The Presentation Design Show

Interested in becoming a presentation designer? Today we're going to cover the basics of why presentation design is a great graphic design niche, in addition to compensation estimates and key competencies. For more information, visit my website at https://adriennejohnston.com/become-a-presentation-designer/ Need help with your presentations? I can confidently recommend: Khimeric | Presentation Design Specialist Marike Herzberg Presentation Studio Katherine Pollock | Freelance Presentation Specialist

On this episode we're joined by a very special guest, Freelance Presentation Designer Patricia Werner.  Patricia and I have known each other for over a decade and share a passion for presentation design. In this episode we cover: how we got into presentation design our recommendations for creating impactful presentations how to structure your content for different audiences ways presenters can create confidence in their delivery with their presentation and preparation

Not sure how to end your presentation? Planning to default to a standard “Thank you” slide? Today I’m going to share with you why generic thank you slides are a bad idea - and what to replace them with in your presentation.   TRANSCRIPT:   Hi there and welcome to the Presentation Design Show. I’m your host, Adrienne Johnston.   Today we’re going to be talking about how to end your presentation in a powerful way that helps advance your cause.   The practical reality is that we present information because we want something to be different at the end of the presentation, right? We want to inspire action. We want to raise money for a cause or product we believe in. We want to acquire a new client. We want to share inspirational ideas and technology that can change the world.   Whatever the purpose of your presentation, saying “thank you” and throwing up a slide with a large “thank you” on it, is not a meaningful close to a presentation.   Yet, it’s one of the biggest mistakes most presenters make. And, it’s certainly an opportunity lost to help advance your cause.   You need to start preparing for your presentation by getting very clear on what you want to achieve. What is the action that you want to inspire at the end of your presentation?   Now, honestly ask yourself, is the thank you slide supporting that goal?   In most cases, the answer is a firm no.   SO, HOW DO YOU END A PRESENTATION WITHOUT A THANK YOU SLIDE?   If you’ve done your job properly, your audience will never be more inspired to take action that right at the end of your presentation. It’s essential that you find a way to capitalize on that motivation at that moment.   Before they leave and go to their next talk or meeting. While they’re still focused on you - and pumped for the cause. This is when you make your ask. Have your Call-to-Action right up on the screen.   You’re Call-to-Action (CTA) is providing clear instruction on what you’re audience should do next. Here are some examples of what that might look like:   1. JOIN YOUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE INFO Instead of the thank you slide, you may opt to have your audience go to a special landing page that you have created just for the event. That landing page can say Thank you! and provide an offer of some sort to the audience that gets them on your email list and allows you to continue to build a relationship with them.   For instance, you could provide:   a free copy of your ebook on your presentation topic   provide access to your calendar to schedule a one-on-one discussion   a weekly newsletter update that keeps your audience up-to-date on your topic       Any of these are an opportunity continue building rapport with members of the audience - and advance your message beyond the confines of the time and space your presentation is taking place in.   You can continue to engage them in conversation on the topic or keep it at the forefront of their mind by connecting with them one-on-one or en masse via your newsletter.   2. KEEP IN TOUCH VIA SOCIAL MEDIA You can ask your audience to keep in touch with you via your social media channels. Don’t share all of your social channels, but one or two that you are active on and that help drive your ultimate goal forward.   3. MAKE A DONATION Trying to raise money for a special cause? Give clear instruction on how to donate, and if possible, an incentive to donate while they are sitting at the table. You could even integrate a live view of the fundraising goals into the presentation/screen to create social proof and inspire each individual to participate.   Donation Call to Action Example   Donation Call to Action Example   4. CLEARLY DEFINE NEXT STEPS Especially in the case of an investor meeting or sales meeting, it’s important to be the one driving the process forward. If investors or prospective clients are interested in working with you, make it easy for them to understand what next steps are. Should they send you specific information? Do you need to send them a contract or proposal? Make it easy to say yes and keep the ball rolling.   Next Steps Example   Next Steps Example   Next Steps Example   IN CONCLUSION In conclusion, your audience will never be more stoked about you and your presentation than they are as your content winds down. Don’t waste a precious opportunity to capitalize on their enthusiasm by using a boring thank you slide. Instead replace that traditional thank you slide with an impactful call-to-action that motivates the audience to take action soon – if not immediately.   If you’d like to download some call-to-action templates, you can do so at adriennejohnston.com/thank-you-slide   Alternatively, if you still think a simple thank you slide is really the best way to end your presentation, there are also some template thank you slides available for download as well.   Thanks and catch you on the next episode! For more information, visit my website at adriennejohnston.com For free presentation templates and resources, you can also visit my free PowerPoint template gallery at slidesgallery.com.

