The Presentation-as-Document Syndrome

January 1, 2009 by Jerry

In the five years since the publication of the first edition of Presenting to Win, I am proud to say that it has made a significant impact upon readers, selling more than 100,000 copies in 12 languages, and was named by Fortune Magazine as one of 8 “must read” books. By the same token, I am surprised to say that the book has not had as great an impact upon the presentation trade. Despite the extensive reach, and despite the continuing stream of clients that take the Power Presentations program upon which the book is based, I’ve learned that most presenters, after reading the book or taking the program, nonetheless default to a practice counter to the main theory in its pages.

Simply put, that theory is stated in the subtitle: The Art of Telling Your Story. True to its promise, the book offers techniques about that classic art, but does so for only two-thirds of its total pages. The other third is about graphic design in presentations, yet that aspect is not even mentioned on the cover. The imbalance is intentional.

The reason for this emphasis on the story, which includes sharp audience focus, clear structural flow, strong narrative linkages, persuasive added value, and even specific positive verbiage, is that the story is much more important than the graphics. No audience will react affirmatively to a presentation based on graphics alone. No decisions are made, no products sold, no partnerships forged, no projects approved, and no ships of state are launched based on a slide show. Witness the powerful speeches that move hearts and minds: State of the Union addresses, inaugural speeches, nominations, eulogies, sermons, commencements, keynotes, and even locker room pep talks. None of them uses slides.

Therefore, what presenters say and how they say it are of far greater importance than what they show. That is why the lion’s share of Presenting to Win is devoted to helping presenters tell their stories, and why I have even written about the delivery of the story—the body language, eye contact, and voice—in a distinctly separate new book, The Power Presenter.

Does this mean that I am recommending that you abandon all slides ye who enter the podium area? Not at all. PowerPoint has become the medium of choice from grade school rooms to corporate boardrooms, and far be it from me to advise a sea change as radical as complete rejection. All I ask—no, urge—is to use the software properly, by applying the repertory of techniques provided in the other third of the book. The most essential of which is the overarching principle of relegating graphics to a supporting role, making the presenter the primary focus of the presentation.

This seemingly simple plea for a shift of emphasis unfortunately has found very few converts. Presentations are still universally defined by and equated with the slides. The overlap forces the slide into two unrelated functions: as a display during the presentation and as a record for distribution before or after the presentation, as handouts. In this fowl/fish (pun intended) double whammy, known as the Presentation-as-Document Syndrome, neither version serves its intended purpose, and each version is severely compromised.

If you need a document, create a document and use word processing software. If you need a presentation, create a presentation and use presentation software. Microsoft Office provides Word for documents and PowerPoint for presentations. While both products are bundled in the same suite, they are distinctly separate entities, and never the twain shall meet.

Use the right tool for the right job. Follow the correctly balanced role model you see on all television news broadcasts. The newscasters tell the story, while the professional graphics that flit by over their shoulders are simply headlines.

You are the storyteller, not your slides.

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