What follows is the presentation for those who wanted to see it. It’s meant to be delivered, not to stand alone, but I think you’ll get the big points.

A few things I’ve learned from giving presentations that may be helpful if you use PowerPoint to do presentations.

Less is more – By less, I mean less TEXT. Don’t stuff slides full of text, just add a point and a photo and talk to the photo. It makes sure people pay attention to what you’re saying, and you don’t insult their intelligence.

Keep it simple – I used to worry about sharing all the information from my book, and focused on the 10 points in my book…and I’d lose folks and not connect with them. Now, I focus on 4 key points and share multiple stories about each of them…and folks get MORE out of my speeches. Sounds counterintuitive, but it works.

Make it personal – Don’t make fun of other people, make fun of yourself. Use your own stories. Find stats that are relevant to the people you’re speaking to.

Keep everyone in mind – Pictures work…for some people. Stats work…for some people. Nothing works for everyone. Keep everyone in mind, and try to offer a little something for everyone.

Create a call to action – Motivational speeches are great…but about an hour later, you wonder what you just heard. I now try to include something folks can actually DO to put the tips I offer into action in each speech I give.

Review your points – Some folks like to make sure they got all your points. For these folks, reviewing your points makes them very happy, so they can fill in the gaps in their notes or can take down just those 4 points and have something to take home with them and take back to their manager.

What are your best tips on how to use PowerPoint to enhance your presentation and avoid death by PowerPoint?

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Note from Phil: This is a book I MUST finish this year. I’ve poked through it, but I want to devour it in 1 sitting,  and I just haven’t had the time. I’m delighted to share this article with you as it shows you why YOU should buy this book and learn from Steve Jobs…and Carmine Gallo too! Enjoy

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is considered one of the greatest marketers in corporate history. For more than three decades, he has delivered legendary keynote presentations, raised product launches to an art form and successfully communicated the benefits of Apple products to millions of customers. Whether you’re in sales, marketing, advertising or public relations, Steve Jobs has something to teach you about telling your brand story.

Plan in analog. Steve Jobs may have made a name for himself in the digital world, but he prepares presentations in the old world of pen and paper. He brainstorms, sketches and draws on whiteboards. Before a new iPhone, iPod or MacBook is introduced, the Apple team decides on the exact messages (aka, benefits) to communicate. Those messages are consistent across all marketing platforms: presentations, Web sites, advertisements, press releases, and even the banners than are unfurled after Jobs’ keynote.

Create Twitter-friendly headlines. Can you describe your product or service in 140 characters? Steve Jobs offers a headline, or description, for every product. Each headline can easily fit in a Twitter post. For example, when he introduced the MacBook Air in January, 2008, he said that it is simply, "The world’s thinnest notebook." You could visit the Apple Web site for more information, but if that’s all you knew, it would tell you a lot. If your product description cannot fit in a Twitter post, keep refining.

Introduce the antagonist. In every classic story, the hero fights the villain. The same holds true for a Steve Jobs presentation. In 1984, the villain was IBM, "Big Blue." Before he introduced the famous 1984 ad to a group of Apple salespeople, he created a dramatic story around it. "IBM wants it all," he said. Apple would be the only company to stand in its way. It was very dramatic and the crowd went nuts. Branding expert, Martin Lindstrom, has said that great brands and religions have something in common: the idea of vanquishing a shared enemy. Creating a villain allows the audience to rally around the hero — you, your ideas and your product.

Stick to the rule of three. The human brain can only absorb three or four "chunks" of information at any one time. Neuroscientists are finding that if you give your listeners too many pieces of information to retain, they won’t remember a thing. It’s uncanny, but every Steve Jobs presentation is divided into three parts. On September 9, 2009, when Jobs returned to the world stage after a medical leave of absence, he told the audience that he had three things to discuss: iPhone, iTunes and iPods. Jobs even has fun with the rule of three. In January, 2007, he told the audience he had "three revolutionary" products to introduce — an iPod, a phone and an Internet communicator. After repeating the list several times he said, "Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. They are one device and we are calling it iPhone!"

