Rand Fishkin is the CEO of a very good search engine management company. Because of that, he often gives presentations about complex subject matter to skeptical audiences. Who else has to give presentations about complex subject matter to skeptical audiences? Lawyers – especially during closing arguments. So when I saw an article about the techniques that Rand uses to make his presentations so good, I checked it out. And I thought it was good enough to share here.
When we’re prepping for the conference, we do really detailed prep calls with all our speakers. This time around, I’ve found myself explaining how I want everyone’s decks to be a bit more like Rand’s. It occurred to me that this wasn’t particularly actionable and so I wanted to put together some of the things I’ve been trying to integrate into my own presentation style in the hope that it’ll serve as a good guide for others.
Of course, what’s missing from this list is any of the “behind the scenes” methodologies Rand uses to capture and refine ideas – hopefully he’ll drop some of those in the comments.
Admittedly, tip #5 (use a cute robot) is probably not going to work for most closing arguments. However, instead of arguing with a mascot to prove a point, you could always engage in a mock argument with an opposing witness.
Of all of the tips in the article, the very best is the last one – practice and know which slides come next. I always spend a TON of time on my presentations to make sure I don’t botch the order or otherwise make myself look like an ass in front of a crowd.