Struggling to create your presentation outline? Have too many ideas swirling around? Use this structure to create a presentation outline that supports your key objectives. Transcript: Hi there and welcome to the Presentation Design Podcast. I’m your host, Adrienne Johnston. Today we’re going to be talking about how to develop your presentation content. Now, I’m not a content person - frankly, I just don’t enjoy the process as much as I do design. But, of course, I’ve worked on tons of presentations and often answer questions for clients about content flow. If you’ve ever found yourself struggling with how to develop your Presentation Outline, Good news: I’m going to walk you through the process of developing your presentation outline step-by-step! STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE GOAL OF YOUR PRESENTATION Regardless of your topic or venue, our goal in a presentation is always to motivate someone to the action WE want them to take. From a pitch to investors where you’re seeking investment capital to a keynote at a conference where you hope to reach new prospective clients, you want your audience to take action at the end of your session. Every point you make, every slide you design should be guiding your audience to the ultimate call-to-action. If you aren’t clear at the very beginning on how this will end, how will you build a clear presentation that moves your audience to that action? So really get clear, before you get started with exactly what your ideal outcome is. That could be: Opting in to an email list or following you on social media It could be scheduling a call with you It could be requesting a custom proposal for products/services Agreeing to another meeting or the next step in your sales process It could be making an investment in your business Quick tip: if you’re struggling here, imagine looking into a magic crystal ball where anything is possible. Without all the obstacles and being grounded in reality, what would your ideal outcome be? What would your audience be thinking when you’ve finished speaking? What would they be motivated to do? STEP 2: STATE HOW THE GOAL OF THE PRESENTATION WILL BE OF BENEFIT TO YOUR AUDIENCE Ever heard of WIIFM? It stands for What’s In It For Me. Your audience has a plethora of distractions right at their fingertips or even on their watch! How are you going to compete for their attention in this highly distracting digital age? You need to be very clear about how your presentation will benefit your AUDIENCE. Let’s look at a couple of examples. First, let’s say that you’re seeking investment capital for your startup that sells special concrete that stores excess CO2 and is carbon negative, offsetting the greenhouse effect and global warming. Strange - but a real example! Why would someone care about investing in YOUR startup over another? Let’s face it, concrete isn’t an exciting investment. Is it because it has higher returns? Is it because it has average returns with the added benefit of improving the environment? Is it because there is some area of your production or service that is novel? Potentially having other applications and creating more value in other areas? You really have to get crystal clear on the value you’re delivering before you start structuring your pitch, so that you structure your content in a way that conveys the necessary information to support that what’s in it for me statement. For our second example, let’s say that we’re pitching our product and service offering to a business. We need to focus on the value that the product or service offering can bring to that business and the stakeholders in that organization. Why is it beneficial to them? Is it saving them time? Is it reducing their operating expenses? Is it reducing their risk? Improving the quality of their offering? Enabling them to charge more? Get paid faster? Hire fewer people? Providing a better customer experience? Something else? Or a combination of factors? And then, you need to plan to begin your presentation by conveying that benefit. Because when you lead with what’s in it for me, you have ruined the ending. You’ve already told them why this information is important to them. Why they should care and pay attention - because they already know where your presentation is headed and they like it. They want to know everything you have to say. They’re hooked. STEP 3: BRAIN DUMP ALL YOUR IDEAS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION OUTLINE This may be one of the most difficult portions of creating your presentation outline – and typically the point where we get stuck. As the expert, you likely have an overwhelming multitude of ideas swirling around in your head. You want to tell your audience every single detail you know about the subject at hand. But with only 30-45 minutes of time to convey your points, you don’t have time to spend on the details that while interesting, don’t compile your audience toward your ultimate goal. Instead of allowing all those ideas to swirl around in your head and overwhelm you, do a brain dump and write down every idea you have that you want to convey in the presentation. Frequently, these ideas aren’t as numerous as they feel when they are floating around in your mind. Keep a note open on your phone so that you can jot down those ideas that inevitably pop into your head. Just get them out of your head and on paper. STEP 4: IDENTIFY THE THREE MOST COMPELLING POINTS YOU CAN MAKE To identify your three most compelling points, try bucketing all of the ideas you wrote down in step 3. In many cases, your ideas naturally fit into a problem-solution-benefit framework. Or a beginning-middle-end framework. Look at that: 1-2-3! You’re on your way to a solid presentation outline! Once you organize your ideas, you will start to see a pattern in what you simply must convey in your presentation. And what you should exclude – regardless of how interesting it may be! If you’re struggling here, I ask my clients to tell me their story in the same way that they would a child. This allows them to tap into their natural ability to convey complex topics and ideas in a really simple 3-5 sentence way. And, now, you have your 3 most important ideas or a framework for continuing to develop your presentation. STEP 5: CONTINUE TO FLESH OUT YOUR THREE MAIN IDEAS Building out your main ideas with data and stories is the most effective way to ensure that your audience follows your presentation and retains the information. For example, if you’re writing about the impact of climate change, you need to find 1) a very specific and tangible hero that your audience can identify with and 2) demonstrate the impact of that story with data. So, in the climate change example, I could choose a ton of animals that are impacted like cold water fish, but fish aren’t exactly appealing, are they? Instead, I would make the starving polar bear my hero. We think of polar bears with coke, winter, and the holidays. They are beautiful and strong animals - but when you show a national geographic video with a starving polar bear - the evidence cannot be denied. And it makes it real for people - unlike an animal they’re not familiar with - or one they are used to eating. So, when I tell you two-thirds of the polar bears will disappear by 2050, you will immediately be driven to action. You’ve given your audience a real-life, tangible example and then helped extrapolate it with data to make it more impactful – and drive them toward your ultimate call to action. STEP 6: END YOUR PRESENTATION OUTLINE WITH YOUR CALL-TO-ACTION As you wrap up your presentation outline, prepare to summarize your key points succinctly immediately preceding your closing call-to-action. Make sure you’re call-to-action is clear, direct and easy for your audience to take some immediate action on as the presentation winds down. Your audience will rarely be more inspired to take action than they do in that moment. Make it count! In our next episode we’ll spend more time talking about call-to-actions! For more information, visit my website at adriennejohnston.com For free presentation templates and resources, you can also visit my free PowerPoint template gallery at slidesgallery.com.