Strive for simplicity. Apple chief design architect, Jonathan Ive, said Apple’s products are easy to use because of the elimination of clutter. The same philosophy applies to Apple’s marketing and sales material. For example, there are forty words on the average PowerPoint slide. It’s difficult to find ten words in one dozen Apple slides. Most of Steve Jobs’ slides are visuals — photographs or images. When are there words, they are astonishingly sparse. For example, in January, 2008, Jobs was delivering his Macworld keynote and began the presentation by thanking his customers for making 2007 a successful year for Apple. The slide behind Jobs simply read "Thank you." Steve Jobs tells the Apple story. The slides compliment the story.

Reveal a "Holy Smokes" moment. People will forget what you said, what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. There’s always one moment in a Steve Jobs presentation that is the water cooler moment, the one part of the presentation that everyone will be talking about. These show stoppers are completely scripted ahead of time. For example, when Jobs unveiled the MacBook Air, what do people remember? They recall that he removed the computer from an inter-office envelope. It’s the one moment from Macworld 2008 that everyone who watched it — and those who read about — seem to recall. The image of a computer sliding in an envelope was immediately unveiled in Apple ads and on the Apple website. The water cooler moment had run according to plan.

Sell dreams, not products. Great leaders cultivate a sense of mission among their employees and customers. Steve Jobs’ mission is to change the world, to put a "dent in the universe." According to Jobs, "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to do great work is to love what you do." True evangelists are driven by a messianic zeal to create new experiences. When he launched the iPod in 2001, Jobs said, "In our own small way we’re going to make the world a better place." Where most people see the iPod as a music player, Jobs sees it as tool to enrich people’s lives. It’s important to have great products, of course, but passion, enthusiasm and emotion will set you apart.

©2009 Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience

About the Author: Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience, is a presentation, media-training, and communication-skills coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is an author and columnist for Businessweek.com and and a keynote speaker and seminar leader who has appeared on CNBC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC.com, BNET, RedBook, Forbes.com, and in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Investor’s Business Daily, as well as many other media outlets. Gallo lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is a former vice president for a global, top-ten public relations firm.

For more information about Carmine, please visit www.carminegallo.com.

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Hi to all my new friends in Denver, CO at the Rocky Mountain HDI chapter! I had a fantastic time sharing my tips on how folks can recession proof their life. Special thanks to everyone who made time to connect with me before and after my presentation.

One of the points in my keynote is about finding your purpose, and in the following picture, I took my personal purpose pitch and I put it into Wordle. If you’re not familiar with Wordle, it’s quite simple: You throw some speech, or a URL, inside the Wordle machine, and it spits out a visual representation of whatever you put in. The bigger the word, the more frequently it’s used. The smaller, the less it’s used. It’s one of my favorite tools.

It came as no surprise to me that the word that was the most frequently mentioned in my P3 was PEOPLE. PEOPLE matter to me, and they are a key part to my personal purpose pitch.

If you’re interested in working with me to create your P3 and more, I’m available after July 1st. Please contact me today, and let’s find a time we can make it great together!

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This is the keynote presentation I've been giving this year. It's called Recession Proof Your Life: Make a PLAN and Make It Great!

It’s got 4 key points in the PLAN:

P is for Purpose

L is for Learning

A is for Attitude

N is for Network (and using New Media to grow and cultivate it)

I’d love your help to make it great! If you have any feedback on how to make this great^er, please let me know!

Thanks in advance.

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In May of 2007, I attended the first Successful and Outstanding Blogger Conference in Chicago, IL. One of the most amazingly talented people I met there was Director Tom Clifford. I had been reading his blog for a while, and we had talked on the phone, but having a bite to eat with Tom, Timothy Johnson and Mike Rohde before the conference even officially started was a GREAT way to get warmed up to learn from some of the blogging greats.

Fast forward to right now…Tom’s first published work came out in the form of a ChangeThis manifesto: Bring Your Brand to Life, all about the power of telling your corporate story, and can be easily applied to telling your personal story.

