In the Spotlight: Rick Altman
Author of Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck

Rick Altman has been hired by hundreds of companies, listened to by tens of thousands of professionals, and read by millions of people, all of whom seek better results with their presentation content and delivery.

Dana: Hi Rick, please tell us a little about your background.

Rick: My background is journalism -- I was the editor of a tennis magazine for four years out of college before desktop publishing got invented. Once that happened, it was so enticing, I lost interest in running a magazine in favor of immersing myself in what promised to be a totally revolutionary technology.

Electronic publishing led to the wave of digital graphics applications and together they made great fodder for a consultant. We hosted user conferences for users of Ventura Publisher, CorelDraw, and the first generation of digital cameras. It was real heady stuff in the early 1990s. And these programs were really hard, and there was no Internet to provide support. Our conference was the only game in town back then.

Giving seminars on graphics led to an affinity for giving seminars. Next thing you know, I'm giving presentations about giving presentations to people who give presentations for a living.

Dana: What are the top three challenges that people who use PowerPoint experience when it comes to giving an effective presentation?

Rick: Hmm, I can only pick three? That's not very sporting.

Dana: Well maybe they'll buy your book if these three are really good!

Rick: Okay then!

The first has to be the phenomenon in which use of PowerPoint makes a presenter less intelligent, not more. I don't know too many good ideas that can be represented and described to an audience with a title and three bullets, but millions of people try to do that every day. Why do they do that? Usually, it's because that's the default layout for a new slide and people rarely venture beyond that. So they try to share their thoughts on a complex and nuanced idea and instead they find themselves explaining what the heck their bullets mean.

Next has to be gratuitous animation, which is done because people don't understand how powerful motion is. They don't treat it with the reverence that it deserves, they use it recklessly, that annoys their audience, and now they run a deficit with respect to trust and credibility. All because they made bullets fly in.

Finally, let's go with the old standby of placing complete sentences on screen. Even the most accomplished presenter might find it impossible NOT to read slide content word for word when it contains complete sentences.

Dana: What advice do you have for people who give business presentations?

Rick: Come to PowerPoint Live. Sorry, couldn't stop myself. In an effort not to be trite, I'll go with some advice that is not so general or universally accepted:

Learn your transitions.

Most times when people get anxious in front of an audience, or when they rely too heavily on their notes, it is NOT because they have forgotten what they wanted to say. It is because they have forgotten what they intend to say next. It's very hard to speak in the moment when you can't remember what your next moment is supposed to be about.

If you can define your talk into a half-dozen big chunks, and if you can create a mental roadmap of your presentation so you can really see it in your head, you are much less likely to lose your way. When good presenters know what they are supposed to say next, they usually put themselves in a good position to speak eloquently about what they are saying now.

Dana: Thanks very much Rick – I’ll see you at PowerPoint Live 2008!

About the Author
Dana Bristol-Smith is the founder of Speak for Success, an organization that works with companies that want their people to communicate with confidence and credibility. You can email Dana at:dana@speakforsuccess.net

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