Want to know more about me and how I work as a presentation designer? This is the episode for you!   TRANSCRIPT: Hi there and welcome to the Presentation Design Show. I’m your host, Adrienne Johnston.   On this, the inaugural episode, I’d like to take a few minutes to introduce myself and how I work as a presentation designer.   My background, while unconventional, I certainly consider an asset in presentation design. I graduated with a Bachelors in Chemistry from Georgia Tech in 2004. and then worked as a store manager and regional trainer for Starbucks licensed stores. These two experiences in particular were really foundational experiences for my career - and in how I think about presentation design projects and optimizing the client experience and outcome.   I found myself getting into design after working in several startups in the Atlanta-area in Marketing and Operational roles. In a lean startup environment, it’s not uncommon to wear multiple hats - and I frequently found myself drawn to design projects. I was coming home and learning Photoshop and video software - trying to fill the gaps in some of our content - and that’s when I really started to realize that I had a passion and a gift for design.   I didn’t act on that impulse until 2017, when I left my traditional job and struck out on my own, quickly honing in on presentation design as my area of focus.   What I love about it is the utilization of a ubiquitous tool like PowerPoint to create stunning content that clients can edit/update on their own, without having to have sophisticated or expensive design software like the Adobe suite.   My ultimate goal in all projects is to help my clients design a professional presentation to wow potential investors or clients. And by wow factor, I mean to visualize rather complex content in an easy-to-digest and professional manner. Design that brings the ideas, story and brand to life with illustrations, infographics, and layouts that reflect the brand identity.   If you have more interest in understanding how we might work together, let me share a little more about timelines and processes.   One of the biggest challenges I’ve found in presentation design is the frequency with which clients need rush delivery. I think many times clients try to use a template and realize with only a few days to spare they need a deck that’s more polished than what they may have been able to do on their own with a template.   Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your perspective!) I’m typically booked 7-10 business days out, but feel free to reach out if you ever need something more quickly. Project schedules shift frequently, occasionally leaving a gap in the schedule that a rush project can fill.   Most of my projects begin with a 20-minute strategy call to discuss your project goals, brand identity and timeline. This call is quick and rather informal, but it let’s me get to know you and ensure that I can help you meet your goals.   When providing your content, you are welcome to send it already on slides or in outline format. If you have a specific vision for a particular slide, feel free to include an inspirational graphic, photo of a doodle, or description of your vision to maximize efficiency and reduce turnaround time.   When sending your content, please feel free to send a high-resolution version of your logo in PNG, EPS or AI format, along with any style guides you may have for your brand. If you do not have a style guide, I can follow your website style to ensure consistency of your brand.   If you do not have a website or it does not currently reflect the direction you’d like to go, feel free to send over any other designs or examples you may have or like. Alternatively, I can propose a design that represents your brand, based on the information you provide.   Typically within 2-3 days of our kickoff call / or receiving all brand assets, I’ll send you a creative direction. That’s 2-3 designed slides to make sure I’m bringing your vision to life. By doing a small subset of slides first, I can make sure to get your feedback and incorporate it into the remainder of the deck. This is more efficient and enables me to complete the project more quickly and with fewer revisions after the first draft is complete.   A typical project may have 1-2 rounds of revisions to wrap it up, which usually only takes a day or two. All files are editable so that if you need to adjust text or add new pages, you can do that without being handcuffed to me.   From project start to end, a typical 20-25 slide project  takes about a week to complete. Certainly, that can be faster after we’ve worked a few projects together, or if you requested a faster turnaround in advance.   At the end of the project, I’ll send you an invoice that you can pay via credit card online. If we have discussed working together on other projects, I will send you an itemized monthly invoice that you can pay at one time - instead of worrying about a series of smaller project-based invoices.   For the most part, it’s just that simple. Of course, I’m happy to hop on a phone call to talk through the particulars of your situation and see if I may be able to assist you.   My husband, daughter and I just moved from Atlanta to Seattle, Washington in 2019, so I’m now rockin’ Pacific time. Like most west coasters, I start my day on the earlier side to better align with east coast schedules. I’m typically online from 7am-5pm, but try to start scheduling calls after 9am PT so I’ve got a couple of cups of coffee under my belt!   Feels free to reach out via the contact form on my website adriennejohnston.com or email me directly at aj @ adriennejohnston.com.   For more information, visit my website at adriennejohnston.com   For free presentation templates and resources, you can also visit my free PowerPoint template gallery at slidesgallery.com.

