A picture is worth a thousand words. So why do we rely on bullets in PowerPoint so much to communicate?
Before becoming a consultant, I worked in telecommunications for about 20 years. I created countless PowerPoint presentations in the corporate world and have drawn more network clouds than I care to admit. Each company and management team had different rules for slide creation. Some had branding guidelines so tight I learned quickly to not adjust the font size or dare change the color scheme. Others had no rules, which often led to suggestions to reduce the font to 11 or 12 so I could cram in more bullets.
But I am a consultant now. I can break free of the corporate rules. I would be wise to recognize solid branding and communication best practices and yet, I’d like to get more creative in communicating my ideas. I am comfortable drawing graphs and timelines but often that is not enough. In my quest casino to be more creative, I stumbled upon The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam. It is a fun, easy read and presents a model for visual thinking. The four basics steps are Look, See, Imagine and Show. The author provides detail on each of the steps and a framework for displaying concepts.
My eyes were also opened recently in the preparations for a WIC webinar on Storytelling for Great Presentations. We will learn from our presenters from alimat inc to grab the audience’s attention by telling a story, complete with a plot, tension and images.
While a picture is worth a thousand words, it takes just three steps to get there.
1. Register and attend the WIC Webinar on Storytelling for Great Presentations
2. After the webinar, step away from the keyboard for a bit. Get outside. Go for a walk. Let the fresh air spark your imagination.
3. Return to your desk with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil and start sketching. Color outside of the lines and see where it takes you.
What tricks do you have to get a fresh perspective on communicating an idea?
About Robin:
Robin is a pricing and product marketing consultant and serves on WICs board of directors as Programs Director. She helps marketing executives and small business owners drive more profit and revenue by integrating value-based pricing with the other elements of the marketing mix. She solves pricing challenges service providers face from the creation of packages and prices to the reduction of reliance on discounts to meet sales goals. Robin overseas the WIC monthly meetings, workshops and webinars.
No doubt, humans are storytelling creatures. And telling great stories is a surefire way of grabbing attention. I plan on listening to the webinar!
Don’t let people tell you that you can’t write, you are awesome. Thanks!