We’re Stuck With It
Let’s talk about how to survive a PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint burst onto the scene in 1987. It launched around the time that PC purchasing was increasing and more companies and businesses were becoming computer savvy. Bill Gates did not invent PowerPoint, contrary to popular belief. It was created by Robert Gaskins, and he originally called it Presenter, under a company called Forethought. Who knew he would be responsible for the brain drain?
However, the story gets better. Microsoft got a sweetheart of a deal buying the software for $14 million. By comparison, Google paid a billion dollars for YouTube. They made it better, of course, and today we use its stylish features and special effects in our day-to-day business worlds. Post-COVID, I doubt it will ever go away.
Presentation Survival
I was at a conference when the “featured presenter” took the stage, let’s call him “Jeff.” The topic looked interesting. I was ready. A new learning opportunity. After his bio introduction and topic overview, he clicked on slide one. Seated in the front, I noticed something jarring on the bottom of the slide. It read 2 of 156.
This was the PowerPoint buzz-kill moment. I was stuck, literally, in PowerPoint prison, forced to gut out a 156-slide presentation. Content aside, it was the longest hour of my life. Have you been there? I turned around and saw the “nodders” and the “bailers” going into a PowerPoint coma or just leaving. When Jeff concluded, the next presenter began. Not one break, a pause, or time to stretch. More presenter pain. I had eye strain, a headache, was sore, and certainly bored.
A Big Surprise
The moderator out of the blue asked everyone to stand up and stretch. “Before we move on let’s all stand up together and stretch before our next presentation.” What a simple idea. She knew that was an hour of pain. By adding a simple ‘body and mind break’ everyone in the room had a chance to refresh as the day went on.
That’s what Corporate Calm does. We enter during those presenter intervals and teach simple techniques to keep you focused and energized. Without coffee. Without Redbull.
A Lesson Learned
As you are building out your meeting agenda, we can help with where and when we can add the most value. Corporate Calm will help you get through your meetings. I’ll walk directly on stage, and share a story, and the collective audience will go through some very basic mindfulness and stretching techniques. My rapport with the audience creates engagement. It’s the mind-body balance so one appreciates until they do it. I’ll come back at the end of the day to help people wind down, and prepare for their evening.
What I’ve Learned
Audience receptivity is very positive. The approach is well received. We know the grind of PowerPoint and multi-presentation days. I also conduct breakout sessions giving participants a broader overview of how we exhaust our mental energies in front of a computer each day and then forget to take care of our bodies. Along with that, I’ll lead yoga classes in the morning or evening, with no experience required. I care about getting you through each day. Your teams need to be mentally alert, focused, energized, and ready to tackle that next PowerPoint presentation. I hope this gave you some ideas and solutions for how to survive a PowerPoint presentation.