One of the most popular presenters and bloggers on the web must be Seth Godin.
He summarise 9 key points for PowerPoint presentations.

(I assume the same applies to Keynote for Mac users!)

1. Don't use Powerpoint at all.
2. Use your own font
3. Tell the truth
4. Pay by the word.
5. Get a remote.
6. Use a microphone
7. Check to make sure you brought your big idea with you
8. Too breathtaking to take notes
9. Short!

I have made a serious note of points 2 and 6.
If you want to read it in more detail check out Seth's post here

1. Don't use PowerPoint at all.
2. Use your own font.
3. Tell the truth.
4. Pay by the word.
5. Get a remote.
6. Use a microphone.
7. Check to make sure you brought your big idea with you.
8. Too breathtaking to take notes.
9. Short!

Read Seth's complete article,  Nine Steps to Powerpoint Magic 

For the latest agency new business updates subscribe to FUEL LINES by Email

The first and most important tip Godin gives is not to use PowerPoint at all. In his words:

Don't use Powerpoint at all. Most of the time, it's not necessary. It's underkill. Powerpoint distracts you from what you really need to do... look people in the eye, tell a story, tell the truth. Do it in your own words, without artifice and with clarity. There are times Powerpoint is helpful, but choose them carefully.

Today, you can see many organizations that have fallen in love with the format of a PowerPoint presentation. There are some organizations in which it is expected (or worse - mandatory) to deliver information using Powerpoint. Many organizations created templates and rules about how to use this instrument which have nothing to do with giving a good presentation. PowerPoint usage has become a standard. Usually a bad one.

The problem with PowerPoint is that it is a tool that does not always fit the circumstances. Talking to an audience differs depending on the circumstances. Giving an inspirational speech about an idea and teaching something is not the same. Talking to 100 people is not the same as talking to 3 people. Not mentioning the differences in subject matter.

I remember when PowerPoint was starting to be used for giving classes in the one of the schools of the Israeli Air force where I was serving (yes, near the end of the last millennium). The commander of the unit was so impressed with intertwining new technology into the curriculum that he ordered every department in the unit to take at least three classes and build a PowerPoint presentation for them. I was talking to the officer in charge of guidance development and he told me this was an erroneous order, because PowerPoint should be used only if it can contribute to the class and improving it. It should not be a default setting.

I think it can be explained very easily if you think about a megaphone. Sometimes, a megaphone helps in making the crowd hear you and understand you. It is a great tool, if you are standing outside and talking to a large crowd. But if you are in a small room trying to talk to a small number of people, it would just seem ridiculous. The same is true with PowerPoint. Sometimes, it just makes you seem ridiculous.

If PowerPoint can contribute to your message or there is something visual you need to show your audience, use it, other wise you should think twice about using it. If you chose to use it, think carefully how to do it. PowerPoint can be used in different manners not only in the standard format we a used to seeing. For example, see here for using PowerPoint for presentations in small groups.

In the last weeks I have seen two great presentations that did not use PowerPoint at all. They did not need it. One is Malcolm Gladwell's speech "Genius: 2012". The second is Sir Ken Robinson's speech "Do schools kill creativity?"

The second tip Godin talks about deals with note taking by the audience:

Too breathtaking to take notes. If people are liveblogging, twittering or writing down what you're saying, I wonder if your presentation is everything it could be. After all, you could have saved everyone the trouble and just blogged it/note-taken it for them, right? We've been trained since youth to replace paying attention with taking notes. That's a shame. Your actions should demand attention (hint: bullets demand note-taking. The minute you put bullets on the screen, you are announcing, "write this down, but don't really pay attention now.") People don't take notes when they go to the opera.

Not that I have a problem with it, but I think Godin sets the bar a little high this time.

First, even if you are the best presenter in the world and have the most compelling message, there will still be some fluctuations in your presentation. And it is Ok that people write down things while during these fluctuations. Most people can write an idea down and continue to listen at the same time.

