Presentations

For years now I've been writing articles listing presentation tips – specifically for Lotus Freelance and (more usually) PowerPoint, more generally on body language, content, and basically how to give a presentation. I've also produced more than a few for myself.

So producing presentations has become a natural add-on to the marketing services I offer – though I do wish clients would also sign up for pre-event rehearsal when an important presentation is coming up ...

View the presentation

Client: The Poplar Tree Company A forestry operation specialising in growing poplars, especially via partnership deals with farmers.

Brief: Poplar isn't widely used in UK woodlands, despite many natural assets, and the MD spends much time spreading the word. The presentation is an adaptable pack-up-and-go package that can support a variety of presentations.

Comment: A real catch-all, intended to be used in different conditions and at different lengths. A lot of information had to be conveyed, and photography was necessary to support the content. We probably ended up with too many optional links to images; that puts some strain on PowerPoint's slideshow management, which doesn't always work as expected. Won't do that again ...

View the presentation

Client: Howarth Hancorn Limited Training and personal development specialist, primarily for NVQ assessment.

Brief: Support a sales pitch to a particular client.

Comment: With a good speaker giving a relatively short presentation, the slideshow needed to brand the company as well as support the content. The classy design may be a bit dark, but the Imperial purple is a house colour; and good ambient lighting in the room did mean it came across as rich rather than gloomy.