ntroduction for the past two years, I saw firsthand what was working and what needed improvement In this book, I highlighted more prominently the things you need to know most, expanded on material that needed more explanation, and replaced all of the examples with new and improved versions I have added significant new resources and materials to help people get hrough the most difficult hurdles in structuring and designing BBP presenta- tions. Based on feedback from groups and individuals, I simplified the terms used in the key tools and streamlined the process to remove roadblocks to easier understanding and faster implementation. People asked for more specific examples of BBP in action, so Chapter 1 describes a headline-making BBP presentation, Chapters 4 through 8 use a new example to demonstrate how to apply BBP step by step, and Chapter 9 shows more examples. People asked for more ways to explain to others the why and the how of BBP, so Chapter 2 shows why BBP works so well in terms of three"research realities, Chapter 3 shows step by step how the process will unfold, and Chapter 11 on the companion CD shows a quick exercise you can conduct to introduce BBP to your team. People asked for a community they could join to learn more bout BBP and to collaborate with others, so a new companion Web site at www.beyondbulletpoints.comnowfulfillsthatneed This book focuses on applying BBP with PowerPoint 2007 and using the software s new features to accelerate the graphic design process and elimi- nate the guesswork for those who are not designers or technical experts. As that you are not a graphic designer and do not know graphics software beyond Power Point 2007. There is, however, a new hardware tool that I wholeheartedly recommend you adopt if at all possible as you work with BBP-a Tablet PC. This special type of computer allows you to write directly on the screen and will help you sketch your storyboard faster and more efficiently, and it will open up new opportunities to interact with your audience. Tablet PCs are now widely available and are a must-have tool for presenters today. I started using one after the first edition of the book was published, and it has now become central to my own practice of BBP-I would not consider creating or giving a presentation without one As in the previous edition of this book, I will take you step by step, chapter by chapter, through the BBP process. Chapters 1 through 3 provide an over view of the reasons why you should try BBP and how the process looks, and
xvi Introduction for the past two years, I saw fi rsthand what was working and what needed improvement. In this book, I highlighted more prominently the things you need to know most, expanded on material that needed more explanation, and replaced all of the examples with new and improved versions. I have added signifi cant new resources and materials to help people get through the most diffi cult hurdles in structuring and designing BBP presentations. Based on feedback from groups and individuals, I simplifi ed the terms used in the key tools and streamlined the process to remove roadblocks to easier understanding and faster implementation. People asked for more specifi c examples of BBP in action, so Chapter 1 describes a headline-making BBP presentation, Chapters 4 through 8 use a new example to demonstrate how to apply BBP step by step, and Chapter 9 shows more examples. People asked for more ways to explain to others the why and the how of BBP, so Chapter 2 shows why BBP works so well in terms of three “research realities,” Chapter 3 shows step by step how the process will unfold, and Chapter 11 on the companion CD shows a quick exercise you can conduct to introduce BBP to your team. People asked for a community they could join to learn more about BBP and to collaborate with others, so a new companion Web site at www.beyondbulletpoints.com now fulfi lls that need. This book focuses on applying BBP with PowerPoint 2007 and using the software’s new features to accelerate the graphic design process and eliminate the guesswork for those who are not designers or technical experts. As before, this book assumes that you are not a graphic designer and do not know graphics software beyond PowerPoint 2007. There is, however, a new hardware tool that I wholeheartedly recommend you adopt if at all possible as you work with BBP—a Tablet PC. This special type of computer allows you to write directly on the screen and will help you sketch your storyboard faster and more effi ciently, and it will open up new opportunities to interact with your audience. Tablet PCs are now widely available and are a must-have tool for presenters today. I started using one after the fi rst edition of the book was published, and it has now become central to my own practice of BBP—I would not consider creating or giving a presentation without one. As in the previous edition of this book, I will take you step by step, chapter by chapter, through the BBP process. Chapters 1 through 3 provide an overview of the reasons why you should try BBP and how the process looks, and
