Powerful Presentations

Slide design that captures attention, rather than putting your audience to sleep.

  • Live workshop. We'll meet live over Zoom on November 4-7, 2024, from 1-4:30 pm Eastern each day. That's a 2-day course, but delivered in half-day chunks. More.
  • Interactive agenda in which you'll immediately apply your new skills to (1) develop a slidedeck template for your organization and (2) create a variety of accessible, beautiful data slides. More.
  • Case studies from your colleagues on analyzing grantmaking data, building dashboards, and adding accessible graphs to slideshows. More.
  • Guest speakers who specialize in PowerPoint, public speaking, and more. More.
  • Office Hours sessions throughout 2024 and 2025. More.
  • Additional support and materials, like an 80-page ebook with checklists and case studies; private Data Vizards community of fellow participants; captions on all videos; and certificates of completion. More.
  • Bonus mini course, Course Creation, on designing, recording, and selling online courses. More.
  • Lifetime access so you don't feel rushed.
 

Course Dates

By popular demand, this course is being delivered live (!).

Here's our schedule:

  • Monday, November 4, 2024 from 1 - 4:30 pm Eastern
  • Tuesday, November 5, 2024 from 1 - 4:30 pm Eastern
  • Wednesday, November 6, 2024 from 1 - 4:30 pm Eastern
  • Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 1 - 4:30 pm Eastern

I'll demonstrate a skill, and then you'll immediately practice it and ask questions as you get stuck. I'll demo, you'll practice. And so on.

We'll have 10-minute breaks every hour (i.e., learn from 1-1:50, then break from 1:50-2).

The last 30 minutes of each class is additional Q&A time (i.e., learn from 1 - 4, then Q&A from 4 - 4:30).

 

Agenda

Slidedocs vs. Slidedecks

In the first module, you'll master critical presentation lingo: differentiating between slidedocs (standalone documents) and slidedecks (presentation slides).

Sample activities:

  • Slidedocs vs. Slidedecks: Post a screenshot of a recent slide that you made. Is your example currently more of a slidedoc or a slidedeck? Which one should it be?
  • Slidedocs: Transform one of your slides into a slidedoc. Follow the 5 characteristics. Post before/after screenshots and describe your changes.
  • Slidedecks: Transform one of your slides into a slidedeck. Follow the 5 characteristics. Post before/after screenshots and describe your changes.

Message

In Message, you'll practice my top eight techniques for crafting a message that's tailored to your audience, like bucketizing your findings, writing the takeaway tweet in advance, incorporating action-oriented activities, and designing a visual framework.

Sample activities:

  • Brainstorm and Bucketize: Brainstorm a long list of everything that might go into your presentation. What are the 3-5 buckets for your presentation?
  • Create a Visual Framework: What type of framework fits your topic the best? (Step-by-step process? Pyramid? Cycle?) Comment and reflect on your thought process. Create a visual framework using shapes, SmartArt, or Diagrammer. Post a screenshot here and comment about your thought process. Use your visual framework to (1) Provide an overview, (2) Introduce buckets, (3) Reinforce buckets with mini frameworks, and (4) Establish consistency across the slidedoc.
  • Open with Intention: Share a draft of your opening story. Post a screenshot of your presentation agenda.
  • Plan the Activities and Call-to-Action Closing: Share an example of an activity you’ve used. Comment and provide context: How long was your presentation? When did the activity take place? How did it go?
  • Decide How the Audience Should Feel: Plan in advance: I want my audience to feel _____. I want my audience to think _____. I want my audience to do _____.
  • Write the Takeaway Tweet in Advance: What’s the takeaway tweet for one of your upcoming presentations?
  • Collect & Use Audience Feedback: What are the most useful feedback questions you’ve encountered? How have you used that feedback to improve future presentations?
  • Kill Your Darlings: Go through your outline or existing slides. Decide what to keep. Comment about your decision-making process.

Design

In Design, you'll apply your brand colors, fonts, photographs, and icons; you'll create color-coded divider slides; and follow my checklist of 15+ Ideas for visuals to ensure that every slide has a powerful visual.

