The Perfect PowerPoint Storm Chapter13 The lawyer who was about to speak was no stranger to PowerPoint, or to the courtroom Born and raised in Texas, Mark Lanier specializes in representing plaintiffs in personal in- jury trials, winning a long list of verdicts in favor of his clients. Early on, he had worked as a lawyer in large law firms, but then he started up his own firm and eventually moved it to the outskirts of Houston. Although he didn ' t have all the resources of a large law firm in one of Houstons downtown skyscrapers, Mark would soon demonstrate that these days anyone with a laptop computer and PowerPoint software -and an effective way to Mark turned to his client, the plaintiff in this case, who was sitting in the first row with her family. "Your Honor, "Mark said, "if I may begin by introducing to the jury and to the Court my client. "As Carol Ernst stood, Mark introduced her and her daughter. Carol's husband, Bob, had died of a heart attack, and she suspected that a painkiller her hus- band had taken, Vioxx, was a cause of the heart attack. So she filed a lawsuit against the defendant, the drug's manufacturer, Merck Co, Inc. Mark would represent Carol throughout the trial As Carol sat down, Mark walked toward the jury box past the row of lawyers sitting at the defense table. These lawyers were from two internationally recognized law firms hired by the defendant. With billions of dollars in their war chest, the company could afford the best. Facing such a formidable opponent with deep pockets, Mark knew that he would need to be at the top of his game and that he would need to use the tools and tech- niques he had to the best of his ability to make the greatest impact. Mark paused at the jury box and made eye contact with each of the 12 jurors. Before the jurors arrived, Mark had wheeled the lawyers podium to the side of the courtroom because he didn't want a piece of furniture, or anything else, to stand between him and his audience. Mark had a reputation for a folksy style when he talked to jurors in the courtroom, speaking with a Texas drawl, colorful language, and a conversational manner But by now, any of Mark's legal opponents would know that to misinterpret his simple track record of successful verdicts in jury trial ensive mistake, because of his strong style as unsophisticated would be a big and ex The jury would be Mark's audience for the next six weeks of the trial, and as any present- er knows, he would need to quickly make a strong impression on them. He would have the opportunity to do that today with his opening statement, a presentation in legal tri- als that introduces the case to the jurors and lays out the key evidence. This presentation is extremely important to lawyers because they assume that many jurors make up their minds about the outcome of the case by the end of the opening statement. Mark had his work cut out for him as he faced the jurors-you might be able to relate to his situation
The Perfect PowerPoint Storm Chapter 1 3 The lawyer who was about to speak was no stranger to PowerPoint, or to the courtroom. Born and raised in Texas, Mark Lanier specializes in representing plaintiffs in personal injury trials, winning a long list of verdicts in favor of his clients. Early on, he had worked as a lawyer in large law fi rms, but then he started up his own fi rm and eventually moved it to the outskirts of Houston. Although he didn’t have all the resources of a large law fi rm in one of Houston’s downtown skyscrapers, Mark would soon demonstrate that these days anyone with a laptop computer and PowerPoint software—and an effective way to use them—can make as great an impact as anyone with unlimited resources. Mark turned to his client, the plaintiff in this case, who was sitting in the fi rst row with her family. “Your Honor,” Mark said, “if I may begin by introducing to the jury and to the Court my client.” As Carol Ernst stood, Mark introduced her and her daughter. Carol’s husband, Bob, had died of a heart attack, and she suspected that a painkiller her husband had taken, Vioxx, was a cause of the heart attack. So she fi led a lawsuit against the defendant, the drug’s manufacturer, Merck & Co., Inc. Mark would represent Carol throughout the trial. As Carol sat down, Mark walked toward the jury box past the row of lawyers sitting at the defense table. These lawyers were from two internationally recognized law fi rms hired by the defendant. With billions of dollars in their war chest, the company could afford the best. Facing such a formidable opponent with deep pockets, Mark knew that he would need to be at the top of his game and that he would need to use the tools and techniques he had to the best of his ability to make the greatest impact. Mark paused at the jury box and made eye contact with each of the 12 jurors. Before the jurors arrived, Mark had wheeled the lawyers’ podium to the side of the courtroom because he didn’t want a piece of furniture, or anything else, to stand between him and his audience. Mark had a reputation for a folksy style when he talked to jurors in the courtroom, speaking with a Texas drawl, colorful language, and a conversational manner. But by now, any of Mark’s legal opponents would know that to misinterpret his simple style as unsophisticated would be a big and expensive mistake, because of his strong track record of successful verdicts in jury trials. The jury would be Mark’s audience for the next six weeks of the trial, and as any presenter knows, he would need to quickly make a strong impression on them. He would have the opportunity to do that today with his opening statement, a presentation in legal trials that introduces the case to the jurors and lays out the key evidence. This presentation is extremely important to lawyers because they assume that many jurors make up their minds about the outcome of the case by the end of the opening statement. Mark had his work cut out for him as he faced the jurors—you might be able to relate to his situation
