A Blog with Tips & Tricks for Enlightened Presenters
Make the Environment Your Ally
The Setting Sets the Tone Some presenters obsess over slides. Others over scripts. But before your first word reaches the audience, something else already has their attention: the environment. This is the story of one intrepid leader who un-stuck a stalled deal, not by changing her message, but by changing the medium that delivered it.…
Orchestrate Your Next Presentation
*Taps stand. Raises wand. Inhales… The sonata is one of the most dramatic and influential song patterns in history. Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and so many others composed sonatas that remain instantly recognizable and timelessly relevant. At its core, the sonata is a three-part form designed not just to display technical skill, but to move the…
Most Presentations Don’t Need Slides.
The Issue? It’s in Tense. The “present” (noun) is another word for “now.” To be “present” (adjective) is to exist in that very same now. To “present” (verb) is to make something exist to others. To give someone a “present” (noun) is a gift. The problem with most presentations? Thanks to decks, people giving them…
Breaking Free from Deck Addiction
Why Are We Addicted to Decks? The lights dim. The projector hums. A leader stands at the front of the room, advancing slide after slide. Each is dense with words, charts, and bullets. She reads them dutifully, her eyes on the screen instead of the people in front of her. The audience follows for a…
Peer Pressure? Just say no to slides.
It happens to the best of us. Friday morning. Coffee in hand. You’re finally catching up on real work. Then a coworker sends a Teams message: “Hey, you know how the investors are coming Monday? Could you throw together a few slides about [that thing you worked on last month]?” And just like that, you’re…
Stay Vigilant.
The Day Slides Betrayed Me We drove back to the office in silence. The twelve miles stretched forever. My teammates rode beside me like kettlebells. Stubborn, bruised, heavy. I gripped the steering wheel, trying not to rip it from the column, and counted my breaths to repress what had just happened. My body was buzzing…
The Three Levels of Storytelling Every Leader Must Master
Anecdote vs. Story vs. Narrative “Storytelling” is everywhere in business. These days it seems everyone claims to be doing it. But much of what passes for “story” is really just an anecdote. Or worse, a lifeless recap of data disguised with charts and stock photos. (But you already feel that way about decks, or you…
Story is Our Meaning-Making Engine
A Scene from the Harris Household When my kids were little, movie night was a sacred ritual (still is). Popcorn in mismatched bowls, everyone in pajamas, the lights low, and a well-worn DVD spinning in the player. We had our rotation: The films they loved and the ones I was willing to watch 57 times…
Feeling Frozen?
THaW the Freeze: A Pocket Guide to Staying Human When Leadership Gets Icy It’s the moment every leader dreads. You step into a routine check-in, confident you can handle any curveball, and then, SLAM. Someone lobs a thorny question about layoffs, a system failure, or a headline you have yet to read. Your pulse spikes.…
The Bored Room
The presentation is Monday. You know your story. Inside and out. You’ve rehearsed your delivery. You’re like a jungle cat. Feeling unstoppable. You have a keen understanding of your audience and are prepared to deliver a powerful talk along the lines of empathy. Your idea will change the world. Easy, tiger. Where will this meeting…