How many PowerPoint presentations are given every day? No one really knows, but there is an oft-cited number of 30 million daily that seems to make its way around the internet. But this number has no apparent source, and there really is no way to truly know the correct number.
But here is something we can discuss, and we can source. People are tiring of PowerPoint, and quickly. How do we know that? Our clients here at The Latimer Group tell us this, every single day. We have clients on five continents, across a wide range of industries, and we hear the exact same thing every single day. We get asked questions all the time about how to survive without PowerPoint.
We don’t know when the anti-PowerPoint tipping point will come, but that day will come. We believe this with absolute certainty.
And when that day comes, what will you do about it? Will you be ready to communicate well with your colleagues, employees, and customers? How will you communicate differently? What skills will you need?
PowerPoint is a tool, and it will almost certainly be replaced by something else. We don’t yet know what that tool will be, but we also don’t care. Neither should you. Because there is only one skill you need to have at your disposal, and it will serve you well whether the tool is PowerPoint or something else.
The only skill you need to survive and thrive in the post-PowerPoint world is the exact same skill you need to survive now… you need to be able to speak to people, clearly, confidently, persuasively. You need to be able to tell a story, without a set of slides as your crutch. You need to be able to look someone in the eye, and explain your value, make your recommendation, provide context, articulate value. You need to be able to have an informal conversation or make a formal pitch, and make it easy for people to remember your message. And you need to be able to do this without your “script” on the screen behind you.
You want to be ready to thrive in a post-PowerPoint world? Then work on telling the story in simple, valuable, audience-centric ways. Give context. Get to the point. Make them care.
And the best part of this advice? These are the sames skills that give you competitive advantage right here, right now, today. Reduce your reliance on slides. Learn how to tell a good story. You’ll be ready to thrive in the post-PowerPoint world, whenever that arrives. But more importantly, you’ll also be ready to thrive today, tomorrow, every day.
Good luck.
[…] been writing a lot lately about “the new communication age” and life in a “post-PowerPoint world.” Communication skills have never been more important than they are right […]