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Slide Notes

Haiku Deck is a free app for iPad and the Web that will completely transform the way you think about presentations.

You can learn more at http://haikudeck.com, download the free iPad app at http://bit.ly/ScJc5m, or request a new platform here: http://bit.ly/12SRHal.

This is a perfect introduction to Haiku Deck and the ideas that inspired it, but these tips will help you tell your story more effectively no matter what tool you're using.
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THE HAIKU DECK WORKSHOP

Published on Nov 06, 2015

Presentation workshop created for PayScale, April 2014

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

THE HAIKU DECK WORKSHOP

10 Tips to Transform Your Presentations
Haiku Deck is a free app for iPad and the Web that will completely transform the way you think about presentations.

You can learn more at http://haikudeck.com, download the free iPad app at http://bit.ly/ScJc5m, or request a new platform here: http://bit.ly/12SRHal.

This is a perfect introduction to Haiku Deck and the ideas that inspired it, but these tips will help you tell your story more effectively no matter what tool you're using.
Photo by Marie in NC

Catherine Carr, Chief Inspiration Officer (@mamatweeta)

Photo by daybeezho

WHY WE'RE HERE

Presentations should be captivating.

After all, what are presentations but stories?

They should capture our attention and speak to our emotions.

They should stir our imaginations.

They should make time stand still.

Photo by Joe Parks

Too often, they're not.

Yet, too often, it's time standing still in the not-so-inspiring way.

We fall into the header-and-bullets formula.

We turn our slides into slideuments. We pack them with tiny text and read them out loud, word for word.

Does the world need more flying bullet points and lame clip art? We say no.

Does it need more beautiful stories and ideas? More simplicity, more fun?

That is why we're here.





Photo by fixedgear

why this matters

2013 ANNOYING POWERPOINT SURVEY

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TOP WORD ASSOCIATIONS

  • Boring
  • Long
  • Much/many
  • Read/text
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TOP WORD ASSOCIATIONS

  • Boring
  • Long
  • Much/many
  • Read/text
  • DEATH
Photo by thisisbossi

Information
Overload

The common theme throughout all this? Information overload.
Photo by Pulpolux !!!

better presentations = better results

Sales, Efficiency, Decision-making

10 TIPS

A Few Best Practices

We have studied the advice of many presentation experts, and we have specifically designed Haiku Deck to make it easy to follow their recommendations.

Here are few tips that are especially good to keep in mind, no matter what presentation tool you're using.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

SIMPLE

Keep it Simple

We believe that constraints lead to creativity (the haiku, which inspired our name, illustrates this perfectly).

Many presentation tools operate under the assumption that more is better--more options, more choices, more gimmicks.

In our view, less is more.
Photo by Alicia Lynn

1. Build around one big idea

Tip #1: Craft your presentation around one big, memorable idea.

In this deck, our big idea is that although many of us are used to creating our presentations in a certain way, it's not too hard to transform the process.

It's also worth it.

"Richard Sherman just taught us all a valuable career lesson."

2. One idea per slide

Tip #2: Focus on one idea per slide.

We deliberately limit the amount of text you can put on a slide to encourage this.

After all, one idea per slide is really all your audience can absorb.

"But," you say, "that will mean I'll have too many slides."

Trust us--it's not the number of slides that matters; it's how clearly those slides communicate your message.
Photo by garryknight

YES, EVEN DATA

3. Not too many words

Tip #3: Keep words to a minimum.

Some experts have rules about how many words to include on a slide. The general consensus is the fewer, the better.

We like to think of words like oysters. About a half-dozen is perfect. Too many more than that is probably overdoing it.

Remember, the point of your slides is not to duplicate exactly what you're going to say. It's to reinforce, illustrate, and deepen your message.

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Infographics are a great example of this: http://www.payscale.com/infographics/nba-stars-college-majors

BEAUTIFUL

Make it Beautiful

Image isn't everything, but let's face it--it matters. Even the most compelling story can fall flat if it unfolds in unappealing slides filled with 8-point text.

We believe that beautiful, image-rich slides should be easy for anyone to create.



Photo by Egg Dance

4. Pictures tell stories

Tip #4: Pictures, above all, grab our attention and connect with our emotions, making ideas vivid and memorable.

The key is to use your images for true storytelling power, not just as embellishment.
Photo by Great Beyond

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You guys definitely get this -- the beautifully illustrated reports up on Slideshare are very eye-catching and intriguing.

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This is a very clever use of imagery to tell a story!

