When we started 2Connect in 2000, the world had left overheads and slide projectors in the rearview mirror and PowerPoint was the pinnacle of presentation technology. Remember clip art and those cash register sound effects? It was pretty cool at the time…but often at the expense of the presenter telling a compelling story.
Why?
PowerPoint was driving the show.
Since day one, we’ve focused on helping presenters and communicators convey the story of their data. Here’s one tip we’ve shared since 2000 that works for everyone—from scientists to sales teams to executives:
Think “content before slides”.
BEFORE you open PowerPoint:
- Think about your audience – what is important and not important to them?
- Get clear on your purpose – what are you really trying to accomplish with this presentation and how does it help your audience? (if it doesn’t help them, your content becomes noise)
- Outline your story – given the above, what content do you need to share, and not share, to get your audience onboard?
Answering these questions helps clarify the story you need to tell.
Once you have your story outlined, ask yourself, “Do you need slides to tell this story?” (the answer can be no!). If you do, now is the time to start crafting your slides to support your story.
Whether you’re providing a team update, inspiring from the main stage or introducing your offerings to a new client, “content before slides” will set you and your presentation up for success.
Need a cheat sheet for when it is time to create compelling slides? Take a look at this infographic.
And if you need help finding the story in your data, we’re just an email away.
Reach out to us at or follow up on LinkedIn for more tips!