Second, Godin claims that a presentation should not be longer than 10 minutes. I am not sure that is always possible. But even in a 10 minutes presentation, the important idea is much shorter and usually repeats it self a number of times, because we all know the importance of repeation in presentations. The second time the same idea is presented - don't you want your audience to write it down.

Third, I know that for me personally, when I feel like I have something to write down, it means the presentation is interesting and contributes to me. In the two aforementioned presentations I watched, I felt the urge to write some of the ideas down for later use during the speech.

Fourth, and more importantly, as Godin himself says - "We've been trained since youth to replace paying attention with taking notes. That's a shame" - Maybe it is a shame. But that is the way people work - when you are presenting you should take that into notice. The all point of presenting is to create value for the listeners. I prefer they write own my main idea and remember it than having their full attention all the time and than having them forget my message afterwards because for some people the opposite of forgetting is writing.

 Elad

TechCrunch points out a new and improved AlertThingy coming up...this appears to be another step in the evolution toward MetaMee. Can't wait to try it out!

It was the beautiful photo that first drew me into the post, I confess. But anything from Valeria Maltoni is worth reading, and this is no exception: The Distance between Avoidance and Attention in Customer Service.

Speaking of customer service, Doug Meacham is no longer Expect(ing) Great Things from Kohl's.

Seth Godin gives 9 SOLID Steps to Powerpoint Magic. Seriously, if you do any presenting whatsoever, you need to read and apply!

PLUS: Congratulations are in order for Douglas Karr, who is starting a new position in social media, and Greg Verdino, whose blog just transitioned into the terrible two's.

Y no es que lo diga yo, que soy un pelafustán, sino que lo dice Seth Godin.

Mucho ojo, que le puede pasar lo que a Microsoft: En su imparable carrera por tocar todos los palos, terminas descuidando tu cash cow. Y las imprudencias se pagan.

Google's strategy could clearly be to use the TV to let those viewers know what great products have already been wildly and virally successful online. The commercials don't need to be of the current genre at all. The commercials can let us know very basic product information, but then tout it's acceptance by the online (susceptable-to-viral-successes) hipster crowd.

"In ten months, our XYZ has been installed and used by 1.2 million .com hipster types to be more efficient at work. If you're ready to check it out, go here and watch our 5 minute video."

In this, I am saying that Google's existing target market extends beyond the "conversation" where virality lives.  In that, they won't compromise their niche.

The Quo Blows !
Is Seth's post stating that Google might compromise their niche by not adhering to the status quo?

Although I wish Google would trip over its enormous ego, I'm guessing they've got some smart, unique, plans for the TV.

Don't you think?

Its been quite a while since my last post. But this is a perfect sunday morning and i wanted to let you guys know about the past 4 days in this week.

Day 10 - was kinda regular day at work.

Had a good breakfast - my regular. For Lunch - i stepped to one of my favourite restaurants near my office area and had a nice bowl of stir fried veggies with Chicken and wheat noodles.

Had my share of almonds as a mid-evening snack. However on the way back home - caught a little bite of the traditional indian junk snack - the Vada Pav - the indian burger. But was stuffed, so didnt have anything more that night.

But what made this day interesting was the books that i had picked up the previous day. I love reading and all this education on fitness and diet, have come solely through reading. Now there is this famous blogger or whatever you may call him - Seth Godin. This guy has written several books and is the found of the Social Databasing Site called Squidoo.com. If you havent been to this site, then probably you are missing out on what the new age internet has to offer. Check out some of the Lenses as they call it - that i have built on Squidoo. In fact i was referred to this site when i was browsing through the recommendations of one of my favourite authors - Robin Sharma.

If you are looking for motivation - check out one of my earlier posts - Six Pack Motivation from Robin Sharma

The book that is picked up is called Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas. A very novel way of writing a book. This book is a collection of business ideas. 184 ways to stimulate the nerve cells of your brain. Seth Godin advises you not to read more than 10 ideas at a time, or you will surely get a headache. A brilliant book, for someone who doesnt want to read long winded philosophies but something that is straight and direct to the point.

