The 90-second pitch

“That depends on the length of the speech. If it is a ten-minute speech it takes me all of two weeks to prepare it; if it is a half-hour speech it takes me a week; if I can talk as long as I want to it requires no preparation at all. I am ready now.”   Woodrow Wilson 1918 I received an email asking if I would do our marketing department a favour – they asked me to say a few words at our largest trade show, held annually in Chicago Illinois.  I expected that I would do a best practise story with colleagues, BUT it got really interesting when… Read More

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Want to make a video? Why not use PowerPoint?

PowerPoint has a variety of applications. In addition to designing slides for presentations I have used it to make promotional posters and to design logos and buttons for the animal welfare groups that I am involved with (see Life by PowerPoint). I have also started creating videos.  You can insert music to link to your slides (for the  examples below I used music from iStockPhoto.com).  For me, the biggest challanges in making videos with Powerpoint are telling my story in just a couple of minutes (I recommend you keep you videos to 2-3 minutes), and having the music timed just right. Re timing: using the Transitions tab you can select the transition… Read More

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How to make your next presentation more persuasive.

You may be able to convince someone that you have the best idea, product, or service, but can you persuade them to take action on your proposal?  Quotations are one type of persuasive tool that can help move people to take action. But is there really a difference between being convincing and being persuasive? According to Seth Godin, marketing and business thought leader, “Persuasion appeals to the emotions and to fear and to the imagination. Convincing requires a spreadsheet or some other rational device.” I have found the best presentations have the right mix of convincing and persuasive elements. That mix depends on your topic and, of course, your audience. There are 4 tools you can use… Read More

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