Screen Magic
Turn PowerPoint flops into sales blockbusters.

By Ethan Whitehill

Remember the worst movie you ever saw? Multiply that experience by 10 and you have some idea of what prospects feel when pitched with a poorly conceived PowerPoint presentation. To make sure your presentation doesn’t flop, try adding a little Hollywood magic.

Borrowing From Hollywood
Let's start with the format of the medium. PowerPoint presentations typically are presented in landscape format. A horizontal aspect ratio is inherently more visual and conducive to images than a portrait view, which creates a narrower column width better suited to the presentation of text. It's no coincidence that movie theater screens are landscape and DVDs now feature "letterbox" and "widescreen" editions. Use the panaramic PowerPoint to dress your presentation with graphics, photography and, yes, video content. Like a film director, use the space to create emotional impact, not just to convey information.

Tell a Story
Also, to borrow even more from movie industry know-how, a good PowerPoint presentation is like a good screenplay. It tells a story in a compelling, deliberate way. Each scene, or in this case, each slide, must do one of two things: advance the plot or develop characters.

If you're advancing the plot, you're making a linear, logical presentation from point A to point B. For a company sales presentation, this may mean explaining key concepts one idea at a time through a progression of slides. Avoid bullet dumps or graphic grenades that overwhelm the viewer with a thousand thoughts in one ugly image.

If you're developing characters, you're providing some depth about your company’s people, clients and culture. This may be done through testimonial statements, an employee profile or a graphic depicting your unique advantage.

As you edit your presentation, look to delete scenes or slides that neither build character nor move the plot. Get rid of boring client lists unless each client is tied to a specific benefit you can offer, or to a relevant case study.

What’s more, avoid the temptation to hide weak characters or a thin plot with special effects. Chances are, that cute animation or sound byte you downloaded from the Web stopped being clever six months ago. The risk of offending your prospects (and their intelligence) is too great when it comes to trite bells and whistles.

Connect With Your Audience
Stretching this analogy painfully further, great cinema works because the story invites the viewer to get involved. Whether its familiarity, fantasy or fear, really good flicks rely on an emotional connection with the audience. For PowerPoint presenters, that means the story is never about you. Make it about the audience. Give them a reason to care about the cast of products you're displaying or capture the drama of your customer's problem⎯the one you can solve.

Films that only serve the egos of their directors, producers or stars rarely win the Oscar (think Waterworld). Likewise, presentations that sound like a one-sided conversation with the presenter usually will flop.

To really spark your audience’s interest, make them think. I generally like foreign and independent films better than Hollywood blockbusters because they don’t dumb down the story. The best ones engage your imagination. Chances are, if you say too much in your PowerPoint presentation, you may be missing the point—and boring your audience. Offer them something to talk about on the ride home. And leave them wanting a sequel.

Play the Leading Role
Finally, don’t expect your PowerPoint presentation to close the deal. That’s your job. PowerPoint is a great supporting actor, but you are the lead. A dynamite show won’t win the business if your live performance is flat. So work on that stage presence, practice those lines…and break a leg!

Ethan Whitehill is CEO of Two West Inc., a marketing communications company that specializes in helping challenger brands that take their companies in new directions. He can be reached at (816) 471-3255.