PowerPoint – You're Doing It Wrong.
August 31,2011 at 02:09pm
Your next presentation can be a powerful experience for your audience that leaves a lingering impression about your topic. Sadly, most presentations are simply done wrong, resulting in a boring, tedious interruption to the audience’s day. These four tips address the most common mistakes made by presenters. Applying these practices will give any presentation an instant boost. Practice will polish the rest.
Prepare for tell, then for show.
Approach your presentation as an un-aided speech. Make it an engaging talk first, then craft your slides to amplify your message without stealing your thunder. Never, ever read your slides verbatim to your audience. They would rather get a handout to read on their own time.
Simplify every graphic.
If you don't need it, weed it. The words on screen should convey only the overarching points. Remember, your audience can't read and listen well at the same time, so your slides should be understood at a glance. Your images should communicate what words cannot, and add meaning to your talk. Most importantly, keep your presentation lean-if it can drop five minutes, it will be more potent and your audience will be more mentally engaged than if they have to wait through a minute of fluff. Leave your audience wanting to talk to you when you finish, not wondering when you will stop.
Organize your content.
Make your presentation easy and enjoyable to follow. A good rule of thumb is: tell them what you're going to tell them (thesis), tell them (body), then tell them what you told them (summary). The first part builds an expectation and a reason to listen, the second part satisfies that expectation, and the third part reinforces the main points.
Entertain them periodically.
Entertaining your audience will keep them engaged in the (possibly more dry) points that you want to convey. Skip long-winded introductions and hit the ground running. Space a few short, punchy jokes, complete surprises, or eye-candy throughout your presentation to periodically pique your audience's interest. Vary the pace and tone of your presentation for the same effect. Remember to stay close to the main points, and avoid "entertaining" rabbit-trails that will lose your audience's engagement.
Add Social Media to Your Email Campaign
May 02,2011 at 09:05am
Schok Creative has added social sharing to its e-mail marketing toolbox. This allows our clients to leverage the power of Facebook and Twitter, while tracking information on how a campaign is doing.
"Like" or "Tweet" within the e-mail
The popular Facebook "Like" button and Twitter "Tweet" that you see on countless websites can now be included in your e-mail campaign, allowing recipients to click and share with their social networks. Facebook users who "Like" your campaign can see which friends in their network "Like" it too. When a Twitter user clicks the "Tweet" button, they see a pre-written Tweet containing your e-mail title and a link to see the e-mail. In just a click, their network is instantly informed of your campaign.
Track it all: Twitter, Facebook, and Forwards
Whether your recipients share your campaign as a traditional forward, or share it with their social networks, Schok can track exactly where your campaign goes, who is sharing it, and how it is performing. This information provides valuable insights into perfecting your e-mail campaigns.