aterI Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points if your own presentations must make an immediate educational and persuasive impact on your audiences KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE It is essential that you know your audience well before you start planning your presentations. Mark knew some things about his audience in the jury box-the legal teams from both sides had prepared a written questionnaire for the jurors, in which they found that the jurors were in their 20s and 40s, high-school educated, and from a range of professions, including electrician, a college student, a construction worker, a product technician, a homemaker, a secretary, and a government employee. The lawyers also had an opportunity to ask jurors questions in person during a Q&A session. In your own presentations, the better you know your audience, the better you'll be able to customize your material to them he judge had instructed the jurors earlier that when they took their oath, they had become court officials like himself and the lawyers. The jurors were charged with admin istering justice in this case, by listening to all the evidence in open court and then making a decision based on the facts and the judge's instructions and reading of the law. Like any audience, they sat ready to hear what the presenter would say As you might be able to relate to, most experienced speakers say they get nervous be- fore a big presentation, and likewise Mark must have felt some nervousness, but not just because the jurors were watching him closely. Plaintiffs' attorneys like Mark can spend upward of $1 million to bring a case to trial on behalf of their clients, and if they lose, they literally have lost everything they put into the case. The defendant had a great deal to lose as well, because this was the first case to go to trial against the pharmaceutical company. Beyond any negative media coverage the case might bring, a verdict against the company might have a big impact on its bottom line-it could lose millions of dollar in an unfavorable verdict, and possibly lose billions of dollars in market value if its stock price dropped on the news
4 Chapter 1 Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points if your own presentations must make an immediate educational and persuasive impact on your audiences. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE It is essential that you know your audience well before you start planning your presentations. Mark knew some things about his audience in the jury box—the legal teams from both sides had prepared a written questionnaire for the jurors, in which they found that the jurors were in their 20s and 40s, high-school educated, and from a range of professions, including electrician, a college student, a construction worker, a product technician, a homemaker, a secretary, and a government employee. The lawyers also had an opportunity to ask jurors questions in person during a Q&A session. In your own presentations, the better you know your audience, the better you’ll be able to customize your material to them. The judge had instructed the jurors earlier that when they took their oath, they had become court offi cials like himself and the lawyers. The jurors were charged with administering justice in this case, by listening to all the evidence in open court and then making a decision based on the facts and the judge’s instructions and reading of the law. Like any audience, they sat ready to hear what the presenter would say. As you might be able to relate to, most experienced speakers say they get nervous before a big presentation, and likewise Mark must have felt some nervousness, but not just because the jurors were watching him closely. Plaintiffs’ attorneys like Mark can spend upward of $1 million to bring a case to trial on behalf of their clients, and if they lose, they literally have lost everything they put into the case. The defendant had a great deal to lose as well, because this was the fi rst case to go to trial against the pharmaceutical company. Beyond any negative media coverage the case might bring, a verdict against the company might have a big impact on its bottom line—it could lose millions of dollars in an unfavorable verdict, and possibly lose billions of dollars in market value if its stock price dropped on the news. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE It is essential that you know your audience well before you start planning your presentations. Mark knew some things about his audience in the jury box—the legal teams from both sides had prepared a written questionnaire for the jurors, in which they found that the jurors were in their 20s and 40s, high-school educated, and from a range of professions, including electrician, a college student, a construction worker, a product technician, a homemaker, a secretary, and a government employee. The lawyers also had an opportunity to ask jurors questions in person during a Q&A session. In your own presentations, the better you know your audience, the better you’ll be able to customize your material to them