On this episode of the Presentation Design Podcast, Adrienne talks all about how to get design clients as a presentation designer. In this episode you’ll learn:  How to approach client acquisition How to identify and align with your ideal clients How to position yourself  Outreach and networking strategies If you want to learn more about client acquisition as a designer, check out this blog post on how to get graphic design clients. You may also want to check out this post on the 8 highest paying design jobs.   

On this episode of the presentation design show, Adrienne talks about 4 reasons why you shouldn't worry about AI coming for your presentation design job anytime soon.  AI is limited in understanding complex concepts  AI lacks the human touch and intuition that is needed to create presentations A lot of the AI tools are geared towards done-for-you individual consumers, people who don’t have a budget and can’t afford to hire a designer anyway AI has the potential to help us improve our workflow  If you want to read more about AI and presentation design, check out this blog post on why AI won't replace presentation designers anytime soon. 

On this episode of the Presentation Design Show Adrienne sits down with Jessica Magniccari, a fellow presentation designer who just left her full-time job in pursuit of her freelance business.    In this episode they chat about:  Jessica’s design background, from her initial experiences in PowerPoint to her diverse roles in large corporations and non-profits Her decision to leave her full time job to try freelance web design, only to discover the opportunities within the niche of presentation design  How she decided to go back to a full-time position to dive into the world of PowerPoint and now a year later is ready to go all in with her freelance business  The perks of coupling presentation design with freelancing and the distinctions between full-time and freelance work Some of her favorite business and presentation design resources   

On this episode, we are joined by my Operations Manager, Julia Landes, and special guest Katie Dubois.  Katie is a fellow presentation designer who joined our course back in February of this year. In this episode, we chat about:  Her design background and how she got into presenation design What tools she works with and why it's beneficial to work directly in powerpoint  Her best advice for designing a presentation and the biggest mistakes she's seen Her best advice for someone wanting to get started with presentation design

We were thrilled to host a live panel of our top students from Six-Figure Presentation Designer on November 9th, 2022.  Our panel experts included: Charlotte McBride has been a freelance presentation designer since graduating with her Bachelor's Degree in Design from Idaho State University in 2021. Charlotte specializes in event presentation design and production and has worked with incredible brands like Xbox, Meta, and LinkedIn. Kay Chan has over two decades of experience in graphic design and has specialized in presentation design for over two years. If he’s not designing presentations for big brands like Hilton or Marriott, he’s probably practicing his swing on the golf course. Katherine Pollock is a freelance PowerPoint designer who studied design at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and has eight years of extensive graphic design experience including working with cutting-edge brands like IBM and Mastercard.  With Charlotte, Kay, and Katherine, we discussed everything from picking a niche to attracting clients to managing the day-to-day of your presentation design business.