All great presentations have one thing in common. Do you know what it is? Here are 10 exceptional examples down through the ages. Can you see it? And what about the greatest presentation of all time? It had no PowerPoint. No video. But it had that one thing.
That opening … “Here it is. I’m dead. This is my last post,” showed up my Google Alerts. I thought, what a great opening line for a story. The person had to be a writer. A superb one. I had no idea the opening … was really the ending.
Why can’t new Marketing and PR people write? Because it’s It’s a skill and art that is complex, under-appreciated and, as far as I can tell, under-emphasized by schools. Or—if you have the teeth-pulling, Novocain-less pleasure of reading many press releases—companies, for that matter. Why is that? One of the main reasons is …
Having seen hundreds of business presentations and given a stinky few myself, there are a few things I wish someone would have taught me in kindergarten. Seven things or “New Rules” of business presentations to be precise. I pass these on to anyone new to the dreaded gauntlet of the business presentation or any grizzled veterans who want to walk on the wild side and shake things up. Avoid lying-flying “Stink-o-potamus” presentation status. Use the principle of “Creative Limitation.”
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The word enchantment, in my mind, evokes a mystical musical imagery. Like a smooth jazz tune. Alluring, mellifluous, melodious, harmonious … almost magical. So I played one last rip-tripping riff on the keys. A simple reverie – an out-take. One take. No thinking. Just riffing. Thought it sounded like a knuckle-dragging nose-honker when I played it. I was going to dump it – until I heard the playback.
He was charming. Reckless. Brilliant. Rash. Kind and callous. Vicious and violent. Yet gentle and a gentleman. Prayed on his knees but cussed like a sailor. His men called him “Old Blood and Guts.” But a writer, a poet … a soul of old too?
What is the one trait that’s an absolute “must have” to win the complex sale in today’s competitive sales environment? The skill is critical to your success – in business or life. You must be … “Good in a Room.” What does that mean? Stephanie Palmer, author of the book of the same name, “Good in a Room,” puts it in perspective.
An anonymous informant in the U.S. Department of the Posterior just leaked a top secret memo to me. Looks like there’s some deep-thinking going on in Washington about how to get out of the current economic maelstrom-mess.
“We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.” – H.G. Wells.
Queasy easy? Stop here.
This is a true story. It’s graphic. Reality is rough. Truth is tough. So if you get queasy easy, stop here.
This story describes a complex melding of, and interplay between, some spectacular people, processes and technologies that combine to create a real-life, dynamic human organism. An organism that breathes, reacts, corrects, heals and cures. And, it’s powered by the …
Whatever business you’re in you have a story. If it’s a good story it informs, educates, entertains and helps people down a path to find a solution to the problem they have.
The trip down the path is your story.
How to connect through the chaotic cacophony and conflagration of content?
To win at the complex sale, one must be a storyteller, master strategist, philosopher, psychologist and have an innate understanding of the B2B Goldilocks Universe …
In 100 years from now … when green sod lies above, when there is no one left to mourn for you, will something you have said or done, be …
A step ahead. A step behind. A blink of the eye at the wrong time. And … it’s over. A memory bouquet to the loved and lost who faced the unfathomable unknowable on the way to their “Last Post.”
Who is there to mourn for Logan? No one. Not one.
“He is one of those uncommon geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions, and overturn the established order of things. If it were not for the vicinity of the United States, he would, perhaps, be the founder of an empire that would rival in glory Mexico or Peru.
The Timeless Legacy of an Untimely Man How often has one person affected humanity to such a degree that were the fruits of his labor withdrawn immediately from our day-to-day existence, the world as we know it … would essentially stop? A True Story This story is about one such real-life person. And, we will [...]
How do you get your ideas, stories, products or services to spread like wildfire over the web by millions of people? Are the huge success stories you hear about the viral power of the web just flukes – or can anyone do it? Read on to learn the six rules of a “WORLD WIDE RAVE,” the newest book by David Meerman Scott, number-one bestselling author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR.” The first 50 people to correctly answer the simple, yet existential question at the end of this article will win a copy of the WORLD WIDE RAVE.
It’s an important presentation. You have 110 slides – but only five minutes. What to do? Scream? Give up the ghost? Or go for it? If you want to go for it … read on.
To win at business or life, adversity has to be encountered, faced, fought and defeated. There is no other way. No options. You either beat it, or it beats you. Win, or you lose. Simple. Right?
No. Never. It’s never black and white. Never win or lose. Something always bleeds over. Always. Sometimes good – sometimes bad. Sometimes funny – sometimes sad. Most times a little of both. This is one such story.
What do you get when you mix Nikola Tesla, quantum physics, Paul Dirac, Marc Seifer Ph.D., author of the Tesla biography, Tim Eaton, the visual effects editor of Forrest Gump, Twister, Roger Rabbit (and others) with questions from Tim O’Reilly, the founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media via Twitter? A fascinating look at how social network sites like Twitter could act as a new “collective conscious” for business or life. Oh … did I mention a surprise visitor, Dr. Michio Kaku?
What is this thing called the Complex Sale that makes seasoned salespeople tremble at the mere mention? That causes two-to-three-year sales pipeline nightmares? What could it possibly have to do with a donkey and Hollywood? prolific Hollywood author, Skip Press, will help put it in perspective.
One particular day, after receiving a rejection letter (the first among many that I’ve never acknowledged) I got a little ticked. I mean, c’mon, I just spent three months banging out 120 pages of the best screenplay America has never seen. A classic. A real beaut. Think … It has the heart of “Rocky,” the [...]
Featuring an interview with Dr. David Abshire, President of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and author of “Saving the Reagan Presidency.”
The story and interview that follows is not about avoiding a scandal or crisis, but how one American President through strength of character dealt with a situation that threatened his presidency, his reputation, his place in history and … America’s credibility.
Mark Miller, legendary writer, actor, producer and director, used a social media news release to announce a newly available, digitally remastered DVD of his classic movie, “Christmas Mountain: The Story of a Cowboy Angel,” was created from an original 16MM master film that had been lost for nearly twenty years. So what? Well Mark is 83 years old. So — it’s the world’s 1st social media news release by an Octogenarian!
Robert McKee, the best-selling author of “STORY” and legendary guru of Hollywood storytelling, explains in a down-to-earth, easy-to-understand interview, how STORY principles can be used in business presentations. Learn from the man that wrote the book on story (literally) – how to stun, dazzle and leave your audience craving for more.
But what does “Love” have to do with it?
My Darling, Is That Manure Stick You Have on?
Marketing. Advertising. Is there any more expensive way to throw away money with such arrogant disregard for common sense? Or, to do it with such condescending, confounding, disparate, and creative personalities? Is there any more effective way to get people to scratch their heads with befuddled looks and say, “What marketing bonehead thought up that commercial?”