Sample activities:

  • Brand with Colors, Fonts, Photos, and Icons: You'll locate your organization's existing style guide and presentation templates, or begin making some of your own.
  • Match the Aspect Ratio to the Screen/Page: Time permitting: Match the aspect ratio to the screen or page. Time crunched: Just use widescreen for everything. Post a screenshot here.
  • Match the Background Color to the Room Lighting: Time permitting: Match the background color to the room lighting. Time crunched: Just use dark text against a white background for everything. Post a screenshot here.
  • Create Color-Coded Divider Slides: Create one of the four types of Divider Slides. Post a screenshot here.
  • Set Up the Slide Master: Tweak your organization’s existing Slide Master. Or, create your own Slide Master to save time. Post a screenshot here.
  • Aim for 1+ Visual Per Slide: Open a recent slidedeck. How many slides had visuals? Post your numbers here (e.g., 3 of 8 slides had visuals).
  • 15 Ideas for Body Slides: Open a recent slidedeck. How many different types of visuals did you use? My challenge for you: Double that number in your next slideshow!
  • Bullet Points into Graphs and Photos: Open a text-heavy slide. Add one of the visuals from the checklist.

Storyboarding

Finally, you'll storyboard your graphs--which means explaining your complicated datasets one piece at a time.

Public Speaking & Tech Tips

You'll fine-tune 10 aspects of public speaking, like:

  • using microphones for in-person and virtual talks--or not;
  • making "eye contact" with the webcam;
  • adjusting the lighting on stage and in virtual talks (so we don't have to worry about our appearance);
  • using our hands to help explain the patterns in our data;
  • avoiding scripts (so we don't sound robotic) and what to do instead; and
  • my go-to technique for removing filler words (like, um, so).

You'll also get a behind-the-scenes tour of my home recording studio.

 

Case Studies

Want ideas for applying these techniques to your own projects? You'll get to see case studies from previous course participants.

4 lessons, 3 hr 36 min


 

Guest Speakers

You'll hear from three previous guest speakers: speaking coach Heather Sager, evaluator and All-American debater Isaac Castillo, and PowerPoint MVP Dave Paradi.

 

Office Hours

Want me to review your draft slides? Have a how-to tech question? Submit your drafts, screenshots, and questions to Office Hours. You'll be invited to all the live Office Hours scheduled for 2024 and 2025! That's 25+ live sessions each year.

Sample topics addressed during Office Hours:

  • "How would you transform this dense table--3 years' of data for a dozen different types of cars--into a graph or two for a slideshow?"
  • "I'm interested to know your process for transferring a chart from Excel into PowerPoint or Word. Everything I have tried results in a blurry image."
  • "For someone that is starting in data viz in Evaluation (as in, has less than a year in) and hopes to be self-employed really really really bad, do you think hiring a business coach is a good idea to start? How did know you had enough data viz experience in order to be self-employed?"
  • "How do you make bump charts in Excel?"
 

Additional Support

Ebook

You'll get a license for our 80-page ebook, which includes all of our presentations checklists and cheat sheets.

Captions

After each of the live classes, we add auto-generated captions to the videos and upload them to the course website.

Data Vizards Community

This is a great place to connect with colleagues, post drafts, and get feedback from each other.

 

Bonus! Course Creation Mini Course

You'll also get access to a 3-hour mini course about planning for, recording, and selling online courses. And, you'll get access to launch debriefs where I share the numbers behind my own courses. Course Creation is normally $297/participant, but it's included in the 2024 Powerful Presentations registration as a special gift for people who are curious about teaching online.

 

What Participants Are Saying

10,249+ participants from around the globe have already taken the leap into better reports, slideshows, dashboards, and infographics by participating in our online courses.

Here's how those researchers, evaluators, professors, and scientists are describing this course.

"I’ve just finished the Powerful Presentations course, and not only have my presentation skills and setup improved, but so have my slides. There are so many great tips and tricks I could highlight, but I will keep it to my three favorites: color coding, increasing readability, and storyboarding.

The best part is, they don’t take that much extra time! These are simple changes that take your slidedecks to a new level and allow you to really impress your audience.”

- Kelsey Waterson, Evaluator, Centerstone Research Institute

"A client asked me to report the results at their meeting and I used so many of your suggestions in the slidedeck, it was the most impressive PowerPoint I have ever made. But as the meeting progressed, they were running out of time, [but] luckily, I had also created a slidedoc and was able to share that document. I have never been so grateful that I had signed up for your class!"

- Kristin Wright

"I registered for the course because although I have advanced graphic design skills, I still thought I could make more effective presentations by working through the course’s sequential lessons of message, design and delivery. The course was great!"

- Elizabeth Dove, Professor, University of Montana

"This course will make you a more engaging speaker and your audience WILL notice!

Your credibility will be boosted by the learning you apply from this course!

Whether you make presentations all the time or do it occasionally, this course will teach you about effective messaging.

You'll learn how to make better slides based on principles for cognitively-appropriate messaging.

You'll learn tips for getting immediate engagement - and then keeping it throughout your talk.

And you'll learn techniques to be efficient at slide preparation.

