Visual Storytelling Secrets: Keeping Audience Attention Through Effective Presentation Design

Tim Newman [00:00:06]:
Welcome to Speaking with Confidence, podcast that’s here to help you unlock the power of effective public speaking. I’m your host, Tim Newman, and I’m excited to take you on a journey to become a better public speaker. If you are like most people, just the thought of speaking in front of a crowd or talking during an important meeting can trigger all kinds of anxiety. Trust me, I know what that’s like. I gave my first speech as a senior in college. I was so nervous that as soon as I got to the front of the room and opened my mouth to speak, I threw up. I have learned a lot since then, and I’m here to help others overcome their fear of messing up or sounding stupid. Today’s episode of the Speaking with Confidence podcast features someone lucky enough to identify one of her lifelong passions at a very young age and then turn it into a successful career.

Tim Newman [00:00:51]:
Regardless of whether you have always known what you want to do with your life or whether you are still struggling to decide what you will be when you grow up, you will find Emily Schneider’s story inspiring. She brings nearly 2 decades of experience in marketing and branding with her as she helps people effectively deliver their messages and stories with creative visuals, images, and designs. This need to find out how she started with a sweet 16 invitation and continued to bring the party to all her work and why she treats everything like it’s a good time. Throughout the conversation with Emily, you’ll get specific tips and tricks for creating impactful presentations and visuals. Our discussion includes the key to the less is more strategy, which allows you to connect more with your audience while encouraging them to focus on you as a speaker. Here’s some suggestions on how to make your content flow by simplifying complex information into images, charts, and intentionally designed visuals. Emily explains how small shifts in the way you use colors, fonts, and the placement of slide components can dramatically enhance your message. She even shares great tools that are currently available, such as color palette generators, to help you make your presentations both legible and readable.

Tim Newman [00:02:05]:
If that isn’t enough to entice you to listen, maybe the fact that Emily throws in a few free resources to the speaking with confidence community as she talks throughout the episode. So keep a pen or pencil handy to write down the key takeaways from today’s guest. Our next guest is a visual storyteller with a fervent passion for presentation design. She specializes in transforming complex content into captivating presentations that seamlessly blends storytelling with eye catching design. She brings nearly 2 decades of experience in marketing and branding to the table. Her strategic collaboration with clients ensures that their message comes to life through beautiful, impactful visuals. Her journey began with a sweet 16 invitation, igniting a love for design that has flourished into a thriving creative career. She’s dedicated to empowering clients to confidently deliver their messages.

Tim Newman [00:02:55]:
She invites you to join her in exploring the exciting world of design presentations and discovering her unique approach to crafting stunning visual stories in PowerPoint. So please welcome Emily Schneier to the show. Emily, welcome. And I am so excited to to talk about this because it’s fun for me. I’m I’m not necessarily the crate the the most creative person, but but I I just I love the the whole idea of this. So welcome.

Emily Schneider [00:03:19]:
Thank you so much, Tim. I’m so glad to be here. It’s so fun. I love talking about it. So let’s go.

Tim Newman [00:03:24]:
Well, cool, Grace. So first, tell me about this the the sweet 16 invitation and and how that really kinda piqued your interest and and got you into doing this.

Emily Schneider [00:03:32]:
Yeah. Well, I could start with, like, I have had exponential growth since then. Right? So, so it’s always good to celebrate those wins. It’s how I like to start. Yeah. So I I guess from a young age, I just was somebody who was always creatively curious. But usually that meant and I would touch things and then break them. And so my parents sort of started to challenge me that, like, if I touched something and broke it, I had to figure out how to fix it.

Emily Schneider [00:03:55]:
I mean, there are definitely shopping trips around maybe, like, put my hands in my pockets because she didn’t wanna buy things. But, like, at home and stuff, right, I would, like, be tinkering or playing with toys, and I would break them apart and put them back together. And so I always had this ability to see things a little differently or to figure out how they work together. And I I think of when I turned 16, like, computers were were comp like, they had been out for a bit, but we had just gotten, like, our first colored monitor, and I just enjoyed planes playing with stuff. And, I designed this really, you know, interesting choice of pixelated swirls, with a font that, like, I look back and make it so hard to read. But what I love and what is, like, obviously such a a crucial point in my design career was the feeling I got when I shared it with my parents. And the feelings I got when I when I sent it out and the and the way people responded. And it was that moment that I realized that, like, I had something or I love doing stuff that made other people happy and sharing.

