Our ‘Powerful Presentations CD’ self-learning CD has been launched today and we are really excited about it! Here is the story on how this CD came about.
One of the most critical skills my MBA helped me develop was the ability to present confidently. Regular assignments and critical questions by competitive classmates made sure that by the time I joined work, making presentations were a snap.
Many MBA institutes don't have as much focus on presentations. What a pity! One of the first things I did on joining my new company from campus was to present on what I had learned of the company’s product. I was immediately earmarked for travel to client sites - a much sought after task and I was recommended to the seniors. While mere presentations skills (without knowledge) would have got me nowhere – those skills brought me quick recognition and coveted assignments.
My husband, too, made his presence felt in his organisation by the kind of presentations he made. His uniquely made, engaging and short presentations had everyone taking notice. It became his trademark. Over a period of time he has been asked to ghost-write presentations for quite senior managers in the company. Today, when someone says the word ‘presentations’, he is ‘top-of-the- mind’.
The kinds of presentations both of us have been called upon to make are distinctly different ranging fr
om the nitty-gritty to the strategic. As part of this training endeavor we decided to ‘bottle’ our approach (for all presentation types) to help others make uniquely different presentations. The audience, who listen, will benefit from as well.The first task, we realized was to make the presentations as ‘simple’ as possible and the word ‘Minimal’ was born. The second task is of course ‘Creativity’. Before you say ‘I am not creative’ – wait! Making the presentation ‘creative’ too has been made into a process.
The quality of the final output depends on how much practice you have using this ‘minimal’ approach. Interestingly, while we ‘bottled’ our approach, we also began to notice that our presentation skills too were improving as we realized some things that we could do better as well.
This whole exercise has been advantageous to us too. When we make presentations, we check it against the structure suggested in the ‘minimal’ approach. The presentation always becomes better if it sticks to the principles laid out there. We pulled out some presentations made some years back and realized what a long way we have come.
Since not everyone can make about 200-300 presentations each and perfect the skill that way…here is the shortcut. Follow our approach. It may seem a little tedious at first. But once you get the hang of it – it becomes so easy that you don’t even need to fill in the structure guide provided with the CD. And guess what, the principles mentioned are so universal to communication itself – that you may soon find yourself writing emails and talking a little differently – making yourself stand out in every way. So get hold of this CD and get going with it. See the way it changes the way you communicate!
The quality of the final output depends on how much practice you have using this ‘minimal’ approach. Interestingly, while we ‘bottled’ our approach, we also began to notice that our presentation skills too were improving as we realized some things that we could do better as well.
This whole exercise has been advantageous to us too. When we make presentations, we check it against the structure suggested in the ‘minimal’ approach. The presentation always becomes better if it sticks to the principles laid out there. We pulled out some presentations made some years back and realized what a long way we have come.
Since not everyone can make about 200-300 presentations each and perfect the skill that way…here is the shortcut. Follow our approach. It may seem a little tedious at first. But once you get the hang of it – it becomes so easy that you don’t even need to fill in the structure guide provided with the CD. And guess what, the principles mentioned are so universal to communication itself – that you may soon find yourself writing emails and talking a little differently – making yourself stand out in every way. So get hold of this CD and get going with it. See the way it changes the way you communicate!
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