3 Important Quotes From Presentation Experts

I grew up in the 80s watching the iconic TV show Reading Rainbow. If you’ve seen it, you’re probably humming the theme song now. Host LeVar Burton would recommend a book and then follow it with this now-famous quote, “but you don’t have to take my word for it.” It was his way of saying: I’ve read this. I liked it. I think you’ll like it too. But I hope you read it and find out for yourself.

Today, in the spirit of Reading Rainbow, we are sharing advice from 3 presentation experts: Ken Haemer, Carmine Gallo, and Jerry Weissman. We’ve picked 3 of their best quotes. These salient snippets remind us of what is really important when it comes to giving presentations. They are lessons we hope you’ll find engaging and helpful. We’ve read them. We liked them. We think you’ll like them too. But you don’t have to take our word for it.

Quote #1

“Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it ‘to whom it may concern.’” – Ken Haemer, Former AT&T Presentation Research Manager

Ken Haemer is getting at something that is foundational in the field of presentations: audience analysis. It’s learning about who your audience is so that you can craft your message specifically for them. You already do this every day. Say you have an embarrassing experience at your doctor’s office. Think of how you would tell that story differently to your best friend, coworker, or spouse. More than likely, you’ll change the message slightly based on who you are telling it to. We need to do that for our presentations too.

You might start analyzing your audience using this list of questions:

    • Who will be attending my presentation?
    • Why are they attending?
    • How does my topic affect the lives of my listeners?
    • What does my audience already know about this topic?
    • What feelings or opinions might my audience have toward this topic?
    • Is there anything in my presentation that could be frustrating for or offensive to my audience?
    • What percentage of the information I’m presenting will be new to my audience? How should this affect my content and pace?
    • What do I want my audience to leave knowing and feeling?

Quote #2

“The slides should supplement the talk, not give it. The speaker is the performer, and the slides are supporting actors.” –Carmine Gallo, Communication Coach and Author

This quote from Carmine Gallo reminds us that our slide decks should work in tandem with us, supporting us, not upstaging us. If you’ve filled your slides with everything that needs to be said, you’ve made yourself obsolete. The audience can just read your slides instead of listening to you.

As a presenter, focus on letting the slides show while you tell. In this way, the presentation becomes a healthy partnership, where both you and your presentation slides have a role to play. And each one is better, more complete, with the other. If you are relying on the slides too much, or not enough, it’s time to work to achieve that crucial balance that makes for a great presentation.

Quote #3

“You can’t have the sizzle without the steak.” –Jerry Weissman, Corporate Presentation Coach and Author

This last quote is one of our favorites. If you’ve been following our blog for very long, you’ve probably seen it before. It’s a simple but powerful metaphor that reminds us that great delivery can’t take the place of great content. In fact, Weissman goes on to say, “All the vocal dynamics and animated body language in the world can’t improve a confusing story, while a clear and concise story can give a presenter clarity of mind to present with poise.”

In other words, you have to put in the time to conduct relevant research and develop solid content before you start worrying about what you are going to do with your hands while you present. The “sizzle”—the facial expressions, body language, and vocal delivery—is all important, but only after you’ve got the steak.

We covered three important lessons: audience analysis, the partnership between the presenter and his/her slide deck, and the need for both great content and great delivery. We believe these are foundational pillars for anyone serious about crafting great presentations. But again, you don’t have to take our word for it.

Instead, you can browse our portfolio and check out how our presentation design agency has helped customers like the ones below.

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