Now this hasnt got anything to do directly with my six pack. But thats the point i'm also trying to make. Dont mortgage your life totally to fitness only. Read, travel, work. Enjoy your life for all that its worth. It also helps you keep motivated to go after your goals. I bet you'll be itching to start your own business once you read this book. Small Is the New Big is simply irresistible.

Cheers!

I'm a sneezer.  I find stuff that makes me say "Wow!" and then I SNEEZE.  I let other people know about it.

So anyway, lots of people already know about this remarkable product, but my fellow Jackalope, Chris Brown, sent me an email recently that had a really cool screen shot with annotations in it.  I zapped back a reply and said, "Dude, how did you do that?"

To which he wittily replied, "Jing."

"Jing?" I said?

"Yep," he said, "Jing Project".

OK.  I visited the Jing Project site (www.jingproject.com), did the quick download and now I can send out great looking screen captures anytime I need to.

Check it out and see if you don't think of at least 23 ways to use this in your business and online life right away.  Oh, and the best part about it...it's free.  Gosh.

Here's a quickie screen shot I made of Seth Godin's website and then cropped only the part of the image I wanted to share with you.  Then, I pointed an arrow, did a highlight and typed in a short message.

Following the tech crash in 2001, Sun Microsystems did not change its strategy.  It continued to invest heavily in R&D at a rate nearly twice as large as its competitors.  It did not adapt its product lines to meet the customer demands for cheap off-the shelf products.  They stuck to their strategy but they lost their competitive advantage.

Now consider the Republican move to shore up the financial system. (Shore-up is a much better description than bailout, don't you think?)  This is a clear departure from their message.  It is a socialist move that is not consistent with Republican values.  Does that make it wrong or is it more likely that these extraordinary times do not fit nicely with the policies of any political party.  New thinking is required because sticking to the message in times like these does not make sense.

Being dogmatic about your strategy in the face of external changes that affect your business is wrong.  Predict, plan, adapt is better advice. There are things that happen to businesses that require you to change.  Being stuborn and dogmatic about it won't help you.  In these cases, pragmatism always wins.

Thanks to Seth Godin for getting me on the soap box.

MJM Consulting - Helping companies grow.

Heretics, innovators, creators - call them what you may, but they're here. And while the majority of the world wrings it hands, hunkers down to *survive* the next great economic collapse these are the leaders Godin predicts will break out and take over the marketplace. Corporations who don't figure out what's happening and make drastic changes are doomed to fail - indeed, many have already.

The book title tells it all, "Tribes." From the begining of time people have gathered into groups - for sustenance, survival, religious and economic purchases. As long as people shared an interest and the abilty to communicate that interest, there have been tribes - groups of people who come together around that interest. Godin explains not so much about the tribes, but the leaders who lead them and how they came to lead them and what qualities they have that make them leaders. Understand one thing. The world is moving away from a top down management style and embracing groups of consumers. Those consumer tribes share not only an interest in a product, but a desire to be part of something more than a consumer demographic. And if your business doesn't get it now, or soon - you'll be on the outside looking in. And that's not a real lucrative or desirable place to be really.

Disclaimer here. I'm a part of Seth Godin's www.Triiibes.com experiment. Triiibes is a group of approximately 3,700 marketers, graphic artists, writers, students, musicians, business owners all of whom had the foresight to jump on the opportunity to participate in Seth's social tribe. As an active member of the group I know it's making history and so will this book. Buy it now. Implement it now and survive the coming economic shift.

Talking to a group of very smart students last week at the Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida required preparing a list of “life tips.” So what could I say that would be meaningful to young people from majors as diverse as anthropology, music, engineering, computer science and communication?

Well, for starters, I wish Seth Godin, one of my favorite bloggers, had written his latest post a week ago because it would have been easy to pass out a printed copy and be done with my assignment to “share thoughts that will help them through their lives.”

