Getting Your Presentations 'DONE'
Eugene Cheng 🪄
Turn more B2B pipeline into revenue / Business-Winning Marketing Assets / $300M+ in client wins/ Partner at HighSpark / Linkedin Top Voice
I'm quite the perfectionist, as I'm sure many of us are. In my younger days I used to love drawing animals. I'd draw the limbs, ears, head and leave the eyes for last; I'd always mess it up. I would crush the paper and promptly dispose of the wretched creature.
When it came to designing presentations, things were not much different. I incessantly pursued the idea of perfection. I made 50-60 tiny tweaks on a slide before I was satisfied. ( Then again, I was never truly satisfied ).
The Perfection Paradox
No doubt these acts got me noticed for good work, but it also adversely affected my delivery schedule. In 3 hours , all I had done were 3 miserable slides out of 60? I had to postpone uploads, work submissions and presentation slots.
Nothing wrong with wanting to be 'perfect' right? Wrong. Perfection is a myth. Things will never be perfect, at least to you. But they can be 'good enough' or better.
I spent hours focusing on tiny details at certain minute areas, thereby compromising on quality on the whole. When deadlines came, I simply could not deliver what I had at the time. I only had half of a workable umbrella.
Get It Done
In situations where you're time-stretched ( or not ) weighing the opportunity cost is everything. Would you rather have a few super slides but be unable to give the presentation at all or have a full deck of an acceptable standard to give a presentation.
I'm big on how things should be fantastic, but there's a fine line between 'good enough' and over doing it. I'm not encouraging you ship a half-assed product, but delaying a 'good enough to ship' product is just as bad. The old maxim stands true:
"Done is better than perfect."
What Really Matters?
Bake your presentation ( pardon cake pun ) layer by layer. Build em' from the ground up. If it so happens you run out of time, you'll still be in a good position to give the presentation regardless. A speech coach friend of mine Benjamin Loh has this to say:
" I make well sure my presentation's structure is pristine before worrying about how it looks. If I lack the time, at least I know I've got the content down. I can present without the visual aids if I needed to."
It's all about prioritizing the important bits to get it to 'Done' or 'Good Enough' before aspiring to move beyond that.
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Originally published on my blog, Hack Your Slides.
Retired to focus on health
9yI also agree Eugene. I used to have a real problem with completing presentations until I realized it was because I went straight into "making the presentation" instead of planning and thinking out what I wanted to present. Now I do this first the actual presentation comes together much quicker. I do have a question about "types" of presentations. I have been reading from some acknowledged experts in presentations but find their info great for a big presentation where the idea is to share ideas but their advice doesn't really work for boardroom presentations or presenting technical info where facts and figures are the focus such as budgets etc. Do you have any advice?
Senior IT Manager at P&G | Consumer Goods/ FMCG | Experienced in leading digital transformation efforts to drive significant business value for brands globally
9yWell written article Eugene! I will be sure to share this with my friends who are currently furthering their studies. This is very relevant for students in tertiary institutions where many are always under pressure to prepare for Project Presentations on time. Many a time students focus too much on designing eye-catching PowerPoint Slides for their Project Presentations. By doing so, some end up compromising on other important factors such as how to structure and deliver their presentation effectively. This would lead to students not investing enough time practicing their presentation and sadly, some end up reading off slides/cards which can truly affect their overall presentation. While I do agree that well designed slides would truly enhance a presentation, at the end of the day we need to remember that slides should serve as Visual Aids and one must not compromise on factors such as structure and delivery.
Good post, thanks for sharing Eugene. I can relate to your story. We can strive to be excellent, that's achievable. I agree that it's best to write the content - letting flow - and once done, use the time left to make visual and content enhancements.
Digital Marketing Agency Boss | Chief Content Strategist | ACTA-certified Trainer | 120+ companies 380+ workshops 6,700+ trainees
9yAgree totally. I've sat through too many meetings and briefings where the person delivering the pitch fusses and frets so much over the slides that the message gets lost. It isn't how awesome the deck looks which matter, but how well you can deliver the message. Don't hide behind your power point slides - use them as an aid to what you are delivering.
Making Enterprise Transformation totally practical
9yWell said. I've probably got some of the reverse problem. I ship too quick!