Winning the Room de Bill Franks

Winning the Room

Bill Franks

Revolutionize your data-driven presentations with this simple and actionable guide In Winning The Room: Creating and Delivering an Effective Data-Driven Presentation, analytics and data science expert Bill Franks delivers a practical and eye-opening exploration of how to present technical data and results to non-technical audiences in a live setting. Although framed with examples from the analytics and data science space, this book is perfect for anyone expected to present data-driven information to others. The book offers various specific tips and strategies that will make data-driven presentations much clearer, more intuitive, and easier to understand. Readers will discover: * How to avoid common mistakes that undercut a presentation's credibility * Instructive and eye-catching visuals that illustrate how to drive a presenter's points home and help the reader to retain the information * Specific and actionable techniques to dramatically improve a presentation's clarity and impact Ideal for anyone expected to present to managers, executives, and other business leaders, Winning The Room is required reading for everyone seeking to improve the quality and efficacy of their data-driven presentations and communications.

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Foreword xvii Preface xxi Acknowledgments xxv About the Book xxvii Intended Audience xxxi Overview of the Contents xxxiii Section 1 Planning: Reviewing Strategic Fundamentals 1 Tip 1: Results Are Not the Biggest Factor in Success 3 Tip 2: Data Literacy Is a Two-Way Street 5 Tip 3: Don't Write Your Story . . . Tell Your Story! 7 Tip 4: Facts and Figures Are Not a Story 10 Tip 5: Know Your Audience 12 Tip 6: Slides Must Be Short, Visual, and to the Point 14 Tip 7: Charts and Graphs Are Like Jokes 16 Tip 8: Short Presentations Are Harder to Prepare Than Long Ones 18 Tip 9: An Executive Presentation May Have No Slides at All 20 Tip 10: Budget Appropriate Time 22 Tip 11: Be Yourself and Be Authentic 23 Tip 12: What Is the Audience Buying Into? You! 24 Section 2 Planning: Designing The Presentation 25 Tip 13: Different Presentation Venues Require Different Approaches 27 Tip 14: Try Different Ways to Organize Your Story 29 Tip 15: Too Many Technical Details Will Undercut Your Impact 31 Tip 16: Reveal Details Only to the Extent Required 33 Tip 17: Focus on How to Use Your Results 35 Tip 18: Use Analogies to Make an Impact 37 Tip 19: Make Liberal Use of Appendices 38 Tip 20: Create a Distinct Leave-Behind Document 40 Tip 21: Create "Launch" Slides 43 Tip 22: Break Content into Smaller Pieces 45 Tip 23: Animations Are Your Friend 48 Tip 24: Action Settings: A Hidden Gem 50 Tip 25: Show the Fewest Numbers Necessary 52 Tip 26: Distinguish Technical Significance from Business Significance 54 Tip 27: Give the Audience Your Headlines 56 Tip 28: Start with Your Recommended Actions 58 Tip 29: Don't Focus on the "What" 60 Section 3 Developing: Wording and Text 63 Tip 30: Minimize the Number of Words on Your Slides 65 Tip 31: Use Simple Terms and Definitions 67 Tip 32: Don't Use Technical Terms 69 Tip 33: Clarify Your Definitions 70 Tip 34: Provide Layperson and System Labels 72 Tip 35: Use Consistent Phrasing 74 Tip 36: If It Can't Be Read, Don't Display It 76 Tip 37: Don't Shrink Your Font, Shorten Your Text 78 Tip 38: Use Appropriate Spacing 80 Tip 39: Use the Same Font throughout Your Presentation 82 Tip 40: Beware the Missing Font 85 Tip 41: Address Every Agenda Item Listed 87 Tip 42: Identify When an Agenda Item Is Covered 89 Tip 43: Spellcheck Is Not Always Your Friend 91 Tip 44: Charts