Page 107 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

98 DELIVERY

something like (and this is worth repeating): “It all comes down to
this . . .” or, “Put it all together and here’s what we’ve got . . .” or, “So
here’s my message . . .” or, “Bottom line . . .” and click your remote
for the last time. Up pops the same logo with your name that you
used as your opening slide—the earlier top layer of your Oreo—and
everybody is automatically back to paying attention to you and what-
ever you want to say. There is nothing more for them to look at
because you took the visuals down, and now you are back in total
control. This is an important moment. This is when you drive hard
to your powerful fi nish.
So you are the top and bottom of the Oreo. You are the chocolate
wafers. Strong on the top and strong on the bottom. The proof is in

the cream filling (in this case, not in the pudding). Everybody loves
Oreos, and everybody is going to love yours, too. This is always good
news—particularly if your confection gets the order, sells the inves-
tor, or seals the deal.

Rule #2: Get Rid of Those Word Slides

If the word slides are gone, then what have we got? We’ve got charts,
graphs, schematics, photos, and other visuals that are useful to sup-
port the theme—and that’s all we’ve got.
The real estate on the wall is precious, and we need to use it
wisely. We want to be 100 percent sure that every picture we show
refl ects, supports, and illuminates the theme—and the presenter.
This leaves no room for word slides.
Toss the titles, agendas, and endless pages of whole sentences and
paragraphs, even bullets (but save them for the digital or hard copy
document). This is an important point and I will repeat it—word
slides do not go away. They remain in the original presentation,
which we will call the document. If you wish, you can use the docu-
ment as a handout (only after the presentation), digital record, or
reference source for Q&A.