Applying the 7 Rules for More Effective Slide Presentations
I’ve been working on a slide presentation for a client and friend this week. It is a presentation for architects about how to properly design and detail a particular type of masonry wall system. This morning, I listened to a timely podcast by Michael Hyatt entitled “7 Rules for More Effective Slide Presentations”. I enjoyed his material on this subject and with his permission, I decided to run through these 7 rules and apply them to the presentation I am working on and share the results. Since I only had a few hours to apply these rules, I am far from satisfied with the results, but what I am sharing here is the process.
One thing to note at the top here is that Michael is a professional speaker who does very high profile engagements about intentional leadership, productivity and such. The presentation I am working on here is a technical presentation on architectural detailing. These are pretty disparate endeavors, but I feel that most, if not all, of the rules he put forth apply here.
MH Rule #1 – “Make sure you start with a solid presentation”
My grade : So-so
To paraphrase, this rule means that if your presentation is not very compelling, well planned and outlined, all the slides in the world are not going to help you no matter how visually appealing they may be. MH suggested not starting the presentation within your presentation software (keynote, powerpoint, etc.) because you can easily get off into a theme, color, design tangent and totally lose focus on the actual meat and potatoes of the actual presentation itself.
While I started this project on monday and hadn’t heard the seven rules until this morning, Wednesday morning – I did ok on this one. I was given an older presentation to start with and work from and rather than sitting inside PowerPoint and jostling things around, I did nothing. I did nothing but think about this project for about a week, periodically writing down ideas and notes in evernote. This eventually turned into an outline that I kept polishing in evernote until I was ready to dive into PowerPoint on monday morning. As a result, when I did start on Monday in powerpoint things flowed very smoothly. I set up a simple theme, trying not to be too cute, too cluttered or too cookie cutter about things.
Here is a look at the theme, just a bar across the top that has a top down plan view of a single wythe cmu wall and an elevation of a wall layered together in a muted grey. I just wanted a place to put a title at the top and a large area for content below.
The theme I came up with
MH Rule #2 – “Don’t give your presentation center stage”
My Grade – Yet to be determined
Too many times, as MH described, and as I have seen myself – presenters will cling to their powerpoint with a death grip and it becomes the presenter, they are just an operator. Since I will not be presenting this, I plan to print out the seven rules and pass it on to my client.
MH Rule #3 – “Use big compelling images”
A photorealistic detail – in powerpoint each label comes in with a click so the presenter can discuss each element individually
My Grade – Pretty slick, I think . . .
This rule speaks for itself, however the part about the images being compelling is a subjective matter. I think the most important takeaway I got from this was to make sure that every big image that goes in passes the test of being something that will resonate with the target audience and is high quality in nature. I cannot stand a bitmapped, pixely or too low resolution image on a slide presentation. In the architecture / construction field I am so tired of seeing the same old black and white 2 dimensional detail blueprint-like drawings.
Here’s a view of one of my slides with a 3d photo-realistic detail on it. These drawings always resonate with viewers because they are technically accurate, physically accurate, they are beautiful and they are easy to understand. The drawings have a lot of call-outs that have to be there to explain what is on the detail. To keep this from being information overload, the slide starts out with no call-outs on it and then with a click of the mouse each one individually comes in to keep the focus on one item at a time. Unfortunately, the slideshare version cannot do this – I suppose I cold make several separate slides, but that would take more time than I have this afternoon.
MH Rule #4 – “Stick to one point per slide”
My Grade – I did the best I could!
After hearing this rule, I went back and de-cluttered things and got rid of all bullet lists and the like that I could – opting instead for individual slides for individual points. For these details like the one above, I could have done better by zooming the camera into each area and doing a separate 3d rendering for each element that I am talking about. Aside from that being a whole lot more labor intensive, I think it would be too much jumping around, I want the viewers to grasp the concept of the wall system as a whole and I’m not sure if that would translate if we jumped around from scene to scene.
MH Rule #5 – “Make your slides readable”
My Grade – So-So
I went through and made everything as legible as possible. The only problem being that the call-outs on all the drawings can get a little bit tight and may be hard to read at a distance. I made them as big as possible and since the drawings are so visual, actually reading the text becomes less important, but still I’m not sure if I’m making the grade on rule #5
MH Rule #6 – “Eliminate Clutter”
My Grade – I’m not a hoarder – but not yet Mies Van Der Rohe
Michael threw this great quote in his article that I have to cut and paste :
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing lef to take away.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I went through and cleaned house, deleting anything that was not necessary and I think it made things much clearer.