Emily Schneider [00:04:53]:
And and when I love to do it, and then when they smile too, it was, like, the double win. Right? I was young. I didn’t know how to articulate it. But, but and my 20 6 you know, turning 16 was such a special time, and we had, like, a a special, like, woman’s lunch and and stuff. So it was, like, a very pivotal moment in my life. But just that that that invitation, is definitely something I remember. I remember printing it. I remember working on it.

Emily Schneider [00:05:16]:
Like, I remember the chair, the computer, the way the room was set up. Like, I again, being such a visual person, I have all these memories. So Mhmm. But it was really special. I actually just recently found a copy of it, thanks to a friend who had, like, made me a a scrapbook. And, because I’ve been talking about it, you know, especially this past year so much, are thinking about it. And so, it was really fun, and it’s really funny, to look at. But again, I’m just gonna celebrate that, like, look at the growth I’ve had, and I still it had purple in it.

Emily Schneider [00:05:46]:
Like, purple has always been my color. And so the pride, the power, you know, the comfort that that comes with. So, I I love that I that my my my design career started with a party invitation, and I’m still trying to bring the party to all all the work I do. Even though presentations sometimes don’t feel like a party, I think that we should always treat everything like it’s a good time.

Tim Newman [00:06:06]:
That’s such an awesome story. It’s just the whole thing when you’re young and you find something that that you that you like and it has and it has stayed with you throughout your professional career. That that’s just that’s an inspiring story, especially, you know, for for people in my audience who are generally young professionals who who are still trying to figure out what they wanna do. And I think from a societal perspective, we put so much pressure on young people to to figure things out. Like, right, you you you better know, like, by the time you’re 15 because if you don’t, you’re you’re in big trouble. And that’s just that’s really not real realistic. So so to find something that that you that you loved when you were young, that that just it’s it’s awesome. It’s an awesome story.

Emily Schneider [00:06:44]:
I mean, I got that that’s so interesting you say that I had a conversation recently with my mom, like, around mother’s day. But, like, the idea of PowerPoint didn’t exist when I, like, was starting when I was young, let alone the idea that I could make an entire career and and and have a thriving business around literally just designing in PowerPoint. You know, so I think it what I what I what I hear you saying, what I always love to preach and what I’ll share, and I share with people my my age the same the older is find the thing that you love doing that lights you up and keep figuring it out and keep staying curious about how you can make that work. And if you have a dream of, like, this is what I wanna do, but I need to make money or I need to make it a career, figure it out. Like, you’re you’re gonna mess it up a lot, but there’s always stepping stones. And, I’m not done. I just know right now, this is, like, this is my this is my zone of genius, and I am so excited that I found it. But it took it took work.

Emily Schneider [00:07:37]:
It took failing. It took, like, figuring out that I didn’t like traditional career aspects. I didn’t wanna be my boss anymore. I wanted to do something else. I was like, well, I don’t need to follow that journey. I can go this way. And I just kept, you know, leaning in and asking questions and reaching out for help, but also trusting myself. So I agree.

Emily Schneider [00:07:54]:
It’s, the jobs now or I guess, like, the kids now in school, their their actual jobs probably haven’t even been developed or, like, we don’t even know what we need Right. In 10 years and, you know, in 20 years. So I think that’s always so interesting that, like, we’re crafting the future without even knowing, you know, what those what those roles are. It’s cool.

Tim Newman [00:08:14]:
Yeah. And just to to say one more thing on that is you said it a couple of times that it takes work. Anything that’s worth doing that you’re gonna be good at is gonna take work. And I do hope that everybody understands that, you know, whether it’s doing what you do, whether it’s being a carpenter, being electrician, being a doctor, what it doesn’t really matter what what you do. If you wanna be good at something and you enjoy, it’s going to take work and and and you have to to practice your craft.

Emily Schneider [00:08:40]:
Yeah. And it’s gonna take, like, not doing great at it every time either. Right? Yes. And it’s gonna take nothing out so you could figure out what you can do better next time. It’s one of my favorite things about being an entrepreneur and having an unknown path ahead of me is like when I mess up, and I use air quotes. Right? When I when I stale, it’s actually a learning opportunity. No. Don’t get me wrong.

Emily Schneider [00:09:00]:
I get down. I you have your moment. But that’s where, like, I look at my speed to exceeding invitation. I’m, like, it all started because I messed things up. And I and so I had to fix how to do things, and then I started loving creating things and building things and right? And so so it it’s a journey, but you have to know that sometimes it’s not it’s not always a beautiful one. It it’s tough, but I find the win. And then I celebrate I felt celebrate I I fail forward or I fall forward a lot. And I think that if you take that mindset, it makes such a world of difference to your point.

Emily Schneider [00:09:30]:
The easy stuff is not worth it.

