message through the use of appropriate graphics and text?
Can the document tell a story without a consultant present to explain it?
Does the content of the page match the heading?
Is the page clean, simple, and uncluttered?
Now that you have an effective deck, prepare a powerful oral presentation!

13. Agenda
Think About It
Build IT
Prepare For It
Present It

14. Preparing the Presentation
Prepare
Review the purpose of the presentation and your intended audience and rehearse and rehearse and rehearse....
Remember purpose of the presentation
Objective, Purpose, Mission, Goal of your talk?
Position, situation, issues, points you want to make?
End results, benefits of the recommended actions?
Identify audience of the presentation
Communication to partner group will be different to analyst group
Match the level of complexity to the target audience
Rehearse your presentation
Prepare a rough draft and review it
Rehearse to yourself first and then in front of colleagues

15. Agenda
Think About It
Build IT
Prepare For It
Present It

16. Present The Power of Delivery
Dress appropriately, greet the audience, introduce yourself and follow this formula for your oral presentation
Research results on what determines our communication impact:
7% of our impact is determined by the words we use
38% of our impact is determined by our voice: how confident and comfortable we sound
55% of our impact is determined non-verbally: our appearance, posture, gestures, and movement, eye contact and facial expressions
93% of our communication impact comes from the way we deliver our words

17. Guidelines to Effective Delivery
Present
Guidelines to Effective Delivery
How you speak is as important as what you speak
Speak to the audience, not in front of the audience
Don’t read from a script
Speak clearly, don't shout or whisper
Don't rush or talk deliberately slowly; be natural
Deliberately pause at key points to generate emphasize
Avoid jokes - always disastrous unless you are a natural expert
Keep to the time allowed, spending 2 minutes for each slide
Use your hands to emphasize points but don't overindulge
Move around but avoid moving too much
Keep an eye on the audience – their body language can tell you a lot about how you are doing

18. Fielding Questions and Offering Answers
Present
Fielding Questions and Offering Answers
Questions
Encourage clarification questions during the presentation
Discourage impulsive ad-hoc questions during the presentation
Repeat the question before answering it
Answer questions briefly and to the point
Feedback
Get the feed back from your audience (project team and client) on content, presentation style
Seek comments on improving the presentation skills
Use feedback for your next presentation
2. Takes focus off of the main point and waste of time

19. Present Habits to Avoid Here are a few tips that can go a long way!
Don’t stand in a position where you obscure the screen
Don’t play with coins and keys in the pockets
Steer clear from distracting mannerisms like swinging a pointer aimlessly around
Try not to use a diagram that is too detailed and difficult to read from the furthest seat in the room
Try not to use too many Acronyms