For over seven years I taught ever trainer at Xerox how to give a presentation, and have a Bestselling book on the topic in it’s 4th edition and on the shelves for over 25 years. Ah, but in this Pocket Sized Pep Talk, I’ll tell how even big-shots like me can still make ridiculous and embarrassing mistakes that I don’t want you to make!
Originally Published: January 25, 2023
Rob Jolles (00:00):
For over seven years, I taught every trainer at Xerox how to give a presentation, and I have a bestselling book on the topic in its fourth edition on the shelves for over 25 years. But let’s have ourselves a pocket size pep talk and I’ll tell you how even big shots like me can still make ridiculous and embarrassing mistakes that I don’t want you to make
Intro (00:28):
A pocket size pep talk, the podcast that can help energize your business and your life with a quick inspiring message. Now, here’s your host, Rob Jolles.
Rob Jolles (00:41):
As a student at the presentation game, I’ve watched a lot of presentations in my life. After a while, you can quickly get a sense of those that know what they’re doing and those that struggle a bit. Unfortunately, recently, I joined the ranks of the struggle a bit crowd, and if it can happen to me, it can certainly happen to you. The problem not leaving well enough alone, it started harmlessly enough. I was creating a presentation for a charity event. I put just enough creative touches into the presentation to make it interesting without taking away from the presentation itself. Then I did something I don’t recommend others do. I kept picking at. It began with a few extra sound effects. After all, putting a couple of sound effects into a presentation isn’t exactly going to ruin the presentation. Besides, it made me laugh, and if it made me laugh, I knew it was going to make my audience laugh, and I began to insert small bits within the presentation designed to involve the audience.
(01:55)
I had a couple strategically placed and thought they would create magical moments. Since they look so good, I put in more, a lot more. I figured they would just strengthen the presentation. Finally, the floodgates opened and I incorporated video. I inserted multiple presentation fonts, different templates, transitions, another presentation of gimmicks. I even found a 20 foot ladder, which I covered with fabric and strategically placed so I could dramatically climb it and continue my presentation towering above my audience. Yeah, I was going to take this audience to a place that they had never been before. I had a fever and that fever was called More is better itis. Why do so many of us believe that the more we put into a presentation, the better the presentation will be? Are we using the sound, the video, the templates, the transitions, the fonts, the be gimmicks to build a presentation?
(03:01)
Or could we just be using them as a crutch? It’s a strange irony because the more stuff we put into a presentation, the weaker the presentation becomes. The reason for this is simple. The stuff ultimately gets in the way of the actual content. That’s exactly what occurred in the presentation I delivered. I was consumed by a bad case of Moore’s better artists. I threw everything but the kitchen sink at an audience, and my reward was a confused, detached audience that seemed frequently distracted and unable to focus on the content of the presentation. Someone was distracting them and that someone was me. The next time you have a presentation looks sharp and ready to go, please heat my advice. Don’t listen to that voice in your head that wants to keep adding more. You may be getting a little bored with the presentation as you’re practicing it over and over again, but the audience you’re going to address has never heard it before. Leave the stuff out and remember these wise words, leave well enough alone.
Outro (04:27):
Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed today’s show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes, outcasts, wherever you get your podcast. You can also get more information on this show and rob@jolles.com.