I was asked to briefly share a few of my thoughts on presentations to a professional association here in New York and thought I would share the handout that I left behind. This is a quick collection of my thoughts on what I have learned after delivering hundreds of presentations over the last decade, while evolving into a professional speaker.

1. brief thoughts on
presentations
Post-Discussion Handout
January 6, 2014
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
Barclay T. Blair
btblair@vialumina.com
646 450 IGOV
barclaytblair.com
@btblair
1

2. What
are
presenta,on
slides?
§ Presenta,on
slides
are
a
visual
tool
for
increasing
the
intended
effect
of
the
words
coming
out
of
your
mouth
• Examples
of
desired
effects:
comprehension,
agreement,
entertainment
§ Ergo,
most
slides
should
be
visual
not
textual
§ You
are
building
a
presenta(on,
not
a
document,
term
paper,
book,
or
ar,cle
• Your
presenta,on
may
be
based
on
one
of
these,
but
it
is
not
one
of
these
• There
are
also
,mes
when
slides
are
used
to
create
documents
instead
of
presenta,ons
(like
this
handout)
§ Unless
you
are
reading
from
your
slides
there
is
no
correla,on
between
presenta,on
dura,on
and
#
of
slides
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
2

3. Types
of
presenta,ons
§ There
are
3
basic
reasons
to
give
a
presenta,on,
and
the
slides
and
style
used
must
reflect
the
purpose
• To
Inform
• To
Convince
• To
Entertain
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
3

4. When
you
are
trying
to
Inform
§ Inform
• Examples:
project
progress
update,
new
developments,
new
product
training
• You
are
there
to
deliver
informa,on
in
a
way
that
adds
something
that
audiences
can’t
get
from
reading
the
same
informa,on
• What
value
can
you
add?
•
•
•
•
•
Summariza,on
Your
opinion
of
what
is
most
important
What
is
most
relevant
to
them
Color
commentary
and
anecdotes
Make
the
content
more
understandable,
lively,
etc.
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
4

5. When
you
are
trying
to
Convince
§ Convince
• You
are
making
a
case
for
or
against
something
• E.g.,
budget,
project,
policy
decision
•
•
•
•
You
are
making
an
argument,
even
if
it
is
disguised
Use
all
the
elements
of
structuring
a
logical
argument
Leaven
with
emo,on
Be
confident
and
authen,c
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
5

6. When
you
are
trying
to
Entertain
§ Entertain
• Besides
clowns
and
magicians,
most
speakers
are
rarely
asked
to
“entertain,”
but
in
many
contexts
are
expected
to
entertain
• Entertainment
comes
in
many
forms,
but
in
most
business
contexts
must
be
rooted
in
mastery
of
a
topic,
experience,
etc.
• It
is
probably
the
most
difficult
and
risky
form
of
presenta,on
as
it
is
hard
to
predict
what
will
entertain
any
audience
on
a
par,cular
day
• Personality
is
equally
or
even
more
important
than
content
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
6

7. Presenta,on
,ps
§ Never
provide
your
presenta,on
in
advance
(unless
your
presenta,on
is
not
a
presenta,on)
§ If
you
are
doing
your
job
right,
your
slides
should
be
almost
useless
to
people
who
did
not
a_end
your
presenta(on
§ The
shorter
the
presenta,on,
the
more
difficult
it
will
be
to
prepare
§ In
some
instances,
it
may
be
worth
wri,ng
down
everything
you
are
going
to
say
and
memorize
it
• Then
forget
the
memoriza,on
and
try
to
be
inspired
by
what
is
on
your
slides
• You
are
trying
to
make
it
seem
like
you
are
the
master
of
your
ideas,
but
that
you
have
never
been
more
exited,
compelled,
sobered,
humbled
etc.
about
them
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
7

8. Tac,cs
§ Webinars
are
a
good
way
to
start
out
§ Get
out
in
front
of
the
podium,
even
if
you
have
to
use
a
print
out
for
reference
§ Try
to
avoid
looking
at
your
slides
unless
you
are
direc,ng
the
audience
to
something
specific
§ For
the
love
of
God,
no
clip
art
and
only
two
fonts
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
8

9. The
Blessing
and
the
Curse
§ The
more
you
show
your
personality,
the
more
rewarding
it
will
be
• (it
is
also
more
dangerous)
§ You
will
bomb
at
some
point,
no
ma_er
what
• (treat
it
as
a
inevitable)
• (some,mes
you
can
learn
something
from
it)
• (some,mes
all
you
learn
is
that
you
will
some,mes
bomb,
no
ma_er
what)
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
9