What I did tell them was that there are six important things they won’t be taught in college that they ought to strive to master:
1. The art of listening
2. The importance of asking “why?”
3. Everything about consequential thinking
4. Being “outcomes” based
5. Getting to know cool people
6. Being passionate about something

I can only hope some of them might find Taking Aim now and redirect themselves to Seth’s blog because “standing for something” is #7. Seth’s a brand master. A brand is a promise. You can’t promise anything if you don’t stand for something.

I first noticed that something was going on mouthward on Friday afternoon--late afternoon. We had gone to the 9th Annual Renewable Energy Forum in Fredericksburg, Texas (the lovely Hill Country) and I had treated myself to a sausage-on-a-stick while I walked around checking out solar panels, rainwater collection systems, and all-electric cars.

Something about that sausage didn't agree with me...literally, something "about" that sausage. In one of my bites, the thin external casing apparently drove itself up under the gum around one of my molars..well, actually, a crown. By the time we were on the way back home to Austin, the gum surrounding the crown and adjoining teeth had ballooned up and was tender tender tender.

Great. Here it was the weekend. I'm a newcomer to Austin (3 months), and haven't gotten established with a new dentist. And I was going to be flying to Philadelphia on Tuesday morning for a weeklong, intense, butt-in-chair-all-day workshop. No time to find a dentist and get the problem solved before I left.

I fretted. I fumed. What choices did I have? The gum wasn't painful exactly, though it sometimes sort of throbbed, and the swelling was so bad I could feel the irritated tissue press against my cheek. Could I put up with the situation for the week I'd be in the workshop without dire consequences? Or would putting it off only makes things worse? What to do?

On Saturday, I remembered Rick Wilson, DMD, one of my Triiibal friends. We had had exchanges on various topics here (including dental health), and I absolutely trusted him to advise me. I wrote him a note and described what was going on in my mouth, which began a conversation that went over to Sunday. I didn't give Rick all my "yeah buts" at once...told him I didn't have a dentist yet, then that I wasn't going to be in town past Monday, then that I'd be flying to Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.

To the last message, Rick replied, "Well, why don't come in and see me while you're in Philly?"

HUH??? I went to Rick's profile...ohmigosh! He's IN Philadelphia!!!

The rest is history. At the end of the first day of my workshop, I hopped a cab, went to Rick's office, and within an hour or so we had figured out what was up and he had set me up to heal. I am VERY happy to say that things are on the mend in my mouth...

Folks on triiiibes.com talk about many important topics here, make high value connections, and address many big problems. In the midst of all that, my friendship with Rick (which was already good, and was cemented--sorry for pun--in his dental chair), born here in the tribe, has led to the solution of a small but very critical problem for me.

And here I am the one dragged kicking and screaming into the social marketing scene....

A supermarket has limited space at the checkouts and on the aisles, so it's natural for them to want to remove the non-paying customers. However, an online store does not have a limit to the number of people who can browse (ok, depending on th server, but any decent set-up should be prepared for large numbers), and are not hindered by having more than just the paying customers.

However, Seth failed to consider one key ingredient in his argument. If you have two sites, selling identical merchandise at identical prices who have the same costs and also exactly the same turnover each month, yet one site has double the traffic, which site is going to do better? The answe (and it's fairly obvious) is the site with the higher traffic. More people looking at the products will drive future sales through word of mouth, and the higher traffic will push the site further up Google's page ranking system so he site will appear more visibly within Google.

No company should ever dissuade non-paying customers from their shop. Treat every customer like he or she is the most important thing in your world, and you'll do well. I've actually been asked to leave a store before because I spent too much time browsing, and yes, I have never been back their. It's a bad message to send to businesses, and should be avoided at all costs.

I'm an avid reader of Seth's blog, and would count him up there as one of my main influences to get where I am today. Jump over to Seth's blog and learn something new: http://Sethgodin.typepad.com

In short it's about helping others. It's about the quality and value you provide them - not the number of people you know.