MH Rule #7 – “Have a backup plan”
My Grade – I think I got this one.
I plan to print out the slide outline, and provide a pdf and PowerPoint files on a thumb drive just in case things go south. I will also be there during setup time to make sure things go smoothly
The importance of first impressions in interpersonal interactions is something that we experience every day. The time honored adage “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” comes to mind. Countless research articles conclude that it takes just a tenth of a second for us to judge someone and make our first impression. Our brain circuitry performs a feat termed the “Amygdala Hijack” in which some direct inputs from our senses bypass our rational neo-cortex and responses to stimuli can begin before they are actually registered into consciousness. What does this have to do with building products? Through the use of high quality photo-realistic 3d renderings, products can make a great first impression in all technical and marketing materials online and offline.
The Power of 3d Renderings & Visual Impressions
I am far from a psychologist, but I believe that this same phenomenon holds true when we first see anything, whether it is another person, a web site, a car or even a building product. To grasp the importance of the visual appearance of a product, one does not have to look very hard. The visual experience of an Apple product is a huge part of their company’s meteoric success. Any time you see their product, whether you see it on their web site, in an advertisement or in one of their stores, the visual impression is consistently beautiful. Anyone who has had the experience of unboxing a new iphone or ipad knows that the first impression begins with the packaging. It is said that there is a room somewhere at Apple where people do nothing but design the packaging for their products. They are first impression specialists whose aim is simply to control the first impression of the product and make it exceed expectations. Do you have a first impression specialist for your products?
Does a Product Have Body Language?
In “Body Language: 7 Easy Lessons to Master the Silent Language”, James Borg states that human communication consists of 93 percent body language and non-verbal cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves. A lot of time, energy and emphasis in social media marketing has been placed on the power of words. The blog has become an integral part of personal expression and the personalization and expression of a brand. While this is all great progress, let us not forget the other 93% of communication at our disposal. Can we exponentially increase our target market’s opinion of our product by improving the visual impression a product makes? Are marketers spending enough time on the visual representations of products even if they are not the most glamorous looking products?
3d rendering example of a water heater
Through the eyes of an Architect
Architects are visual people. I think at this point we all know that a consumer is going to decide after about 50 milliseconds whether to buy something from a web site based on it’s appearance. Building products need to make a great first impression on architects the same way. They should be presented in the best possible way using 3d renderings whenever a potential customer views your marketing materials, whether in print or online. There are many factors that can make or break your business success, some of which you control and some you do not. Visual Marketing is about knowing the difference and taking control of the visual impressions your product makes through the entire sales, marketing and technical support customer experience. 3d renderings, 3d animations and 3d details are all fundamental opportunities to make a positive impression.
Photography is not the only option
Every building product is different, some are very photogenic and easy to capture with professional photography – Yes, I said professional. A $2000 camera is nice, but it does not guarantee success. I am always amazed at what a real professional architectural or product photographer can do to make a building or a product look it’s best. Photography, however, is not the only option. 3d rendering has evolved over the last decade, and it is here to stay. So much so, that kickstarter.com has banned people from using 3d renderings to raise money for a business idea. While I find this ridiculous, it does show how powerful this medium has become in simulating reality using high end graphics. Below are some examples of 3d product renderings.
3d Renderings can do more than photography can
3d Photo Realistic Renderings can do things photography just cannot do
Most products used in the construction process are never seen once the building is completed. They are the unsung heroes. The workhorses of the building products industry, the unassuming defensive player, the drummer of the band. They’re not always the sexiest looking products, but they contain within themselves an inherent beauty of function. When something is manufactured to perform a function well, it’s form follows that function. It may not be beautiful in the traditional sense, but in a larger more deep and meaningful sense. These supporting cast members can be shown using 3d renderings in ways that photography just cannot capture. A wall can be cut open to show all the elements that make it work, and this can be done in stunning photographic detail using 3d renderings
Are your products making a great first impression?
To visually makeover the entire product line of Advanced Building Products to better showcase their offerings. The desire was to modernize the look of the various building products offered by Advanced and create beautiful artwork to form the basis of online and traditional marketing efforts.
The Solution:
The scope began with 3d renderings and 3d details. Once those were produced and displayed on their newly redesigned web site, we then created photorealistic animation videos which are also showcased on the web site, used at trade shows and for presentations.
The 3d manufacturer suggested details aid in showing things like corner flashing details and complex layered installations easily and accurately.
