I've been thinking about presentation style lately. I'm gearing up for a big customer meeting and trying to avoid the "death by PowerPoint" trap. Fortunately, I have a few cartoons up my sleeve.
Somehow the preparation reminded me of management consulting. In business school, I was first blown away by the technical skill of ex-consultants who had been using PowerPoint as an extra appendage for years. I felt inadequate when I saw some of their slides diagnosing a problem.
And then I realized that the same slides were being used over and over again. They stopped being remarkable the more they were used. They seemed less insightful.
PowerPoint can be a persuasive tool when used in a way that tells a remarkable story. But, far too often, they become just more clutter and filler. Or worse, a crutch to cover up when there's no interesting story to tell.
So, I drew this cartoon as a personal reminder to avoid the two-by-two matrix and think outside of the deck. I always find this Seth Godin Really Bad PowerPoint post useful.
(On a related note, I'm excited to see Seth live on Tuesday when he gives a talk on his latest book in London. Should be interesting, and I plan to post what I learn.)
Lastly, I've always enjoyed making fun of management consultants. Here's one of my very first cartoons, from my business school series.