Dig the glasses Seth...

We hear a lot about the short attention span of consumers and how you've got to change things up to keep their attention. New packaging, new color scheme, new tagline, new theme song, new logo. Sports teams and beer companies seem to change most of these just about every year. And aren't we told to provide the unexpected for consumers?

But maybe staying consistent is part of the success of guys like Seth and Scott. With so many blogs out there, consistently providing high quality content in a consistent format may be the thing that is exceptional and outstanding. When everyone around you is running around frantically, staying still separates you from the rest of the crowd.

People online are real people.

 

If you send a nasty email, there’s a real human being on the other end who gets it.
If you flame in a forum, you’re wasting real people’s time.
If you spam someone, you’re really only making yourself look bad.
If you write IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS it sounds like shouting.
If you want something to happen your way, try asking instead of demanding.
If you give, you’ll probably wind up getting, too.
If you blog just to pick fights, don’t be surprised when people don’t trust you.
If you collaborate, say thanks.
If you’re independent, say no thanks.
If you like someone, tell them.
If you don’t, walk away from the computer.
If you’re giving feedback, lead with just one good thing.
If you’re getting feedback, realize that the person must care a lot to have sent it.
If you goof, apologize.
If you apologize, mean it.
If you smile, mean that too.
If you don’t like something, don’t do it.
If you do like something, spread it.

But far far more important:

Give people a break.
The break you probably deserve yourself.
People are out to do good, 99% of the time.
You probably are too.
Say thanks out loud and a lot.
Try making someone’s day.
Chances are they’ll make yours in return.

How are you going to look at people through God's eyes?

I stumbled upon three great videos of Seth the other day on YouTube. They encompass a speech he gave at GEL (Good Experience Live) 2006, "a conference and community exploring good experience in all its forms -- in business, art, society, technology and life." Take a few minutes and discover why I don't care if you think something isn't broken, if I do, it is. Enjoy.

Part 1 of 3:

It's easy to be against something
...that you're afraid of.
And it's easy to be afraid of something that you don't understand.

Beh, non solo è facile essere contro se hai paura – è facile essere contro in generale.
Essere "pro" è molto più difficile.

EDIT: mi pareva di averla già detta, questa cosa: infatti eccola qua

visit www.mcsearcher.com to create your own custom google search page

This is could mean two things. The first is that McCann's is making an ironic statement, a rebuttal to all those many agency web-sites that have cool photos of their staff being...well incredibly cool by...doing things like wow, obscuring their face.

The second is that McCann's has become the first virtual agency.

I had coffee today with an old friend who is now part of Seth Godin's virtual group of marketing mavens. To be very very frank, I'd not heard of him but I was told he is one of the most respected marketing bloggers. So I read his blog and liked it...well most of it. No some of it. And he seems to be a fan of virtual communities that work together collaboratively across the globe. However, to my mind, the problem with any open-source community comes when their needs to be a decision as to how to divide up the money. People and organisations like to work together if it means that they can get more of the action than they otherwise would if they were working on their own. Collaboration in the real world more often means 'what's in it for me?' and not 'what's in it for us?'

So whatever happened to another friend, Keiko Sakata, who works at McCanns? I'm worried that McCann's is a modern-day Marie Celeste.

The cool thing with life is that it gives everyone the same amount of chance, so to speak. We all get 24 hours each day to do whatever we want with them. Generally, we all get two parents, two ears, two eyes, one nose and a mouth. It’s up to you and me to use what we have to the best of our ability. And interestingly enough, I realized that I’m no better at generally existing as a human than any other girl out there, albeit a very cool, fashion-forward and funky human.

Question: So what’s gonna make me different?

Answer: While I was working in New York, I learned that to be different, you’ve got to be an expert at being remarkable. To me that means two things: -

1. Being remarkable doesn’t mean that you’ve got to be perfect at all times. It is not the absence of failure or mistakes made. It’s the presence of failure and a healthy sense of humor.
2. Being remarkable is not a 100-meter dash to a finish line. It's a marathon that will take the rest of your life. It's being. Becoming. It won't end anytime soon.