So don't miss this course with Ann teaching live! I became a better presenter and you can too!"

- Sue Griffey, Founder, SueMentors

"As someone who frequently presents at conferences, works with an elected board, and engages with staff, I considered myself a decent presenter. But Ann's "Powerful Presentations" course was a game-changer that transformed the way I create powerpoints.

At conferences, my messages now captivate audiences and leave a lasting impact. I've learned to craft compelling narratives that make my presentations not just informative, but truly impactful. Attendees regularly approach me afterwards to say how they are taking away so many practical tips they can start using right away.

In board meetings, I've mastered the art of distilling complex data into clear, actionable insights, enabling stakeholders to quickly grasp the key information needed to make critical decisions. I now use slide decks in my reports and not just when I'm presenting to distill copious amounts of info.

With my team, I now communicate in All Staff and management team meetings with slide decks that layout the clear action steps or reasoning behind decisions, ensuring everyone is aligned and motivated to achieve our goals. Since taking the course, I consistently receive rave reviews on my polished, practical, and persuasive slide decks (and docs).

Colleagues frequently ask what my secret is, and I always direct them to Ann's course.

Whether you're new to presenting and want to build a strong foundation, or you're a seasoned speaker looking to take your skills to the next level, this course is a must. It arms you with powerful, practical techniques to ensure your message is not just heard, but truly remembered.

I continue to send my staff who want to level up their presenting skills to this course and watch as they develop so many new skills. I envy everyone about to experience this course for the first time. It's packed with game-changing insights that have revolutionized my approach to presenting."

- Kate Hall, Executive Director, Northbrook Public Library

 

About the Instructor

Your Instructor


Ann K. Emery
Ann K. Emery

Ann K. Emery is an internationally-acclaimed speaker who equips organizations to get their data out of dusty spreadsheets and into real-world conversations.

Each year, she delivers over 100 keynotes, workshops, and webinars with the aim of equipping organizations to visualize data more effectively.

She has been invited to speak in 31 states and 11 countries; 10,000 people have enrolled in her online training academy; and she has consulted to 200 organizations, including the United Nations, Centers for Disease Control, and Harvard University.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a Master’s degree from George Mason University.

After traveling full-time as a digital nomad, Ann now resides in Florida along with her husband and five children.


 

FAQs

Is this course asynchronous, or live?

It's entirely live! You'll get Zoom links for our November 2024 course. Later, you'll also get Zoom links for our live Office Hours sessions. As an added bonus, there are asynchronous lessons, too. You'll get access to recorded lessons with guest speakers, case studies, and additional spreadsheet topics.

What if I can't make the live sessions?

We post the recordings to the course website immediately. We add auto-generated captions to the recordings, too.

Can I re-watch the class later?

Yes, and you'll get lifetime access to the recordings. "Lifetime" is a tricky word -- you'll get access for the lifetime of the course. As long as I'm offering Powerful Presentations, you'll get access to the recordings. I update the course every year or two, so you'll always get the latest and greatest version. In other words, the new 'n' improved course will replace the older course.

How long does it take to complete?

The course is the equivalent of a 2-day workshop (but broken into half-day segments). And, you'll be invited to 25+ hour-long Office Hours sessions each year, throughout 2024 and 2025. You *don't* need to complete 100% of the course to be successful. For example, you might choose to watch just some of the case studies that seem most relevant to your own workplace. The typical student attends some, but not all, of the live Office Hours sessions.

A bunch of us want to register. How many people do we need to qualify for a group rate?

Groups of 2-24 people get 25% off. Groups of 25+ get 50% off. Please email [email protected] and let us know the staff members' names and email addresses. Then, our Operations Manager will send you a single invoice with your group rate applied. It'll be much faster for you than enrolling people one at at time.

The registration page is adding sales tax, but my organization is tax-exempt. What should I do?

You can either: (1) pay the sales tax, request a refund from the hosting company (Teachable) later, and get your refund in 4-6 weeks; or (2) email our team at [email protected] and we can send you an invoice through our accounting system without the sales tax.

Oh no! My boss is out of the office, so I can't pay in time.

Please email our team ASAP at [email protected]. We'll need to start processing your invoice so that you can attend the live class on November 4th.

Will you offer this course again?

Yes. In 2025, the structure might be different (might be offered as recordings, not live) and the tuition might be higher.

Can we hire you for a private Powerful Presentations workshop?

Yes, I'd love to provide a workshop just for your team, either virtually or in-person! Please note: My schedule fills 6-12 months in advance, and group rates for online courses will always be more cost-effective than private workshops.