10. MINIMALISM
IN
INFORMATION
DESIGN:
SAMPLES
FROM
PAST
DECKS
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
10

11. © 2014 Barclay T. Blair
11

12. Defensibility*vs.*Difficulty*
6#
5#
3#
2#
1#
dif,iculty+
4#
defensibility+
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
Copyright*2012,*ViaLumina*LLC.*
12

13. A
Mandate
For
Ac,on
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
13

14. Defensible
Dele,on
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
14

15. Documents discovered versus documents actually used in litigation [1044:1]
Source:
Li(ga(on
Costs
Survey,
Duke
Law
School,
May
2010
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
15

16. © 2014 Barclay T. Blair
16

17. ONE
WAY
TO
USE
IMAGES:
METAPHORICALLY
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
17

18. © 2014 Barclay T. Blair
18

19. What
I
said
while
displaying
the
prior
slide:
“We
s(ll
think
of
informa(on
like
this:
a
modernist
building.
We
think
that
informa(on
is
sacred,
fixed,
understandable,
with
clear,
clean,
predictable
lines.
That
the
meaning
of
the
informa(on,
or
the
building,
is
obvious,
func(onal
and
universal.
We
think
that
informa(on
is
truth,
that
there
is
a
single
source
of
authen(city.”
This
image
is
a
photograph
of
Villa
Savoye
by
Le
Courbousier
–
a
well-­‐known
building
representa,ve
of
modernist
architecture
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
19

20. © 2014 Barclay T. Blair
20

21. What
I
said
while
displaying
the
prior
slide:
“The
reality
of
informa(on,
the
truth
about
informa(on,
that
we
ignore
at
our
peril,
is
that
informa(on
is
no
longer
modernist.
It
is
postmodernist
world.
In
this
world,
informa(on
is
dynamic,
not
fixed.
It
is
complex,
not
clean
and
clear.
It
comes
from
mul(ple
sources,
some
of
which
we
control,
and
some
of
which
we
do
not.
The
meaning
of
informa(on
is
not
obvious,
nor
is
it
universal
or
even
objec(ve.”
This
image
is
a
photograph
of
the
Guggenheim
Museum
Bilbao
by
Frank
Gehry,
a
famous
example
of
deconstruc,vist,
or
post-­‐
postmodern
architecture
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
21

22. © 2014 Barclay T. Blair

23. What
I
said
while
displaying
the
prior
slide:
We
need
a
different
view
of
informa(on.
A
new
analogy.
The
analogy
I
like
is
the
river.
A
river
is
not
fixed.
It
is
always
changing,
always
carving
new
channels.
Some(mes
it
causes
deadly
floods.
Some(mes
it
brings
life
giving
water
and
food.
In
the
informa(on
river,
informa(on
starts
with
the
smallest
trickle
of
an
idea
high
up
in
the
mountains
of
our
brain.
As
the
idea
flows
across
the
organiza(on,
it
gains
momentum
and
scale,
and
grows
from
a
stream
into
a
river
that
we
can’t
and
don’t
want
to
capture.
We
might
temporarily
damn
it
up
so
we
can
harness
its
power.
We
might
even
create
new
permanent
lakes
and
ponds.
We
want
to
harness
the
power
of
that
river
to
generate
power,
and
nourish
and
enrich
our
organiza(ons.
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
23

24. PHOTOGRAPHIC:
IMAGES
TO
DEMONSTRATE
MASTERY
&
AUTHENTICITY
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
24

25. “The
title
CIO
offends,
delights,
frightens,
and
irritates.
Those
who
dislike
the
title
consider
it
both
presumptuous
and
an
invasion
of
the
turf
of
the
CEO
and
CFO.
[But],
it
is
becoming
increasingly
clear
that
information
is
a
corporate
asset
that
has
to
be
managed
by
a
top-­‐ranking
executive.
“
CIO
Magazine,
September
1987
(First
Issue)

26. Notes
on
the
prior
slide
§ This
was
part
of
a
presenta,on
where
I
was
challenging
the
no,on
of
what
a
CIO
does
–
specifically
saying
that
the
,tle
CIO
is
a
lie
–
that
CIOs
are
in
fact
not
responsible
for
informa,on
§ In
making
the
argument
I
referred
to
the
very
first
issue
of
CIO
magazine.
Finding
and
using
the
image
of
this
magazines
cover
helps
to
establish
authority
-­‐
it
shows
that
you
have
done
your
homework
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
26

27. brief thoughts on
presentations
Post-Discussion Handout
January 6, 2014
© 2014 Barclay T. Blair
Barclay T. Blair
btblair@vialumina.com
646 450 IGOV
barclaytblair.com
@btblair
27