And according to my Macbook’s dictionary, it also means being extraordinary, exceptional, amazing, astounding, marvelous, wonderful, astonishing, sensational, noticeable, stunning, incredible, unbelievable, phenomenal, outstanding, momentous, out of the ordinary, unusual, uncommon, surprising, fantastic, terrific, tremendous, stupendous, awesome and wondrous. It’s being someone worth talking about by twenty or thirty of your friends to their twenty or thirty friends

It’s difference (the noun) with a delicious twist of lime, shaken and stirred with a cherry and a little tropically-themed umbrella thrown in. Then it's slurped and sipped and deliciously relished until there’s none left... Until you order the next one.

Being an expert at being remarkable sets you apart. It’s not easily accomplished, but if you relish the challenge, it can be amazingly fun.

Case in point- me. I’ve made up my mind to be great at being great. How? By working on my weak[er] points. I’m learning how to be remarkable in what I do, how I present myself, in who I am, how I speak, how I relate to others and in many other ways. For example, I'm generally weak in traditionally "right-brained" activities. So I’m learning Japanese, taking salsa classes, hitting the gym, eating healthier, tweezing my eyebrows once a week, loving on my family, doing my homework (believe me- that one’s a challenge), playing golf with my daddy, spa-dates with my mummy, hanging out with my coolest niece ever- Edna and coloring.  It’s a hard to turn over this new leaf, but I'm really having fun!

Question: Have you started being remarkable?

Answer: Of course you have! Otherwise you wouldn't be here. And to help you in your journey, read Purple Cow. Very. Remarkable.

Professionalism is fine, but companies shouldn't be afraid of informal, simple, fun content on their corporate website or wherever else. At the end of the day, what's the best way to actually connect with people?

I think that there is a trend in the business world toward more authentic, informal communication between company and customer. That's what a company like Google does so well. No bullshit, just simple down to earth language. People can relate to this. People crave it.

Many companies just don't get it. And, as Seth Godin points out, it's very easy to be against something you don't understand. Btw, how the hell does Seth compose a compelling, thought-provoking, blog entry with just 22 words? Just a hunch -- because he uses clear, simple language that's easy to engage and connect with. $20 says Seth got at least half that blog entry off a fortune cookie (if I actually believed that I would bet with euros, not dollars).

:: ::

Seth Godin, Sep 20, 2008 11:33:00 GMT:

"If you spend more than a quarter of a billion dollars on an ad campaign for a tech company, people will talk about it. If you give Jerry Seinfeld, the most famous comedian ever, $10 million to be in a few of the commercials you do, people will talk about it even more.

Microsoft has fallen into a trap that befalls many large companies in search of cred, buzz or respect. They've decided to buy some via advertising.

For more than twenty years, Microsoft has relentlessly commodified itself and the software it makes. It has worked to become a monopoly, a semi-faceless organization that cranks out very good (or pretty good) software that gets a job done for the middle of the market. It's been a profitable strategy.

But now they have Apple envy.

- The Zune plays music, the iPod is the badge of a tribe.

- A PC laptop runs Excel. A Macbook Air generates buzz and creates joy.

The answer must be to run better ads! And lots of them.

Question: When was  the last time you met an Apple employee who was truly passionate about the products she made or sold? My guess is this happened the last time you went to an Apple store. When was the last time you had a similar experience with a Microsoft employee?

If you talk to Google employees, odds are that they are totally engaged and on a mission to change the way people interact with the internet and with information. Talk to a Microsoft person and they will be happy to talk about reliability or standards they set or the way to engage the bureaucracy of the organization.

Microsoft may very well not be broken. The world needs reliable bureaucracies that mollify the needs of corporations and individuals in the center of the market. But if it is broken, advertising isn't going to fix it."