Tim Newman [00:09:31]:
I agree. You know, I tell everybody that I’m I’m an easy person to get along with. I I really am. And then I start telling the things that drive me nuts, and then they start looking at me. So you may not be that easy to get along with to begin with. But when we talk about PowerPoints, what are the there there’s a couple of things that that really, really bother me. Number 1 is, you know, when I talk to students and I give them a an assignment, they’ve gotta do a presentation, and I ask them how they’re gonna start. The first thing they say is, well, I’m gonna open up PowerPoint.

Tim Newman [00:09:58]:
That’s number 1. Number 2 is when they get up in front of the room and open up their PowerPoint, and they’ve got a logo or a picture, and it’s got a white box around it. And I just it just oh, it’s it’s infuriating. It it’s it’s just one of those things that said it’s my stomach gets upset. I start breathing heavy.

Emily Schneider [00:10:15]:
Sure.

Tim Newman [00:10:15]:
You know, so so what are some of the more common mistakes that that people make in in PowerPoint, and and how can they be avoided?

Emily Schneider [00:10:22]:
Yeah. Well, I actually have, if if you’re open to it, I’m happy to share. I have, like, a a quick one pager that’s, like, my 4 top tips that might be super helpful. It it goes through, you know, where I how I approach or how I think of the presentation development journey should be. Gonna be honest, I don’t usually, you know, work with my clients or focus in on the knowing your audience or the delivery, which are the two ends. Right? I’m more in this middle point of

Tim Newman [00:10:45]:
Right.

Emily Schneider [00:10:46]:
Writing your story and design. But I do think that that’s important to know. But, yeah, to your point, it’s like PowerPoint is not a it’s not a design tool. It is a storytelling tool when you already know what you’re saying. You already know what you wanna share. Right. The things that I see the most common are people don’t set up their presentation. So they’re not giving their audience the ability to bring them in.

Emily Schneider [00:11:08]:
So basically, you start with the end in mind, is how I like to coach people or remind people. You don’t just start by setting the scene. You start by saying, this is why we’re here. This is what I wanna talk about. It could be a single slide that just has a very, you know, simple title, but it brings people in. It captures their attention, and you and you kind of define what that update is or what you wanna share. And then you set the scene. But from a design standpoint and from a slide intention standpoint, it’s way too much information on a slide.

Emily Schneider [00:11:39]:
It’s not being consistent, and it’s not being, like, simple. Those things, you know, not not thinking about what your slide intention is, what your key points are, I’d say 2 to 3 at the most per slide, 6 to 8 lines, 30 words, like, less is more. I’d rather have more slides in a deck and be able to digest the information than to have your entire script written out. Because when you’re when you’re speaking, when you’re presenting to somebody, the goal is to connect with them. Like people, we’re humans. Connection is like our most universal need. So if you put everything on a slide, they’re not gonna listen to you at all. They’re gonna read everything.

Emily Schneider [00:12:18]:
They’re probably gonna get confused. And now you’ve just lost them, and it’s really hard to get somebody back if you’ve really lost them. So simple and keep it and and, like, less is more is is definitely that, those top things.

Tim Newman [00:12:32]:
Yeah. I think that that’s that’s really key to keep it simple because, again, you want them to listen to what you’re saying. And because who who whoever it is that’s speaking, you or, you know, whoever speaking, that’s where the information is coming from. I mean, I I look at the PowerPoint or or the the visual as as supplementary, as as they shouldn’t be focusing on that. They should they should be focusing on on on the speaker. And it I’m glad you said some of the things that you said, you know, because my the way my career has evolved, especially with from from presentation perspective and teaching perspective is, you know, I’ve seen the students who put paragraphs on there, and I’ve said that, no. We’re not doing that anymore. I’m gonna limit you to 88 things.

Tim Newman [00:13:10]:
You know, if your title is 44 words, I mean, you’ve only got 4 more things that you can put on there. And and, you know, I get that that’s kind of extreme, but it does get them to understand that that, you know, they’ve got they’ve got to to to minimize things to to be a little bit more effective.

Emily Schneider [00:13:25]:
Yeah. I was there’s an exercise I learned when I was, like, starting my career, when I was working like, when I was in an agency world and I was an art director working with a copywriter, and we would design something together. And then the exercise was keep taking things away until it didn’t make sense anymore. And then you add that last thing. So the idea of like, because a lot of times, you over communicate at the beginning. But it it and it couldn’t be to your point, like, filler words, like, is, the, can I turn a bullet into just, you know, it doesn’t have to be a full sentence? Can my headline doesn’t need to be a paragraph. It should be a few words, but can you just keep cutting and your idea is still there? And then when you when you got cut when you cut too far and you’re like, I’m confused, you know, you add that last thing in and usually that’s where your your sweet spot is. But it’s but I also agree when you were talking about the slide should be the background.