Stepping onto the Media Stage chapter1 5 NOTE Mark Lanier discovered the first edition of Beyond Bullet Points at an online bookseller as he was preparing for this trial, and he invited me to fly to Texas to help him use the BBP approach to create his opening statement. We followed the approach in this book step by step as we structured his presentation, and I selected the graphics and designed slides similar to the ones that appear in this chapter. By following the detailed descriptions of the BBP approach through the examples in the rest of this book, you'll be able to apply the same effective approach to your own presentations The fact that Power Point would play an important role in this trial was a sign not only of how much the software has changed many professions but also of the increasingly high-stakes contexts in which it is used. If you're like many people, you see PowerPoint mostly in the context of selling products or teaching information, but increasingly, the most senior members of organizations use this software tool to communicate the most portant work they do. CEOs commonly use Power Point today to decide company strategy, consultants use it to recommend restructuring organizations, lobbyists use it to influence legislation, and executives use it to build important relationships. Based on what the plaintiff and defendant had at stake in this trial, todays courtroom presentation was about as high-stakes as a Power Point presentation can get Stepping onto the Media Stage Mark glanced down at his laptop computer, which sat facing him on a small table below the jury box, out of sight of the jurors. What he saw on his laptop screen was a feature in Power Point called Presenter view, similar to the screen shown in Figure 1-1, which gave Mark a special view of the presentation that only he could see. Like the teleprompter that broadcasters use to present their speaking notes, this sometimes-overlooked Power Point feature gives you the ability to see additional information that does not appear on the creen the audience sees. For example, on the upper left on his screen, Mark could see the blank blue slide that the jurors currently saw. But he also could see his speaker notes on the upper right, reminding him of the points he planned to make while each slide was displayed on screen, as well as a row of small previews of his upcoming slides at the bot tom of the screen, helping him to make a smooth transition from one slide to the next See Also To learn how to use Presenter view for your BBP presentations using PowerPoint 2007, see Appendix B on the companion CD
Stepping onto the Media Stage Chapter 1 5 NOTE Mark Lanier discovered the fi rst edition of Beyond Bullet Points at an online bookseller as he was preparing for this trial, and he invited me to fl y to Texas to help him use the BBP approach to create his opening statement. We followed the approach in this book step by step as we structured his presentation, and I selected the graphics and designed slides similar to the ones that appear in this chapter. By following the detailed descriptions of the BBP approach through the examples in the rest of this book, you’ll be able to apply the same effective approach to your own presentations. The fact that PowerPoint would play an important role in this trial was a sign not only of how much the software has changed many professions but also of the increasingly high-stakes contexts in which it is used. If you’re like many people, you see PowerPoint mostly in the context of selling products or teaching information, but increasingly, the most senior members of organizations use this software tool to communicate the most important work they do. CEOs commonly use PowerPoint today to decide company strategy, consultants use it to recommend restructuring organizations, lobbyists use it to infl uence legislation, and executives use it to build important relationships. Based on what the plaintiff and defendant had at stake in this trial, today’s courtroom presentation was about as high-stakes as a PowerPoint presentation can get. Stepping onto the Media Stage Mark glanced down at his laptop computer, which sat facing him on a small table below the jury box, out of sight of the jurors. What he saw on his laptop screen was a feature in PowerPoint called Presenter view, similar to the screen shown in Figure 1-1, which gave Mark a special view of the presentation that only he could see. Like the teleprompter that broadcasters use to present their speaking notes, this sometimes-overlooked PowerPoint feature gives you the ability to see additional information that does not appear on the screen the audience sees. For example, on the upper left on his screen, Mark could see the blank blue slide that the jurors currently saw. But he also could see his speaker notes on the upper right, reminding him of the points he planned to make while each slide was displayed on screen, as well as a row of small previews of his upcoming slides at the bottom of the screen, helping him to make a smooth transition from one slide to the next. See Also To learn how to use Presenter view for your BBP presentations using PowerPoint 2007, see Appendix B on the companion CD. Mark Lanier discovered the fi rst edition of Beyond Bullet Points at an online bookseller as he was preparing for this trial, and he invited me to fly to Texas to help him use the BBP approach to create his opening statement. We followed the approach in this book step by step as we structured his presentation, and I selected the graphics and designed slides similar to the ones that appear in this chapter. By following the detailed descriptions of the BBP approach through the examples in the rest of this book, you’ll be able to apply the same effective approach to your own presentations. NOTE
