writing eff presentations-gsw

Writing Effective Presentations

An Introduction

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young

Wednesday, 13 September 2000

- 2 -Final Internal Presentation

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young • Proprietary and Confidential

Agenda

• Five Principles

• Creating Quality Documents

• Using a Standard Format

• Presenting Your Data

• Structuring Your Story

© 2000 by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. All rights reserved.



• Write for your audience.

• Keep it simple.

• Support assertions with facts.

• Stay in the active voice (have actors, use verbs).

• Tell a good story.


• Keep it simple.




Five principles underpin all good document writing

INTRODUCTION



Documents are a consultancy’s only tangible product

• Send a message to our clients about who we are—and what we think of them.

• Contain valuable—and expensive—information for the client.

• Often get wide circulation in the client firm.

• Are a direct reflection of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young’s image.

CREATING QUALITY DOCUMENTS



Document quality has an impact on CGE&Y’s image


CG

E&

Y



We want that image to be positive




A first draft will not meet CGE&Y’s quality standards




Each step in the writing process is essential

1. Find a good model

2. Outline your story

3. Write draft

4. Type draft

5. Read to copy


6. Edit

7. Revise

8. Type revisions

9. Check revisions

10. Proofread



Spellcheck can eliminate embarrassing errors


To goad people into spellchecking, a colleague of mine coined the non-PC phrase, “Spellcheck or die”.To goad people into spellchecking, a colleague of mine coined the non-PC phrase, “Spellcheck or die”.



There’s no good excuse for poor quality at CGE&Y

• “The audience doesn’t care.”

• “There isn’t time.”

• “No one complains.”




Using a Standard Format

• Advantages

• Basic Mechanics



Standard formats offer several practical advantages

• Audience soon learns where to look for particular kinds of information:

– Format “disappears” so they concentrate on substance.

– A form of repetition that promotes audience comfort.

• Provides you with a ready-made framework:

– Helps you structure your ideas concisely.

– Eliminates the need to make small format and style decisions.

– Becomes familiar across the firm.

• Promotes writing and production efficiencies.

USING A STANDARD FORMAT



Headline (usually a sentence)

Head (optional)

• Bullet:– Sub-bullet (as needed):

• Sub-sub-bullet (as needed).

RUNNING HEAD

“Tracker”(optional)

A look at the elementsand their names

A look at the elementsand their names

“Kicker” (optional).“Kicker” (optional).



What this page is about

A key category or idea

• A main point:– A sub-point.

– A second.

• A second main point:– A sub-point.

– A second.

WHERE WE ARE IN THE STORY

How the elements workHow the elements work

Implications: “So what?”Implications: “So what?”



Follow the “Rule of Two”


Limit every element in the format to two lines:

• Report title • Bullets

• Subtitle • Dashes

• Headlines • Kickers

• Heads




• An active title that generates interest:

– Begin with a verb form (e.g. Developing, Evaluating, Understanding, Assessing).

• Subtitle:

– An option that allows you to elaborate.

• Author.

• Date delivered.

Your title page needs a few basic elements

• Name of target audience.



Good headlines focus attention on the page’s main idea

• Usually a brief sentence:

– One line is best.

– Two lines maximum.

• Say something meaningful that directs attention to the page’s important point, e.g.:

– “ROE varies greatly across businesses”

• Avoid empty statements, e.g.:

– “The next step of the analysis is as follows:”

• Use headlines as the “story board” of your document:

– Reading only the headlines should tell a coherent story.




The work we completed is as follows:


NO!NO!NO!NO!



Each page, like a paragraph, tells a small story

• Create a logical flow from top to bottom.

• Be sure it fits the logic of your overall story.

• Don’t overwhelm your audience:

– By jamming too much information on page.

– With material that is beyond its comprehension.

• Don’t “underwhelm” your audience:

– With too little (or trivial) information.

– By making simple information seem complex.