and Images Are Misspelling Factories 93 Tip 45: Beware the Right Word, Wrong Place 94 Tip 46: Keep Your Text Horizontal 95 Section 4 Developing: Numbers and Labels 97 Tip 47: Use Consistent Precision 99 Tip 48: Use Only the Precision Required to Make Your Point 101 Tip 49: Match Precision to Accuracy Level 103 Tip 50: Always Format Numbers 105 Tip 51: Always Show Percentages as a Percentage 108 Tip 52: Provide Quantities and Percentages 110 Tip 53: Never Use Scientific Notation 112 Tip 54: Use Names, Not Numbers, for Categories 114 Tip 55: Watch for Truncated Labels 116 Tip 56: Define All Acronyms and Abbreviations 118 Tip 57: Use Dedicated Definitions Slides 120 Tip 58: Clarify Aggregations Applied 122 Tip 59: Focus on the Outcome of Interest 124 Tip 60: Validate That Your Numbers Make Sense 126 Tip 61: Add a Scale to Every Chart 128 Tip 62: Ensure Your Charts Have Consistent Scaling 130 Tip 63: An Axis Usually Should Start at 0 132 Tip 64: Number Your Slides 134 Section 5 Developing: Charts, Images, and Layouts 135 Tip 65: Use a Mix of Chart Types 137 Tip 66: Use a Mix of Slide Layouts 139 Tip 67: Do Not Show Raw Output 142 Tip 68: Keep It Simple 145 Tip 69: Choose Charts That Are Easy to Interpret 147 Tip 70: Don't Show Incomprehensible Graphics 149 Tip 71: Use Complex Graphics Strategically 151 Tip 72: Coordinate Your Colors 153 Tip 73: Keep Colors in Context 155 Tip 74: Shun Technical and Architectural Diagrams 157 Tip 75: Don't Let Accent Graphics Steal the Show 159 Tip 76: Format Tables Consistently 161 Tip 77: Use Shading to Make Tables Easily Readable 163 Tip 78: Don't Put Borders Around Charts 165 Tip 79: Limit the Number of Categories 167 Tip 80: Label Your Data 169 Tip 81: Avoid Stacked Bar Charts 171 Tip 82: Put the Cause on the X-Axis 173 Section 6 Delivering: Final Presentation Preparation 175 Tip 83: Practice Your Presentation 177 Tip 84: Consult Some Confidants 179 Tip 85: Don't Overprepare 181 Tip 86: Adjust Your Story to the Audience 182 Tip 87: Focus on Time, Not Slide Counts 185 Tip 88: Always Be Prepared for a Short Presentation 187 Tip 89: The Audience Won't Know What You Left Out 190 Tip 90: Scale Figures to Be Relatable 192 Tip 91: Be Clear about the Implications of Your Results 194 Tip 92: Call Out Any Ethical Concerns 196 Tip 93: Use Simplified Illustrations 198 Tip 94: Don't Include Low-Value Information 200 Tip 95: Make Critical Numbers Stand Out 202 Tip 96: Make Important Text Stand Out Too 204 Tip 97: Have Support in the Room 206 Tip 98: Always Have Several Backup Plans 207 Tip 99: Use a Slide Clicker 209 Tip 100: Do Not Send Your Presentation in Advance 210 Section 7 Delivering: Giving The Presentation 213 Tip 101: Do Not Read Your Slides . . . Ever! 215 Tip 102: Read the Room and Adapt 217 Tip 103: Do Not Look at the Screen! 219 Tip 104: Physically Point to Important Information 221 Tip 105: Don't Let Bright Lights Throw You Off 222 Tip 106: Don't Stand Still 223 Tip 107: When Presenting Online, Look Right at the Camera 225 Tip 108: Anticipate Random and Irrelevant Questions 227 Tip 109: Handle Difficult People with Grace 228 Tip 110: Don't Correct People in Front of the Room 230 Tip 111: Never Pretend You Know If You Don't! 232 Tip 112: Stress the Positive 234 Tip 113: Be Honest about Costs as Well as Benefits 236 Tip 114: Don't Hedge Too Much 239 Tip 115: Be Clear about the Measure You Are Discussing 241 Tip 116: Don't Ask Which Findings Are Important 242 Tip 117: Tie Facts to Impacts 243 Tip 118: Provide Specific Recommendations for Action 245 Tip 119: Close with a "Wow" Tied to the Larger Context 247 Afterword 249 About the Author 251 About the Website 253 Index 255