Who hires a presentation designer anyways
My Goal Is To Help You Share Your Gift
This year I’m going to write a series of blogs on presentations: The nuts and bolts of working with me, how to write a compelling talk, and presentation design for the new and existing talks. Please check back each week to see the latest installment.
I have learned that my highest value is in helping others become their very best selves, and in particular, I have a real connection to speakers. I have met some amazing people who are so passionate about what they do, are incredibly bright and articulate, and most of all, want to share their fortune with others.
What I also know is that their TIME is at a premium and many speakers give up their personal time to work on their talks. If I can help just a few people have more family time, more time in nature, more time to reconnect with themselves, and also provide a service that brings out the best in those same people, well then my life is enriched as well.
So who are these speakers that I work with?
The Expert
The expert is the speaker who has been on the circuit for years. They started back when they had to assemble their slides in the 35mm slide carousels and carefully carry them onto the airplane. These speakers typically give some variation of the same talk over the course of a couple of years and know their material inside and out.
The PROBLEM is often two-fold. First, they don’t have the time for fancy PowerPoint (or Keynote) design, and Second, they change their slides on the fly all the time.
For these speakers, I typically help them by creating a custom background which gives them a polished look that matches their elite status. Next I go through and unify all the fonts into something stylish and consistent. Finally, I work on de-cluttering text-heavy slides and substituting images or icons wherever possible.
The OUTCOME? Having been given a professional polishing, these excellent slides sparkle, just as nice set of stemware gleams when all the water spots are rubbed off.
The Rising Star
The Rising Star is someone who has been speaking locally for some time and has been booked for a major platform. These speakers want to take it up a notch and call me for help.
The PROBLEM is that they really want to make a great impression, but don’t know how.
If this speaker is interested, we spend more time upfront talking about the purpose and “take-aways”. I often say that if the speaker doesn’t know what they want people to remember, neither will the audience. From there, we get into structure and design elements to drive home the message.
The OUTCOME? Speakers often tell me that they felt more confident and able to communicate their message, and the audience was much more engaged.
The Novice
I have worked with a number of people who are early in their speaking career. They have some expertise or ideas to share, but are not necessarily sure how to get started.
The PROBLEM is that they are often overwhelmed and don’t know how to get from here to there.
I work with these clients from soup to nuts; from teaching them how to write their talk, to designing their slides, and even coaching them on delivery tips.
The OUTCOME? These speakers have catapulted their speaking career right out of the gate by using a professional to minimize their learning curve and maximize their opportunities.
Ernest Hemingway said, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” The platform of being a speaker is an honor and a privilege, so wherever you fall on the spectrum of speaker, what are you doing to raise your own bar?
Come back next week to learn how I give all new clients a FREE TRIAL or call me today!