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I was thinking about different kinds of imagery that would work really well with your brand story -- the difference between opacity....
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or distortion...

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and transparency....
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Or complete clarity and illumination, the removal of barriers.
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5. There is beauty in brevity

Tip #5: There is beauty in brevity.

In an age of big data and information overload, there's a real art to simplifying and stripping things down to their most pure essence.

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Here's another slide I clipped from Slideshare.

It's great content, don't get me wrong, but when this is the 2nd slide you see, it might be tough to get past. Or at minimum you'd probably want to skip over it pretty quickly. Is there a different way to communicate this?

6. Keep formatting clean and consistent

Tip #6: Keep formatting consistent and simple.

Did you notice how in this deck, each tip appears in the same place on the slide? And how we used solid-color slides to introduce sections?

Think about how your formatting can create a sense of hierarchy and rhythm to aid comprehension.

{And don't forget to keep it simple.}
Photo by geishaboy500

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Here is how many people interpret the idea of consistent formatting...

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You guys are actually very fortunate because you have a very talented design team, and a pretty beautiful corporate template. I have seen some really, really bad ones.

In the presentations I saw on Slideshare, I really liked the use of solid color slides like this one to indicate sections and provide a sense of structure and flow.

FUN

Have Fun

"Fun" is not a word that most of us associate with either creating or listening to presentations. But we don't see why these things shouldn't be fun!

Read more about our story and our philosophy here:
http://haikudeck.com/about

Photo by lasmit42

7. Find the story in everything

Tip #7: Keep your focus on what really matters: your story.

When you're working on a presentation, it's easy to get caught up in time-consuming things like building animations, text formatting, and fancy transitions. But these aren't the things that make your message memorable--it's the story.

Give yourself time to explore and create.

Sometimes a little metaphorical thinking can help you discover your big idea, and everything just flows from there.

We have tried to make Haiku Deck incredibly simple to use so you can concentrate on your message. And we often find that the very process of exploring pictures and words with Haiku Deck's built-in image search unlocks ideas and opens up new creative possibilities.
Photo by courosa

Young love is wonderful.

Young management? Not so much.
Here's a great example from the Compensation Today blog: http://www.payscale.com/compensation-today/2014/04/young-love-is-wonderful-...

Each completed survey is run through a data-cleaning algorithm.
Our crack team of data scientists analyzes the data to identify potential biases and outliers.

I found this great story nugget in your methodology section of your website:
http://www.payscale.com/about/methodology

The confidence to say "this is what the market is paying for this job" is really powerful.
Michelle B., BuzzBee

I also believe that one of the most powerful ways to inject story is to let your customers tell your story for you. So leading with, or including, quotes and testimonials can be very powerful.

http://www.payscale.com/hr/customers
Photo by vl8189

8. Be yourself

Tip #8: Be yourself.

When it comes to presentation design, we often favor consistency over individual style. We grab the corporate template, or we stick with a set combination of fonts, layouts, and colors.

We believe every story deserves to be told in its own unique way, and that injecting your own personality is going to make your communication more effective.
Photo by djwudi

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It's pretty clear from your website and your Life at Payscale Facebook page that this is a critical part of your culture!

Of course you have to find the balance between being professional, and representing the company in a cohesive way, and being yourself, but being your authentic self when you're presenting goes a long way toward building powerful relationships and business.

9. Connect with your audience

Tip #9: Establish a real connection with your audience.

It takes practice not to just read everything you're going to say right off your slides, but it's well worth the effort.

When your slides are there to reinforce and beautifully illustrate your ideas, you can engage with your audience in a more meaningful, authentic way.

{This is also a lot more fun for everybody.}

Photo by fennfoot

Why is this important?

Clarify your purpose:
sell, persuade, inform....

but frame it for your audience. Why does this matter to them?

It's about them, not you.

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10. Watch out for the slideument

Tip #10: It's really common to cram your slides full of content so they can stand alone when you're not in the room. Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen fame calls this a slideument. This habit can creep up on you and choke out the good stuff in your story (like poison ivy.)

Most experts recommend creating two different versions. Haiku Deck makes this easy with Public Notes, which accompany your slides online or in a handout so you can include supporting context and detail and still keep your slides uncluttered.

WORKSHOP

REMEMBER

  • Simple
  • Beautiful
  • Fun
And, whether you're using Haiku Deck or not, we hope you'll remember the Haiku Deck way:

Keep it Simple
Make it Beautiful
Have Fun

Photo by harold.lloyd

SET YOUR STORY FREE

www.haikudeck.com       @haikudeck
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