Emily Schneider [00:14:13]:
They should be the support of what you’re saying. It’s so interesting because when when you do not design your slides to support your story, when you design them to tell your story, you are, you people easily get sidetracked. Right? Their brains go in, like, the way we digest information, they’re they’re already on their off telling their own story. They’re creating their what ifs. They’re saying I would do this different. So, like, bad design is, like, easy to spot, and good design is actually things where you, like, it kind of passes you over, which is what you think is opposite. Right? Because it’s like a good design slide, you don’t really notice. You you’re focused on the presenter, but you remember their information.

Emily Schneider [00:14:51]:
A bad design presentation or and slide, you don’t remember anything they say. You just remember how confusing you are. So you kinda want, like, what what you know, you choose how you want people to remember you.

Tim Newman [00:15:02]:
Yeah. Let let me just take that, you know, just a step further. So let’s just say, you’re you’re doing a presentation and I should say it’s it’s it’s 10 minutes. Right? And I and I and I say, as I’m as I’m coaching people, if you got a 10 minute presentation, you should you should probably only have maybe 3 3 main points at most, 3 main points. Obviously, it’s gonna depend on on what the the topic is. But but how many slides do you think that that that would actually turn into? Or or is that something that it really kind of depends on how this how the the person’s telling the story?

Emily Schneider [00:15:36]:
I think it really depends on how the person’s telling the story. Because if I have 3 main points, but I wanna tell it in a lot of pictures. Right? I wanna have dynamic pictures and I can sequence that that story. Let’s say it’s about a plant a seed growing into a tree. Right? Like, I can have 7 slides that show the stages of a of a cycle because that might be really impactful if I’m highlighting each stage. If it’s if I’m telling the totality of and I don’t know why I’m talking about trees, but, of a tree growing and I show the cycle in one graph. And then the next slide talks about the impact of this this seed in this area versus that area. That’s gonna be a different story.

Emily Schneider [00:16:14]:
And so now I’ve just went from 7 slides because I just wanted to talk about the life cycle of a tree to 2 slides, which is just which I really wanna focus on. Right? What the difference is. Like, it’s it’s really about what is your key takeaway. I should I should simplify.

Tim Newman [00:16:29]:
Okay.

Emily Schneider [00:16:30]:
I don’t think Yeah.

Tim Newman [00:16:30]:
That makes sense.

Emily Schneider [00:16:31]:
I don’t think slides I don’t have a limit. I don’t have a best practice in that, to be honest, because, yes, based on timing, it’s also just based on how long you stay on a slide. So you to your point, if you’re only putting 8 things on a slide and you say 3 slides, I might actually need like, in from a different standpoint or a different point of view is I need 7 slides because I wanna keep them very simple, but I’m gonna move through them not too fast, but I don’t have to stick on them for a minute. Like it could be a few seconds.

Tim Newman [00:17:02]:
Right. Right.

Emily Schneider [00:17:02]:
You know what I mean? Like it it all and it depends on your cadence and your energy and and how you wanna tell that. But Mhmm. I think it’s I would focus more on what is on my slide than the number of slides I have.

Tim Newman [00:17:14]:
That’s a really interesting point. And as I think about it, when when you’re coaching somebody and you’re and you’re doing this, you really kinda have to understand what who they are and and how they’re gonna tell the story. So so you’re you’re you’re probably working pretty intimately with with with your clients and and kind of figuring some of these things out to in in order to to build or help them build the the visual story.

Emily Schneider [00:17:37]:
Yeah. That’s why I love doing what I do. I’m a total collaborator. I never think we get to the end until it’s like we’re there. You know? Part of that part of my process and the way I look at it is when somebody has a presentation or they’ve reached out and they need some help, they come to me with their content sort of art baked. It’s whether it’s in an outline, whether it’s already in black and white slides, but, you know and they didn’t build it in there. But, like, they have their outline ready. And then I have them walk me through every slide.

Emily Schneider [00:18:04]:
I or, you know, we go through that story because there are sometimes where they’re like, I have these 3 ideas, but I need to merge it into 1. And when they start talking about it, as somebody who can, you know, kind of simplify complex information, that’s my job. I can help them be like, oh, we can make this into a flowchart, or we can make this into a process journey, or we can we can articulate your your mission. And then we talk about your your, you know, how you’re gonna execute that against these 3 verticals in your business. And that could be a visual. Like, there’s so much power in translating information into a visual, and you usually get less words. So, yes. They walk me through that.