So it’s my distinct honor to share Tom Clifford with you in a nice interview I’m calling

Corporate Videos Make It Great!

Ladies and gentlemen, Director Tom Clifford!

Phil: Tell me a bit about your background, and why storytelling is such an important part of your life?

Director Tom: I was a rock ‘n’ roller for many years, playing lead guitar in many bands throughout junior high, high school, college and beyond. In the summer of 1975, after high school graduation, my band was scheduled to perform before Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Two weeks before the event, the performance was cancelled and I began questioning the path of playing music as a career.

Realizing that college was a great alternative to starving, I found one college near my home that offered a degree in television and decided to check it out. I immediately fell in love with the medium! It’s rhythmic like music. So I took to it quickly and naturally. I then graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans where I studied communications and television even further.

A few years after college, I had the most incredible opportunity to study with two filmmakers. These directors constantly taught me the importance of storytelling in a film. Story first…film second. Being young, I fell for the technology surrounding film and video; always wanting to learn more about the gear. My mentors constantly reminded about the power of personal stories. So for nine years, I was completely surrounded by people who were driven to produce films capturing personal stories that ultimately told corporate stories. That really shaped my skills as a director and producer.

23 years later, I now see my role as a story enabler and story katalyst, less of a storyteller.

Quick story: Katalyst is with a "k" because Kevin Carroll, former Nike Master Storyteller, told me in 2005 to continue being a katalyst for stories, so, that’s how the "c" became a "k." It’s not a typo.

Phil: What’s the one thing one can do to be a better storyteller?

Director Tom: I suggest two things:

1. Start listening very carefully and reflecting on the conversations you have with yourself. Those conversations are usually the same conversations we tell ourselves over and over. Eventually, these conversations become the stories we tell ourselves and others. That may be fine for some, but for others, it may be too limiting.

Here’s what worked for me. If you want to develop and begin telling newstories, start writing down your dreams and desires for the next year. Incorporate your heroes, dead or alive, into your story. Tap into their attributes you wish to incorporate into your own story. Begin to share the story with others. These new stories can start creating new realities and opportunities for you. In a way, it becomes an exciting journey; like your own "hero’s journey." The hero’s journey begins with how things are fine in our day-to-day life. Then there is a "calling" for something different; something greater is calling you to leave your "comfort zone." You go through an "initiation" that challenges many of your fears and assumptions. And then, finally, there is the "return;" the sharing of what you learned with others. This is a simple, but effective way to start telling a new story.

2. Buy Annette Simmons book, The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling. It’s accessible and easy to implement her ideas.

Phil: Often corporate videos are stale and boring.  How did you come up with the idea to make them more fun, engaging and inspiring, and how hard was it to convince the corporate suits that different is better?

Director Tom: Discovering inspiring and engaging people to share their story on camera is the secret to producing a corporate video that people will not only watch, but talk about. My mentors never produced boring, traditional videos so it never even entered my DNA to produce a film that way.

What to tell the "suits?"

Here’s what I say: information is for paper; emotions is for video. Educating the "suits" about the powerful combination of video and story is the starting point of the conversation. I teach them by showing examples of my work and walking them through the story and video process. Don’t use video to convey data; use it to tell your story.

Phil: Who has been the most inspiring teacher in your life?

Director Tom: Deepak Chopra stands out as the most significant teacher. Deepak’s incredible gift to synthesize and convert a variety of difficult subjects (quantum physics, mysticism, science, medicine, etc.) into teachable and accessible lessons is something I find valuable and practical. Deepak’s ability to teach ancient and sacred teachings through the lens of modern science has been a long time interest of mine and serves as the backdrop for all that I do.

Phil: You went to a day long event with Seth Godin and shared all about it on your blog. It seems as that event was a turning point in your blogging and your exposure. What happened that day or right around that day that catalyzed that change?

Director Tom: That was an amazing day, indeed! In a nutshell, Seth confirmed my mission to help others learn about the power of corporate videos.

