Self-Destruction by PowerPoint

Much has been written about using PowerPoint effectively for presentations. Yet we are relentlessly subjected to Death by PowerPoint by people who throw advice to the wind and insist upon humiliating themselves publicly. If you have the inexplicable urge to follow them like lemmings into the sea, just follow these instructions for Self-Destruction by PowerPoint:

· Cram as many full sentences as possible on each slide, so the presentation can stand on its own. You’re just there to read the slides to the unfortunate illiterate audience. This is an important role, since with all the text on the slide the font is too small for anyone to see anyway.
· Provide printed slides as a handout at the start, so people can get ahead and not have to pay any attention to you standing there at the front of the room.
· Jump right into the material, without stating the purpose of the presentation or giving people any idea how long it will go on.
· The more slides the better! It gives your audience a real rush when they see you are yammering on about slide 3 of 97.
· Be really creative with the use of color and fonts in your slide design. Comic Sans is such a cheerful and professional type face that just screams for primary colors.
· Don’t take up real estate on the slide with interesting and illustrative graphics…you can explain your points better with more words.
· Apply the whole gamut of animated slide transitions in a random manner. It will really keep people’s attention.
· Using other people’s copyrighted material in your presentation shows you have done your research.
· Take pains not to summarize or allow questions at the end, since the audience’s time is valuable and so is yours. The material was perfectly clear.
· Finally, let your PowerPoint creation play the starring role. Speak in a low monotone, speed through the slides (they have the handout for later), avoid eye contact, stand still and don’t use any distracting gestures, and for goodness sake, don’t smile. Presentations are serious business.

Now, get out there and self-destruct, if you must.

© Laurel Anne Bailey 2010

If you found this interesting, you may also enjoy "When Presenting, Know Your Audience:  http://habaconsulting.blogspot.com/2009/09/when-presenting-know-your-audience.html

Are You Purposefully Positioning Your Online Identity?

A good way to get a snapshot of how your online identity may be perceived is to Google your name. The results could paint a picture of anything from a carefully crafted professional reputation, to an unfortunate jigsaw puzzle of unedited personal flotsam and jetsam worthy of JibJab. You probably cannot control everything that appears in search results, but you can be proactive about influencing them. If you aren’t already doing it, start now. The action you can take comes down to 3 steps: 1. STOP THE BLEEDING: Think twice when creating any new content that can be tied to your real identity. You may want to use a made-up screen name or alter ego to use if you write reviews, comment on blogs, Tweet – unless those activities are work-related and important to your professional brand. Ensure that you have appropriately restrictive security settings on social networking sites. 2. CREATE MORE CONTENT YOU CAN CONTROL: Create a web site, a blog, and profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and/or Google that present you to the world in a positive light. These are sites that will show up prominently in Google results, and your content will push the other stuff further down the list where it is less noticeable. 3. CONTACT WEBMASTERS TO REQUEST REMOVAL OF UNFLATTERING CONTENT: This may not always be possible, but it’s worth a try. Google cannot do this for you. They don’t create the content – they just index it and provide a search mechanism. Keep in mind that most prospective employers today not only review your resume and check your references; they also see if you have a trail on the internet that gives them further insight into your history. Don’t give them an unintended glimpse into activities that would be incompatible with how you want to position yourself professionally.

Online Networking Can Be Noisy!