“I contracted Jason to work on several 3D rendering and animation projects over the past two years and his work has been excellent (and affordable!). We effectively used his renderings and animations for several marketing / promotional applications including print ads, web details, trade show displays, and sales presentations. I have already recommended Jason to other marketing and sales professionals looking to enhance their own product presentations or marketing tools and will continue to do so in the future.”
– MD – Advanced Building Products
Part 1 – 3d Marketing Materials
The new catalogs produced by Advanced Building Products are great examples of what I call Visual Marketing. Once we had done 3d photo-real renderings of all the products in action, combining them into one illustration that shows a building with portions cutaway to show where each product is used and how it is installed, was a natural progression. Below is the residential scene :
Sometimes when you are trying to showcase your products, and they are highly technical in nature, it is hard to quickly explain or show what it is for and how it works. I try to go by the 20 second rule – if someone doesn’t get it in 20 seconds or so – you’re not being clear enough. Below is the same concept done for a commercial structure.
Part Two – 3d Photo-realistic Details
The assembly drawings function as a visual means to express to the target audience exactly how the particular product is used in the real world. The idea is to create photo-realistic details that are at once technical, informative and at the same time – visually appealing. Advanced Flashing web site and product catalogs are filled with these renderings take a look at their new web site and catalogs at the advanced web site.
Below are examples of these 3d details.
Part three – Photo-Realistic Animations
To demonstrate some of the key products offered by Advanced, we created a series of videos that have been a hit at presentations and trade shows because they quickly show how the products work in a way that anyone can understand.
As an Architectural Illustrator and a Cad Services provider, I always start with the end in mind – the audience. This new architectural product, EnduraMax, is targeted to builders and architects. It’s not what is on the outside of the product, a stone or brick finish, that sets it apart. What sets this product apart from the competition are the parts of the system that you do not see once the building is complete. The client needed both cad drawings and illustrations that were technical in nature to show the architectural community how the product is used.
The talented marketing team for this product launch, Interrupt Marketing, required architectural illustrations and renderings that not only showed the external beauty of the product, but also the beauty of the internal components that make up the system. I have always disliked the division between the technical and the marketing aspects of illustration when it comes to building products. The only way to bridge this gap between highly technical cad details and beautiful photorealistic 3d renderings was to master both of these disciplines and then combine them. This illustration project is an example of what happens when those two disciplines collide.
The Goal:
To provide the necessary technical illustration and visual marketing support to a high-profile product launch of OldCastle’s new insulated stone and brick veneer system, Enduramax.
The Solution:
I convinced the decision makers to let me create 3-dimensional photo-realistic details and illustrations that allowed one to grasp how the product works, how the product is installed, and how great the product’s finished appearance is, all with one drawing style. Sure we still created some traditional 2d cad details for the more mundane situations, but most of the ideas behind the system were communicated using 3d photorealistic illustrations.
This project is divided into two parts, Visual Marketing and Construction Details. Because of the synergy that I described above between architectural renderings and architectural illustrations, the two sections should appear similar.
Part 1 – Photo-Realistic 3d Architectural Illustrations – An elegant intersection of Art and Building Science
Below are a few examples of Enduramax photo realistic architectural illustrations. The product has a very complex foam insulation board that has the stone pattern built right into it. This makes for a simple “stone by numbers” installation. Unfortunately for me, it is not the simplest shape to deal with in 3d modeling space.
Click on an image to see a high resolution version
Part 2 – Photo-Realistic 3d Architectural Visual Marketing Illustrations
Under the direction of the Marketing Firm that was in charge of this product launch, I created several 3d architectural renderings and illustrations for the installation catalog as well as some 3d photorealistic animations for a product video.
Construction materials are not always the most glamorous of products, let’s face it, no matter how much pride, energy, research and development one puts into a concrete expansion anchor, not many of your customers are going to have an emotional experience looking at a metal anchor on your website. It’s just something they need to fasten that chunk of stone to another chunk of concrete that will be buried inside a wall. It is likely that the project architect or spec writer who chose that product will ever actually ever see it in person. Therefore, you don’t need to use images of your products to sell to them right?
YOUR PRODUCTS ARE BEAUTIFUL
“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works” Steve Jobs.
When you show your products in your promotional materials, your installation instructions, your suggested details, the main goal is to show that the product is designed well. It will perform it’s function properly. The beauty of a functional object, which most construction products are, lies in it’s ability to perform. I see any well designed object as being intrinsically beautiful. If you don’t realize this, stop and look again at your products and see the beauty in them. If you show your customers ads, drawings, illustrations that draw attention to the beauty of the design – you just created an emotional connection leaving a positive impression.
