A lot of people like to sit around and complain about boring PowerPoint presentations.
“But TJ, I can’t do anything about it. That’s the way it’s done around here—it’s always been that way.” That’s what I hear all the time.
I can buy this if your boss is telling you that you have to give his PowerPoint presentation bullet point by bullet point to the board of directors, otherwise you are fired. But the reality is that most of us have a whole range of opportunities to influence PowerPoint presentations in our lives.
For starts, if any of your own employees or direct reports have to give you a presentation, you should issue the following edict to them:
“When you are delivering your PowerPoint presentation, do not give me any slides with bullet points on them. I repeat, it will be unacceptable if you have any slides containing bullet points.”
At first, your employees may think that you’ve gone mad. But once they’ve actually delivered an interesting presentation to you and others using PowerPoint slides as visuals, rather than overblown notes for bullet points, they will thank you.
Next, if a vendor is coming to give you a sales presentation, you can and should send them this note in advance of the sales pitch meeting.
“Our policy here at XYX Company is that we don’t participate in sales presentations that are delivered by using PowerPoint bullet points. Do not deliver us a PowerPoint using bullet points of text. Simply give us an interesting presentation by talking to us and, if you like, use PowerPoint visuals to enhance your ideas. We don’t give business to vendors who violate this rule. PS. we aren’t kidding.”
Now some of your vendors or prospective vendors may be shocked and appalled that you would make such a request. So what? You are the customer and the customer is always right. It is your vendor’s responsibility to conform to your wishes, so why not start out the relationship on the right foot?
Again, your vendor might not be initially happy. He or she may have to actually take an hour or two to prepare a new and interesting presentation instead of regurgitating the same old slides with bullet points. But over time, they will thank you.
And even if your clients and employees don’t thank you, YOU will thank you.
Because you have just eliminated thousands of hours of tedious boredom from the next 30 years of your life. Congratulations!