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to keep up with online reading material generated by my network connections. I want to be respectful of others’ work and their recommendations, but as a result end up reading some material of little interest or applicability to me. I recently posted this question on LinkedIn: Blogs, Tweets, other media news & info... How do YOU sort through the noise to get to info that truly informs? With all the information coming at us these days, what are some techniques you use to determine what to read and what to ignore? I could spend all my time online, following up on postings and links - but I am on information overload. I am looking for tips on how you separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to information that comes at you via social and professional networking. Surprisingly, I received little feedback, beyond the obvious ideas of setting up RSS Feeds and/or Google Alerts for specific topics. Some people obviously spend massive amounts of time online every day, tweeting, trolling the internet, commenting on other’s articles, and forwarding material they find interesting. This is all well and good…in moderation. At its worst, the result of too much time spent online makes me feel like a baby bird in a nest – being fed only what mama regurgitates. I’d rather spread my wings and go find my own big, juicy worms when I get hungry. David Fisher, Business Coach and President of RockStar Consulting in Evanston, Illinois (www.rockstar-consulting.com), offered some great advice as an answer to my question: 1. Be OK with not knowing everything - the secret to your everlasting happiness isn't waiting for you in a tweet. 2. Beware of the "noise" creating more problems than solutions. It's similar to marketing - have you ever seen an advertisement for a product that solves a problem you didn't even know you had? I prefer to go out into the world of information when I have a specific challenge that I'm working on. 3. Limit the places you hang out. There are a lot of conversations happening on the web, and trying to take part in all of them would drive a person crazy. I’m going to try to be a little more discerning about where I spend my time online. I read blogs by people I have come to respect. On LinkedIn, I participate in discussions where I feel I have value to add, and almost always learn something. I haven’t given in yet to Twitter – but believe I get most of the value it has to offer me through its integration with LinkedIn. And I enjoy and appreciate my personal interactions on Facebook, since most of my friends are scattered across the country. I heartily agree with David’s final suggestion to, “Read a lot of books.” The sort of intellectual engagement gained when reading an entire book is invaluable to inspiration, learning, and development. Finally, I will continue to focus on increasing my face-to-face personal encounters. When you conduct business from a home office, much can be accomplished online – but nothing replaces truly personal interaction.

Motivating Others is Tricky Business

All managers have occasionally struggled with how to get the maximum effort out of their team. What drives people to perform productively? Conversely, what de-motivates them and keeps them from doing their best?

Motivating others is tricky business, because people’s motivations are very personal. To reach your team in a way that will enhance their self-motivation, you need to know them well. There’s no simple answer. Some people are simply motivated by money. Most others needs are more complex. Many appreciate public recognition. Tangible accomplishments in themselves are motivation for goal-oriented people. Those who treasure their ability to make a difference find motivation in having their suggestions considered and their ideas implemented. There are those who are so self-motivated that all management needs to do is be careful not to inadvertently de-motivate them. Everyone wants to be recognized as an individual and treated with respect.

A DOZEN THINGS TO DO IF YOU WANT THE MOST FROM YOUR TEAM

1. Know all your team members by name, and know what they do. As often as possible, thank them in a specific way for their contributions.
2. Be aware of people’s personal struggles. You probably don’t need to be involved, but you may need to offer a word of encouragement, or make the occasional special concession to help them get through a tough time.
3. When you need to rally the troops, leave your cheerleading pom-pom’s at home. Appeal to their professional pride, honestly explain the issue in terms to which they will relate, and ask sincerely for their help.
4. Show your team by your actions that you are working with them (not just waving a whip at them).
5. Motivation through fear is counterproductive, but occasionally you may have to kick some butt to get things moving with urgency.
6. Give individuals public credit for team successes, and for work they do that makes you successful. Do not accept credit personally for work done by others.
7. Give people opportunities to grow. Mentor them, and open the budget purse strings for training activities.
8. Provide constant feedback. An annual performance review isn’t enough. Even if you have to raise issues, providing constructive feedback and improvement opportunities will be appreciated in the long term.
9. Explain tasks and priorities to everyone, so they know how what they do contributes to big picture strategy and goals.
10. Celebrate team victories. This may be solving a tough problem, completing a project, coming up with an innovative idea, or just getting through a challenging year.
11. Clear obstacles from your team’s path, so they can move with speed. This may include obtaining management support, diffusing company politics, securing funding, or providing tools and resources to accomplish tasks.
12. Introduce a little fun and lightheartedness into your environment. Work doesn’t always have to be so serious.