Just Add Water. Michael Baldwin

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      SAN FRANCISCO

      ®

      FOREWORD

      I have spent 25 years in advertising, trained as a professional actor, delivered nearly 1,000 theater workshops at the flagship Apple Store, and made branding and marketing presentations powerful enough to convince even Steve Jobs. For the past five years, I’ve dedicated myself to helping senior managers, VPs, CMOs, and CEOs become better presenters.

      I love the art of presentation. And I hate what’s become of it. We were off to such a spectacular start 32,000 years ago with the simple, powerful cave paintings: the gold standard for presentations. Even Picasso was moved by their uncomplicated beauty and ability to communicate. But we’ve been in a downward spiral ever since. I’m all too aware of the drill: a mandate comes down from on high or from a client, a scramble ensues for all the relevant data, and everyone and their sister have to add their two cents before signing off. The result is a schizophrenic, overloaded presentation that nobody is happy with. Too many people spend weeks preparing a presentation only to see it tank, and don’t know why or where to turn for help.

      I’ve worked with six clients a day over the past five years and witnessed the frustration, confusion, and fear that so many people have about public speaking. I’ve seen these same clients transformed over the course of my training—and the joy and empowerment they feel as a result. This book is a distillation of that one-day program—and it works.

      Here I turn the fundamentals of creating, organizing, and delivering content into easy-to-remember concepts. Just Add Water is shorthand for “easy.” In the time it takes to fly from New York to Denver, it will give you the techniques to save time and energy in your preparation process and provide you a visual overview of what effective presentations look like. You’ll discover how to create simple, powerful presentations that work.

      “Nothing will accelerate your career faster than developing your ability to communicate.” —Stand and Deliver

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      This book would not have been possible without the talent and tenacity of its designer, Marc Klein. I would like to thank him for creating such a beautiful and unexpected aesthetic and for introducing me to the other key contributors to the book: Catherine Johnson—photography and visuals; Emma McLaughlin—editor; and Vikram Patel—print designer. I am grateful to each of them for devoting their time and energy to this mission.

      I would also like to thank my siblings—David, Jennifer, and Susannah—for being invaluable sounding boards and contributors and Reyn Parsons for his unflagging support and for getting me over the crowd-funding finish line.

      Finally, I would like to thank all the clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past eight years. It is the collective learning from every one of those engagements that has made this book possible.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      This book would not have been possible without the talent and tenacity of its designer, Marc Klein. I would like to thank him for creating such a beautiful and unexpected aesthetic and for introducing me to the other key contributors to the book: Catherine Johnson—photography and visuals; Emma McLaughlin—editor; and Vikram Patel—print designer. I am grateful to each of them for devoting their time and energy to this mission.

      I would also like to thank my siblings—David, Jennifer, and Susannah—for being invaluable sounding boards and contributors and Reyn Parsons for his unflagging support and for getting me over the crowd-funding finish line.

      Finally, I would like to thank all the clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past eight years. It is the collective learning from every one of those engagements that has made this book possible.

      PowerPoint is a powerful tool, but people need to learn how to use it. Even Harry Potter had to learn how to harness the power of his wand.

      Just ADD WATER

       Driving Your Audience from Point “A” to Point “B” 11

       You Are the Driver, Not Your Slides 23

       Start Your Trip Powerfully: With a Story 27

       The Five Essentials for Your Trip 43

       Don’t Ask Your Audience to Read Something While You’re Talking to Them 69

       Break up Your Trip to Keep Your Audience’s Attention 73

       Only Pack the Essentials 79

       Put Everything in Place Before You Start 91

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