As you all know, Tuesday’s posts are dedicated to Gen X and Y. On that note, here are three things I learned from the 1980’s regarding presentations.
1. Dress for Success
You may remember the 1980’s movie classic, The Secret of My Success, which starred Michael J. Fox. The premise of the movie is about a young executive named Brantley Foster who poses as an executive named Carlton Whitfield in his attempt to propel his career forward and climb the corporate ladder. The prominent lesson from this film is that mail room Brantley is “Mr. Casual” while young executive Carlton is “Mr. Suit.” Success according to this movie is all about how you dress. This same principle is a great rule of thumb for presentations. Always overdress. It never hurts.
2. Be an Icon.
I don’t know about you, but I loved Michael Jackson as a kid. His music is still a guilty pleasure. Thriller. Beat it. Billie Jean. Man in the Mirror. There is definitely a reason why Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. On that note, everyone probably remembers his iconic white glove. It was part of his image. It was part of his brand. It was part of his identity. Be like Mike and brand your next talk.
3. Break the Rules.
I don’t call myself the Chief Rebel for no reason. I learned early on from shows like MacGyver that you need to think outside the box and find better ways to do things. Break the rules with your next presentation. After all, the status quo as it relates to PowerPoint hasn’t changed the world.
