Episode 51: PowerPoint tips every facilitator needs to know with Thomas Krafft
Our guest today knows that in every poor presentation, there is a brilliant presentation waiting to be unleashed.
Our guest today knows that in every poor presentation, there is a brilliant presentation waiting to be unleashed.
A wizard of PowerPoint design and presentation physicality, Thomas comes with a deep understanding built from dedicating years to the art of presenting. Fun is his primary weapon and he uses it to break down all walls of nervousness and doubt.
As a member of Toastmasters since 2008, Thomas Krafft from Presentation Boss has given hundreds of speeches, facilitated many workshops and also been the Master of Ceremony for small groups, to hundreds of people.
Thomas and Kate from Presentation Boss are also offering an incredible tool for listeners of the First Time Facilitator audience: PowerPoint tips that every facilitator needs to know.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why people struggle with using Powerpoint (and why you shouldn’t blame the software for ‘Death by powerpoint’)
Tips and tricks on designing PowerPoint preparations (Hint: Less, is more)
Why you need to consider all of the elements on stage, and whether they're attracting, or detracting from your presentation
Questions to consider while creating PowerPoint slides
Keys to develop your confidence as first-time facilitator
About our guest: Thomas Krafft
Thomas Krafft is the presentation strategy guy and PowerPoint wizard. He does not know a life without public speaking, having spent his entire adult life (plus some) speaking to various audiences.
Fun is his primary weapon, though he comes armed with deep presentation knowledge and understanding built from years dedicated to presentation skills, PowerPoint design and coaching others to improve their skills.
He is a speaker, an MC and co-founder of Presentation Boss; a presentation skills coaching business.
Thomas has spent countless hours specialising in effective design and use of PowerPoint. He needs no excuse to share his passion around the software and champions its proper use to enhance your next presentation. He knows that in every poor presentation is a brilliant presentation - whether it's a talk, keynote or workshop.
Presentation Boss hosts training workshops for corporate teams and groups, provides one-on-one consultation and provide keynote speakers to events.
Fun facts about Thomas:
He is a licensed pilot.
He has a deep fascination for shipwrecks. Deeper than is socially acceptable.
He's tall. 6’6’’. Yes, really. Yes, the weather is lovely up there. No, he doesn’t play basketball. really. Yes, the weather is lovely up there. No, he doesn’t play basketball.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.
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Quotes of the show:
“Death by PowerPoint is a user-error; it's not the software's problem. It's doing exactly what it’s told to do.”
“That's what PowerPoints for: we are visual creatures and PowerPoint is a visual tool.”
The slides need to complement what is that you're saying. You need to make your communication more efficient.”
“When you're designing those slides and reviewing those slides and rehearsing, ask yourself all the time- ‘what can I remove from this slide and it still makes sense in the context of my presentation?’”
“Everything that happens on a stage is either attracting or detracting. So it needs to not detract from your presentation and distract from what it is that you're saying.”
“Whatever the presentation is, be at workshop or a main stage presentation or a meeting at work, is that the slides come after the script.”
To me, it's all about communication. It’s all about the art of taking an idea that's inside my head and transferring it inside your head. And I love being able to do that and especially when you're helping people to do something.”
“I always have the goal of people leaving the room is to think about what we spoke about today and try it.”
Episode 22: What clients really want from a workshop (and no, it’s not information) with Sean D’Souza
In today’s episode, I talk to Sean D’Souza. Sean is a cartoonist, author, online marketing strategist, a pretty good cook (judging from his social media photos) and an energetic facilitator who applies his skills in creating a different kind of workshop. He reads on average 100 books a year. Teaching runs in his blood, as his father, mother and grandmother were teachers too. He's that good, I flew to Singapore to attend one of his three-day workshops.
In today’s episode, I talk to Sean D’Souza. Sean is a cartoonist, author, online marketing strategist, a pretty good cook (judging from his social media photos) and an energetic facilitator who applies his skills in creating a different kind of workshop. He reads on average 100 books a year. Teaching runs in his blood, as his father, mother and grandmother were teachers too. He's that good, I flew to Singapore to attend one of his three-day workshops.
In this episode, we talk about the motivation of the people coming to your workshops… are they really there for the information, or are they there for another reason? We explore workshop design and giving your participants time to reflect on content. We also discuss creating a safe workshop environment - not only for the people in the room, but for you as well…because, as the facilitator - it’s important that you feel safe, too.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Sean’s ratio for instructing vs group discussions and activities
The power of frequent breaks
Why it’s important to create a safe space for your participants
Why he shares his learning materials prior to a workshop
What clients really want out of a workshop (and it’s not information)
A winning formula that features energy, confidence and skill
The importance of feedbacks and testimonials in a workshop.
Tips for facilitators starting their journey in facilitating and leading workshops in their own context.
About our guest
Sean D’ Souza is a cartoonist and an online marketing strategist who runs a zany online marketing site named PsychoTactics. He is also the author of “The Brain Audit” which is about how customers make decisions.
Originally working as a freelance cartoonist, Sean somehow found himself indulging his talent for marketing and understanding consumer psychology by helping out others with their marketing efforts. It wasn’t long before he started writing about his own experiences with marketing and slowly but surely, he began to gather an audience hungry to learn more.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Sean’s online home Psychotactics
Sean's book, The Brain Audit
We Are Podcast conference
Like this show?
Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.
Click here to let Leanne know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
Click here to tweet your thanks to Sean. https://twitter.com/seandsouza?lang=en
Quotes of the show:
“What you have to really work on when you're teaching people is you have to get their confidence up, because when you get their confidence up, they use less energy.”
“You have to understand what causes people to be motivated in the first place and it's not your stupid bullet points; it’s not your content.”
What clients really want in a workshop and that is they want to leave the room and you say, “That's not possible!” Well, do this the next time you're having a workshop tell them, “Look, all of you are here for the information, right? And they'll all say “Yes!” and you go “Okay, so we're going to do this workshop until 9:00 p.m. tonight.” and then watch their faces.
“You have to be comfortable that you're going to goof up 50 to 60 percent of your early days before you start getting comfortable But breaking it up is always good because once you're confident, then you don't have to overcompensate. You don't have to be, ‘“I’m the boss here and you're just minions.’”
Episode transcript
View the First Time Facilitator episode transcript with Sean D’ Souza.