Do you publish a newsletter? I hope the answer from all of you is a resounding "YES!" If not, you're missing a great opportunity to speak to your community. If you have a newsletter, here's another question. Does it read like it was composed by the NewsOMatic 3000? Or would somebody reading it … [Read more...] about How to improve your newsletters
5 ways to amp up your presentations
A forgettable presentation is delivered by a low-energy guy. He may fidget or fumble. He reads from his slides in a monotone and expects you to just sit there and listen. He's boring. But some presenters are exciting! What they say sticks with you for years to come. An exciting presenter moves … [Read more...] about 5 ways to amp up your presentations
The BLUF Statement: Your secret PowerPoint weapon
How many presentations have you attended where the presenter took forever to get to the point? I'm betting it's probably quite a few. The problem is that presenters can often be so close to their material that they can clearly see the benefits of what they're talking about and they forget to tell … [Read more...] about The BLUF Statement: Your secret PowerPoint weapon
When somebody plagiarizes your slides
What can you do if somebody uses your slides without your knowledge or permission? It's a valid question, considering that PowerPoint files are regularly exchanged among designers, clients, prospects, coworkers, conference organizers, attendees, etc., etc., etc. At any point the files can be … [Read more...] about When somebody plagiarizes your slides
Nationwide’s scare tactics shameful and pointless
In marketing we sometimes try to capture people's attention by highlighting the benefits of using our products or services and illustrating the pitfalls of not doing so. This often works, but other times it backfires horribly. Nationwide is on your side? If you were paying attention to the ads … [Read more...] about Nationwide’s scare tactics shameful and pointless
Microsoft Office dumps clip art, promotes Bing
In December 2014, Microsoft Office closed the doors permanently on its Office.com Clip Art library. For people who avoided it thinking that there was nothing to be had there except for Screen Beans-type illustrations, outdated drawings, and useless doodles, it's probably no big deal. For those of us … [Read more...] about Microsoft Office dumps clip art, promotes Bing
5 top PowerPoint New Year’s resolutions for 2014
Happy New Year! It's the time of year when we reflect upon what we've done with ourselves personally and professionally over the past year and resolve to become better people. Maybe there's a new habit you want to develop (Exercise more! Drink less soda! Stop wearing fleece pants and slippers to the … [Read more...] about 5 top PowerPoint New Year’s resolutions for 2014
Presenting at trade shows: problems and solutions
The Small Business Expo—a business networking event, trade show, and conference for business professionals—was held in mid-October in Boston, Massachusetts. Among the many offerings at the SBE were numerous workshops designed to provide valuable business skills. The workshop I attended was being … [Read more...] about Presenting at trade shows: problems and solutions