Too much information can overwhelm your audience




You can make text manageable at the revision stage


• Break long bullets into bullets and dashes, which will not only make them look considerably better on the page, but will also make them easier for the reader to understand and remember.

e.g.

• Break long bullets into bullets and dashes:– Better looking.

– Easier to read and understand.

– More memorable.

That is, follow the Rule of Two.That is, follow the Rule of Two.



The best kickers answer the audience’s “So what?” questions

• Say what the page’s content implies for the audience:

– NOT a continuation of the headline.

• Sometimes used effectively in other ways:

– As exception statement or counterpoint.

– To sum up and end section (signal a transition).

• Good kickers are short and to the point:

– Follow the Rule of Two.

• Optional—use only when needed.


Using kickers well can add substantial power to your presentations.Using kickers well can add substantial power to your presentations.



Your audience comes first

• Create an audience-focused title page with an active title.

• Write headlines that add value.

• Do not cram pages too full:– People cannot absorb too much at once.

– White space is essential.

• Use the kicker option when you want to drive home a key “So-what?” message.


Make the information on each page clearly accessible to your audience.Make the information on each page clearly accessible to your audience.



Presenting Your Data

• Ensuring Accuracy

• Constructing Effective Tables

• Using Graphics to Advantage



One bad number can destroy the credibility of an entire document

PRESENTING YOUR DATA



Keep tables as simple and clean as possible

• Highlight key numbers:– Box or circle.

– Boldface.

• Create logical patterns and progressions:– Low to high; left to right; past to present to future; etc.

• Use repetition:– Present similar data in same format from page to page.

– Promotes audience comfort.

• Put “data dumps” in appendix.




Graphics add power to presentations

• A graphic always has more impact than a table of raw numbers.


• Gives both a numerical and a visual message.

• Simpler really is better.

• Worst case—audience does not understand your complicated graphic.



Choose the right graphic for the job you want done

Share Pie charts

Comparisons Bar charts

Trends Line graphs

Degree Booz balls

Position Matrices


In general:



Share = Pie Charts


Pie charts start at 12 o’clock and build clockwise from largest to smallest; “other” is always last.Pie charts start at 12 o’clock and build clockwise from largest to smallest; “other” is always last.

Specialty Chemicals

20%

40%

15%

5%

20%

Coal

Commodity Chemicals

Petroleum

Other



Comparisons = Bar Charts


Strategy 1: “Status Quo”Projected 1999 Market Share by Distribution Channel

23%

17% 19%

41%

4% 3%

9%

84%

19%

10%13%

58%

Client Competitor 1 Competitor 2 All OtherCompetitors

Traditional

Non-traditional

Total



Trends = Line Graphs


Client vs. S&P 500 Index 1993–1999

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

Client

S&P

0

1

2

3

4



Degree = Booz Balls


Level of SupportRequired Low Medium High

Breadth of Product Line

Delivery Requirements

Order Processing

Training by Client Reps

Financing

Packaging

SidingDistributorsSupport Requirement Retailers OEMs



Position = Matrices


Size of Advantage

Many

FewSmall Large

Number ofWays toCreate

Advantage

Fragmented Specialised

Stalemate

Volume



Structuring Your Story



Tell a story your audience can follow

STRUCTURING YOUR STORY



A good report story has simple, logically ordered elements


Roadmap “Tell them what you’re going to tell them”

What the problem isSet the stage

What we did Outline approach/methodology; build credibility

What we found Present findings

What that means Interpret findings and make conclusions

What we need to doMake recommendations

ElementElement

What happens next Outline next steps

PurposePurpose



Many people create a storyboard of their presentations

• Develop an active title.

• Create an agenda that establishes the storyline’s sections.

• Write headlines for the panels in each section.

Creating even a rough storyboard will help you generate a coherent story for your audience.Creating even a rough storyboard will help you generate a coherent story for your audience.




Revisiting the five underlying principles


• Keep it simple.




writing eff presentations-gsw

Business

promotes audience

cgeamp

active title

active voice

support assertions

main point

young proprietary

good story