aterI Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points Introduce Carol Thanks for taking the time to It's an honor to me Slide: 1 of 153 Time: 01: 04 2: 42 PM Zoom: 3 FIGURE 1-1 A feature in Power Point called Presenter view gave Mark a view of the current slide the jurors saw on screen, along with his own speaker notes and thumbnail views of upcoming slides. As he began speaking, Marks thumb pressed the button on a remote control device like the one shown in Figure 1-2, which he cupped in his hand at his side where the audience would not notice it. This remote would be his constant companion for the next couple of hours, as he used it to advance the PowerPoint slides while he spoke, giving him flex- ibility to slow down or speed up to match his narration and ensure that the experience appeared seamless to the jurors. FIGURE 1-2 Remote control devices offer presenters the ability to advance the slides of a Power Point presentation without using the keyboard It's extremely important to me that you hear what this case is about,"Mark said,"so I've put together. different exhibits to try and help it stick in your brain and help you
6 Chapter 1 Making Headlines Beyond Bullet Points FIGURE 1-1 A feature in PowerPoint called Presenter view gave Mark a view of the current slide the jurors saw on screen, along with his own speaker notes and thumbnail views of upcoming slides. As he began speaking, Mark’s thumb pressed the button on a remote control device like the one shown in Figure 1-2, which he cupped in his hand at his side where the audience would not notice it. This remote would be his constant companion for the next couple of hours, as he used it to advance the PowerPoint slides while he spoke, giving him fl exibility to slow down or speed up to match his narration and ensure that the experience appeared seamless to the jurors. FIGURE 1-2 Remote control devices offer presenters the ability to advance the slides of a PowerPoint presentation without using the keyboard. “It’s extremely important to me that you hear what this case is about,” Mark said, “so I’ve put together...different exhibits to try and help it stick in your brain and help you
Stepping onto the Media Stage Chapter1 7 focus on what we think are critical points. When Mark clicked the remote control button, it signaled his laptop computer to advance to the first image in the Power Point resentation. Although the jurors could not see the laptop below the jury box, they did see an image of Carol and Bob appear on the 10-foot screen directly behind Mark, as television set, as the images on the screen would soon start dissolving ang cnanging F illustrated in Figure 1-3. From where the jurors sat, it appeared that Mark was in a giant behind him in a seamlessly choreographed media experience FIGURE 1-3 The images from Mark,'s Power Point presentation filled the 10-foot screen behind him, creating a persuasive backdrop REMOTE CONTROL One of the biggest distractions you can create during a presentation is to return to the keyboard every time you need to advance a slide. This creates a visual distrac tion, disrupts the natural flow of your delivery, and leaves the impression that the computer is controlling you rather than you controlling the computer. Like Mark did in the Angleton courtroom, free yourself from the computer by using a small remote control device to advance the slides in the presentation. Many of these devices are designed specifically for Power Point presentations and are attached to a computer using a USB connection with no installation software needed. Some models feature a simple interface with only advance and reverse buttons, and some even include a laser pointer along with a button that allows you to black out the screen during the presentation
Stepping onto the Media Stage Chapter 1 7 focus on what we think are critical points.” When Mark clicked the remote control button, it signaled his laptop computer to advance to the fi rst image in the PowerPoint presentation. Although the jurors could not see the laptop below the jury box, they did see an image of Carol and Bob appear on the 10-foot screen directly behind Mark, as illustrated in Figure 1-3. From where the jurors sat, it appeared that Mark was in a giant television set, as the images on the screen would soon start dissolving and changing behind him in a seamlessly choreographed media experience. FIGURE 1-3 The images from Mark’s PowerPoint presentation filled the 10-foot screen behind him, creating a persuasive backdrop. REMOTE CONTROL One of the biggest distractions you can create during a presentation is to return to the keyboard every time you need to advance a slide. This creates a visual distraction, disrupts the natural fl ow of your delivery, and leaves the impression that the computer is controlling you rather than you controlling the computer. Like Mark did in the Angleton courtroom, free yourself from the computer by using a small remote control device to advance the slides in the presentation. Many of these devices are designed specifi cally for PowerPoint presentations and are attached to a computer using a USB connection with no installation software needed. Some models feature a simple interface with only advance and reverse buttons, and some even include a laser pointer along with a button that allows you to black out the screen during the presentation. REMOTE CONTROL One of the biggest distractions you can create during a presentation is to return to the keyboard every time you need to advance a slide. This creates a visual distraction, disrupts the natural fl ow of your delivery, and leaves the impression that the computer is controlling you rather than you controlling the computer. Like Mark did in the Angleton courtroom, free yourself from the computer by using a small remote control device to advance the slides in the presentation. Many of these devices are designed specifi cally for PowerPoint presentations and are attached to a computer using a USB connection with no installation software needed. Some models feature a simple interface with only advance and reverse buttons, and some even include a laser pointer along with a button that allows you to black out the screen during the presentation