I started bringing brands to life in my blog beginning in August of 2006 because I couldn’t find a site for people in communications, PR and marketing firms, etc. to get on-going support producing engaging corporate videos.  I’ve been producing and directing for a long time, so it was time for me to start sharing that knowledge to whoever could benefit from it. I placed a stake in the ground, wrote from my heart and the readers found me. It’s simply been a miracle!

Seth crystalized my efforts. He immediately "got" what I am doing and encouraged me to continue. No question, that was the high point of the day!

Phil: You attended SOBCon07 and raved about it for weeks after. What made this event special to you?

Director Tom: That’s easy…the people! So many people who gave their never-ending help and support to me were all gathered in one place. I was able to say "Thanks" to everyone for everything they did to help me get the site off the ground. The selflessness of those who helped me and the friendships that have been created as a result, has been quite amazing!

Phil: What are you currently reading?

Director Tom:  Lots of books. Here’s a few!

Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity by David Lynch

Karma: The Ancient Science of Cause and Effect by Jeffrey Armstrong

Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins by Annette Simmons

Buddha: A Story of Enlightment by Deepak Chopra

Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind the The matrix Trilogy by Matt Lawrence

Phil: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received and what would you share with the readers of Make It Great! as advice?

Director Tom: The best advice I ever received? That’s a tough one! If I had to pick one thing it would be when my favorite college professor taught me to meditate 30 years ago. It changed the direction of my life and is perhaps one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received.

I would offer the same advice to your readers, as well. Meditation is easy, completely effortless and one of the most proven ways to develop your creativity in all areas of life.

Phil: What blogs do you read that others may not know about?

Director Tom: I subscribe to these blogs and enjoy reading them every time:

Deepak Chopra, my teacher

Lois Kelly at Foghound on communications and conversations

Ira Glass at NPR

Tom Monahan talks about Creative Thinking in Business

Michael Moore, documentary filmmaker

Robert Greenwald, documentary filmmaker

Rajesh Setty, entrepreneur, author and dear friend

Phil: Some great blogs to explore for sure! Thanks for sharing them. So tell us, what’s next for Director Tom?

Director Tom: Well, first up, I’m getting ready to write a book designed to help people walk through the process of creating a remarkable corporate video. There is a huge void in this arena and I know many potential candidates of videos could benefit from a handbook like this. 

My real passion continues to be producing meaningful films for organizations that raise awareness about important issues while capturing on-camera "organic storytellers" from an organization-their employees. That has always been my favorite form of storytelling.

Phil: Tell me how we can find more Director Tom.

Director Tom: Everything you need about me is on my site, DirectorTom.com. My ClaimID site captures all my interviews, links and other goodies in one handy place. I update it whenever anything significant is released.

Thanks, Phil, for your unending support in my work and willing to share the power of corporate video stories with your readers. I am deeply honored and grateful to be a part of your world

Phil: You’re welcome my friend. Thank you Tom. You have opened my mind to the potential power of corporate video and storytelling, something I wouldn’t have thought of as making it great even just a year ago! 

So what can we learn from Director Tom?

A few things I think ring loud and clear.

• Stories are POWERFUL stuff, whether it’s in a corporate video, a blog, or when you’re talking to others in your world.
• Catalysts come from everywhere, if you’re open to receiving them.
• Taking time to slow down and meditate can help you find your center and calm your busy world (I’m working on this).

What did you learn from Tom? Do you have any unanswered questions?

[Phil Gerbyshak loves interviewing great people who have great stories to share. If you've got a great story, let Phil know and who knows; you could be the next Make It Great! interview.]

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WOW!

5/12 of the way completed with 2007.

What do you have left to do? Does it still matter? I’m going to take some time to re-evaluate my goals over the next week. I encourage you to do the same.

