You shuffle into the meeting room and are already dreading it. Here comes another tedious PowerPoint presentation.
Objective, Strategy, Bar Chart, Pie Chart, Diagram, Graph…your eyelids are getting heavy.
When it comes to presentations, I follow Guy Kawasaki’s “10/20/30 Rule”. As Apple’s Chief Evangelist, he limited PowerPoint decks to 10 slides, in 20 minutes, using a 30 point font.
Sounds simple, but does the info stick? Researcher extraordinaire, John Parikhal, reminds us that most Americans can’t do fractions. So, keep presentations easy to grasp.
Like the image above.
This graphic depicts the coronavirus spreading across the Northeast. It’s one slice of an extraordinary New York Times report called ‘How The Virus Won.’ Using GPS, cellphones tracked COVID-19’s invasion of America. Stunning visuals show the disease’s impact following spring break in Florida and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
This tells the story better than anything I’ve seen. Far more powerful than a static chart. Take a look:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-spread.html
Here’s my take. Say goodbye to boring charts. They require too much thought. We’re impatient, visual learners. So, show us.
The future of presentations is ‘data visualization.’ It’s the interactive blend of art and science. Even home improvement shows have replaced sketches with 360-degree views.
Experts predict that 70% of internet searches will be for video content. You can already see that from the explosive growth of YouTube, TikTok and Zoom. So, watch data get transformed into moving images.
Note to Microsoft: Get into this business. Build PowerPoint2 into a product that brings numbers to life. Include animated graphics that illustrate shifting trends and attitudes.
Dazzle us.
