The Highest and Best Use of PowerPoint

When I first started to use PowerPoint for presentations I was like a lot of speakers. Most of the words on the screen were in bullet points, the titles were dull, and the pictures were sparse. At least I didn't put too much type on a slide like some people do.  Ever try to read 50 lines of 10-point type from 50 feet away?

I gradually improved the slides until they had quite a few photos and a lot less type but there was one point where I fully realized the power of PowerPoint, and it has nothing to do with words.

PowerPoint is a supplement to your presentation. It enhances it and makes it more understandable. It is not a set of notes for you the speaker. Its greatest value is to enhance the emotional impact of your presentation. How can a slide do that? Good question.

During my presentation at one of our Speak Your Way to Wealth events, I decided to illustrate one of my favorite stories. I have often told the story of my father, who took photos of rodeos for many years in the 1950s. One of those photos landed in Life Magazine. The story is all about how he took a risk, got inside the bullring and in the process got some powerful photos. This one was one of the most powerful of all. However, when I told the story, I wasn't using the photo.

This one time, I added the photo to the PowerPoint presentation and set it up so a blank screen would show while I told the story. When I reached the part where my Dad takes the picture, I flashed it on the screen and was rewarded with oohs and aahs from the audience (and a whole lot of sales). The photo, appearing right at the climactic moment of the story, created a powerful emotional moment for the crowd and implanted the idea that risk is necessary and good for anyone wanting to grow.

I still use that photo every time I do that speech with a PowerPoint presentation.

By the way, the first time I used that photo, I didn't even have a PowerPoint presentation. However, I had a large framed copy of the original photo, which I set up on an easel and covered with a cloth. The audience was only 12 people. At the appropriate moment, I revealed the photo, again to wonderful audience reaction. Someone that day said, "You ought to put that photo in every talk you do." And I have, ever since then.

The point is that it wasn't the means of presentation that made the difference, it was the content. I got the same audience reaction with the real photo as I did with the PowerPoint. That's why you must pay attention to your content and to your emotional reaction creators. If you have something that you know will get the desired reaction, use it. It's worth a hundred dull PowerPoint slides.

Three Keys to Marketing Your Book

If you want to sell your book, you have to do several key things before you write the first word. These have little to do with the quality of your writing and everything to do with the purpose of your writing.

The very first one is to ask yourself who you are writing to. This is your audience, your target market, or whatever else you choose to call it. Who represents this market, what do they want, what to they need, what do they fear? Be very certain who you are writing to before you write the first word.

Second, ask yourself what they know. If you write too advanced a book for your audience, they will not read it. If it is too general or too simple, again your audience will not read it.

Third, ask yourself what you want them to know after they have read your book. This does two things. It gives you an end point but it also tells you what you have to build up to as you write. The chapters you create will be the steps from what your audience knows to what you want them to know. You can't decide what to put in the chapters unless you know this.

Now that you know who you are writing to, your writing has purpose. When it comes time to market your book, you will know which organizations to speak to, how to position your marketing materials, what radio shows to get on, and where you will find your email list and social media followers.

By deciding these three items, you have already started to market your book. Good luck!