1. I learned from Lisa Haneberg that you can burn away the fog, that ov erhwlem is not real, ambiguity is stuff we think we should know but don’t know, and that flat and simple need to positively correlated. This is very helpful for where I am right now.
2. I learned 9 great tips for overcoming stage fright from Christine Kane. I haven’t had stage fright yet, but I imagine I might at some point, and I think it ‘s best to have some ammunition to combat it.
3. Rick Cockrum reminded me that multi-tasking does NOT make you more productive, in the Delusion of Multi-tasking. I need to remember this OFTEN, especially when I’m trying to quiet my mind chatter. Rick asks “Do I want to be busy, or do I want to be good?” I want to be GREAT, so I know I need to do this. Something is stopping me. I am working for clarity. Lisa Haneberg and I talked about the multi-tasking myth last July, and I have fallen out of my focused zone. I learned I need to re-focus to become great again!
4. I learned that leadership has become more concerned with soft skills instead of just hard skills, at least according to Jonathan Farrington. I agree with this, and I’m glad it’s changed from the way it used to be. I’ve learned that people are our most valuable asset, and without people, NOTHING gets done.
5. Last but not least, I learned that I can be more productive by taking a break. Thanks for permission to break Ben! I needed that.

And with that, I bid you adieu. I am off to Las Vegas to speak at the 2007 HDI Conference, and posting may be sporadic. I have 1 surprise for you while I’m gone, so stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: rapid fire learning, leadership, productivity

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[Phil Gerbyshak enjoys working with amazing people. If you'd like to work with Phil, send him an e-mail anytime. He speaks, he writes, and he loves to help people become relationship geeks!]

Technorati Tags: relationship geeking, slideshare, sandy renshaw, speaking

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Taken from Scott Ginsberg’s very own Flickr photos

Recently, Scott put out a really handy (FREE) ebook about speaking, something I hope to get into doing very soon. It was so awesome, and he got so much great feedback  about it, he put together ANOTHER (still FREE!) ebook, this time about writing selling and marketing books.

I share these with you because if you’re thinking of being a professional speaker or writer, you really need to read Scott’s 2 free ebooks and understand that it’s a tough business, and it’s not for everybody. Learn from Scott’s experience, and hopefully you can make a more informated decision. If you’re already speaking and in the lower fee range, perhaps these books can help you tweak a few things and boost your confidence so you can boost your fee.

The last reason I share these with you is because you can take many of the tips Scott shares and use them to make your career better, no matter what career you do. You also should read Scott’s other FREE ebooks, 37 Ways to be More Approachable, Be That Guy, and Make a Name for Yourself, 66 Priceless Pieces of Business Advice I Couldn’t Live Without, and 55 Great Questions to Ask Someone You Just Met. I share these with you because I have read them, and they’ve helped me, so I think that you might enjoy them and they might help you.

They’re free, so do whatever you want with them. And tell Scott Phil said hello if you do stop by and visit Scott Ginsberg. Because not only is he “that guy with the nametag,” he’s also that guy with the big heart who likes to help us all learn more, be more, do more. Thanks buddy!

[Phil Gerbyshak is still working on creating his own set of free ebooks. Until they are ready, he'll keep enjoyingall of the amazing people who give away their best stuff, like Lisa Haneberg, Seth Godin, and Guy Kawasaki.]

Technorati Tags: scott ginsberg, free, free ebooks, writing, speaking, marketing

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When you do presentations, do you want people to listen to what you say?

Of course you do!

How do you do that? Begin by reading Kathy Sierra‘s genius article about “better beginnings” and think about how you can incorporate these tips into your writing and your presentations. As a beginner, I’m taking her first piece of advice to heart on this post. “Begin with a question. A question the listener wants to have answered.” At least I hope I did this

I encourage to read today’s article on better beginnings, and really anything that Kathy writes at Creating Passionate Users. She’s brilliant! Every post offers points that anyone can use, beginners and experienced writers and presenters, and that can help you be more creative in your thinking and your career.

[Phil Gerbyshak has more questions than answers, and asks many of them over at Make It Great! What's the best question you've ever asked, or been asked?]

Technorati Tags: writing, speaking, tips, beginnings

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Make it a great day!
Phil

Phil Gerbyshak
http://makeitgreat.org

Technorati Tags: motivation, pictures, kawasaki, buckingham, gerbyshak, make it great

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