Introduction xvii Chapters 4 through 10 explain specifically the detailed steps of how to use BBP. A new companion CD includes Chapter 11, copies of key tools described in the book, and PDF versions of several appendixes, including the BBP Ground Rules and BBP Checklists that you can use as a desktop reference. This book is designed to be a practical guide that you keep close at hand while you work on Power Point presentations, as well as a source of ongoing inspiration For many people, BBP turns the conventional thinking about Power Point resentations upside-down and unlocks the potential that has always been available in the software tool, as well as in the people who use it. The heart of this book is really about people communicating with people. By using a commonly available software tool to help you to do that, you can find focus, clarity, and engagement. I hope you'll find that and much more in this book, as you make and tell your own presentation stories beyond bullet points
Introduction xvii Chapters 4 through 10 explain specifi cally the detailed steps of how to use BBP. A new companion CD includes Chapter 11, copies of key tools described in the book, and PDF versions of several appendixes, including the BBP Ground Rules and BBP Checklists that you can use as a desktop reference. This book is designed to be a practical guide that you keep close at hand while you work on PowerPoint presentations, as well as a source of ongoing inspiration. For many people, BBP turns the conventional thinking about PowerPoint presentations upside-down and unlocks the potential that has always been available in the software tool, as well as in the people who use it. The heart of this book is really about people communicating with people. By using a commonly available software tool to help you to do that, you can fi nd focus, clarity, and engagement. I hope you’ll fi nd that and much more in this book, as you make and tell your own presentation stories beyond bullet points
CHAPTER 1 Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points N THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL THERE ARE at least 253 million reasons why you should try the Beyond s Witness a Beyond Bullet Points Bullet Points( BBP)approach. At least that's what one presenter believes, (BBP) presentation that made headline news after he used BBP in a courtroom to help persuade jurors to award a $253 See how bbp works in a real million verdict for his client in a major legal trial. His story is just one of world practical application the many that tell of the impact BBP is making on presentations far and a Get a sense of the potential impact you can make with BBP. wide, and it is also an example of the impact you can make on your next presentation with the book you hold in your hands right now Can I Really Change the World with a power Point presentation? If you were to see a newspaper headline that read power Point presentation changes the world! "you would probably laugh be- cause the very concept sounds absurd. Who could believe that a software tool that is associated more with boredom than brilliance could possibly produce an experience so powerful that it would make headlines? Yet, believe it or not, that's exactly what happened with the Microsoft Office Power" presentation described in this chapter. And it's something you have the potential to do when you use BBP-you really can create PowerPoint 2007 presentations change the world In short order, the chapters of this book will take you through the nuts and bolts of why BBP works, how you can apply it to your next presentation, and what you can do to deliver it. But first, the best
1 CHAPTER 1 THERE ARE at least 253 million reasons why you should try the Beyond Bullet Points (BBP) approach. At least that’s what one presenter believes, after he used BBP in a courtroom to help persuade jurors to award a $253 million verdict for his client in a major legal trial. His story is just one of the many that tell of the impact BBP is making on presentations far and wide, and it is also an example of the impact you can make on your next presentation with the book you hold in your hands right now. Can I Really Change the World with a PowerPoint Presentation? If you were to see a newspaper headline that read, “PowerPoint presentation changes the world!” you would probably laugh because the very concept sounds absurd. Who could believe that a software tool that is associated more with boredom than brilliance could possibly produce an experience so powerful that it would make headlines? Yet, believe it or not, that’s exactly what happened with the Microsoft® Offi ce PowerPoint® presentation described in this chapter. And it’s something you have the potential to do when you use BBP—you really can create PowerPoint 2007 presentations that can change the world. In short order, the chapters of this book will take you through the nuts and bolts of why BBP works, how you can apply it to your next presentation, and what you can do to deliver it. But fi rst, the best Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points IN THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL: Q Witness a Beyond Bullet Points (BBP) presentation that made headline news. Q See how BBP works in a realworld practical application. Q Get a sense of the potential impact you can make with BBP
aterI Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points way to learn about BBP is to see how it plays out in the real world-on one particular day, in one specific room, with one presenter and his audience. That was the day when BBP was put on trial and received a stunning verdict The Perfect Power Point Storm Every summer, the residents of Angleton, Texas, brace themselves for the possibility that a fearsome hurricane might bear down on their Gulf Coast town near Houston. But noth- ing could prepare them for the hot and humid July day when a different kind of storm hit this quiet town of 18, 000 people. The doors of the old gray county courthouse in the town square opened to a flood of television crews who crowded the hallways looking for a place to film. a group of newspaper reporters surged into the main courtroom, squeez- ing into uncomfortable wooden benches and tapping updates on their laptops to the newsrooms of the new york times the wall street journal the associated press. fortune and Reuters The journalists were in Angleton to cover the news event of the day: the opening state ments of a major legal trial that would begin with the delivery of a Power Point presenta- tion. Everyone in the courtroom stood when the jurors filed into the room and settled into their seats. The room was silent, here at the eye of the storm, when a man stood up to face the jurors. Little did anyone know that this lawyer was about to unleash a storm of his own from his laptop computer. After all, this was no ordinary Power Point presenta tion he was about to give-it was a Beyond Bullet Points presentation. Like many of the hurricanes that have passed through Texas, this presentation would make headlines for force It might come across as odd to you that PowerPoint would take center stage in a Texas courtroom, but it's just one more venue this ubiquitous software tool has transformed in its relatively brief 20-year history. Originally introduced as a tool to help businesspeople present their ideas in meeting rooms, today Power Point is everywhere. You are probably one of the millions of people who use Power Point, and one of the billions who have been in the audience at other peoples presentations. Teachers use Power Point in classrooms to present their course materials, and researchers use Power Point in conference rooms to present their data and analyses. Hollywood designers use Power Point in studios to storyboard creative concepts for films, and ad agencies use Power Point in board rooms to pitch major campaigns. Military leaders use Power Point in the field to present stra- tegic plans, and politicians use Power Point on the campaign trail to communicate their themes And more and more lawyers are using PowerPoint to present their cases in courtrooms like this one in angleton
2 Chapter 1 Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points way to learn about BBP is to see how it plays out in the real world—on one particular day, in one specifi c room, with one presenter and his audience. That was the day when BBP was put on trial and received a stunning verdict. The Perfect PowerPoint Storm Every summer, the residents of Angleton, Texas, brace themselves for the possibility that a fearsome hurricane might bear down on their Gulf Coast town near Houston. But nothing could prepare them for the hot and humid July day when a different kind of storm hit this quiet town of 18,000 people. The doors of the old gray county courthouse in the town square opened to a fl ood of television crews who crowded the hallways looking for a place to fi lm. A group of newspaper reporters surged into the main courtroom, squeezing into uncomfortable wooden benches and tapping updates on their laptops to the newsrooms of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, Fortune, and Reuters. The journalists were in Angleton to cover the news event of the day: the opening statements of a major legal trial that would begin with the delivery of a PowerPoint presentation. Everyone in the courtroom stood when the jurors fi led into the room and settled into their seats. The room was silent, here at the eye of the storm, when a man stood up to face the jurors. Little did anyone know that this lawyer was about to unleash a storm of his own from his laptop computer. After all, this was no ordinary PowerPoint presentation he was about to give—it was a Beyond Bullet Points presentation. Like many of the hurricanes that have passed through Texas, this presentation would make headlines for its devastating force. It might come across as odd to you that PowerPoint would take center stage in a Texas courtroom, but it’s just one more venue this ubiquitous software tool has transformed in its relatively brief 20-year history. Originally introduced as a tool to help businesspeople present their ideas in meeting rooms, today PowerPoint is everywhere. You are probably one of the millions of people who use PowerPoint, and one of the billions who have been in the audience at other people’s presentations. Teachers use PowerPoint in classrooms to present their course materials, and researchers use PowerPoint in conference rooms to present their data and analyses. Hollywood designers use PowerPoint in studios to storyboard creative concepts for fi lms, and ad agencies use PowerPoint in board rooms to pitch major campaigns. Military leaders use PowerPoint in the fi eld to present strategic plans, and politicians use PowerPoint on the campaign trail to communicate their themes. And more and more lawyers are using PowerPoint to present their cases in courtrooms like this one in Angleton