Emily Schneider [00:18:40]:
And then I’ll start to design a few slides. And then I get back on a working session. I’m a big zoomer. I’ll get back on and I’ll share my screen and I’ll be like let’s walk through it together because then when they see it designed, there’s always like, oh, we could say this differently or this is actually what we should highlight. So it’s a total collaboration process. And also why PowerPoint’s amazing because I’m not the only one that can touch it. Like, I can share it with them, and they can start to tweak it or feel it and test it out, and then they can send it back. And, you know, so it it allows for that collaboration process.

Emily Schneider [00:19:12]:
When I was just in the design world, it’s it was only on me and, you know, they just saw it and responded, and they they couldn’t be part of building it. And Right. Especially when you’re presenting something, you wanna when you’re part of building it, you own it. You’re gonna be more confident when you’re ready to present it. And that’s gonna do, you know, that does wonders when you when you show up with more confidence and create that trust with your audience.

Tim Newman [00:19:33]:
Absolutely. And that’s kind of what I’m doing with, what what I’m doing with my coaching too is is building that confidence Yeah. And understanding that the more you’re a part of it, the more you practice, the more you have ownership in this, the more confident you’re gonna be and the better the presentation is is gonna turn out.

Emily Schneider [00:19:49]:
Yeah. And and we we shouldn’t, like, over, you know, overshadow also. When you’re doing all this, you’re already planning and prepping. So you’re already gonna be more engaged and more prepared, and it’s gonna feel better. And you’re gonna that comes out when you share, when you present. What no matter what, whether it’s a 1 on one conversation or it’s a big room with a lot of people. But when you when you when you start earlier in the process and you think about each slide and you you limit yourself to those 8 things per slide or you limit yourself to some slide, you already are doing so much work where you’re planning out your script in a way without having to write anything. It’s it’s such a beautiful process that it like I think people sometimes are like, oh, I don’t have time to do it, but actually it saves time.

Emily Schneider [00:20:34]:
From a business standpoint

Tim Newman [00:20:35]:
Right.

Emily Schneider [00:20:35]:
I think 16%, some of my clients get 16% more back tied back just by the hours they save not working on this so that they can work on their other work, which pending what you do, like, they don’t want to be designing presentations. They don’t they can write the content. They know what they need to say. But they don’t wanna spend time in PowerPoint. They wanna spend time doing the work that they wanna do, that their job is. So just because we have the tool doesn’t mean we’re all able to do it. We have access to it. I love helping people learn how to do it.

Emily Schneider [00:21:05]:
I love helping them do it. But, you know, we don’t have to be experts in it. But, you know, PowerPoint kinda can give us a a combo to, like, hey. Just press this button, then we’ll make a PowerPoint.

Tim Newman [00:21:15]:
Yeah.

Emily Schneider [00:21:15]:
But but there’s great tools. Like, I I do appreciate that too.

Tim Newman [00:21:18]:
Yeah. So talk about, you know, visual consistency and and how that how how you achieve that or what what that means in terms of a of a PowerPoint presentation.

Emily Schneider [00:21:28]:
Yeah. So it’s so interesting because our brains are we retain 65% of information when it’s visually designed where versus just with content and copy at 10 to 20%. And so I think that stat is so amazing because it just shows the power of when you take the intention and the strategy to design each slide, how you can pull through synergies that allow your audience to connect and remember. So, visual consistency can be using the same thoughts, same placement for headlines, treating bullets the same place on all pages, having your logo in the same spot. It could be when you talk about a certain topic. Again, if you’re if you’re looking at the calendar years and you’re talking about or a strategic, you know, objective, every time you mention that thing, it’s in that color or it’s treated the same way so that if you’re moving through your presentation, I’m gonna remember that, like, oh, you use light blue example when I’m talking about trimester 1. And now when we’re talking about trimester 1, but it’s in marketing versus in sales, Oh, it’s still trimester 1. Our brains automatically connect those stories.

Emily Schneider [00:22:36]:
Treat treating treating charts the same way, having less information, having image styles the same, whether it’s icons and photography, even when you and I know you mentioned like your one of your pet peeves is those white borders around a bad image or a logo. Taking the time to find a good image, And then if you have a couple images that they all fit, they’re all from the same perspective, they feel like they were shot from the same lens, that’s really important. Again, synergies help us tell stories. My favorite, analogy to this is I have some young I have young kids. And my little one is 5, and she’s not reading really yet, but she reads books. What do I mean by that? She looks at pictures, and pictures tell a story because there is a sit there is a there is something that is pulled through. The illustration style is the same. We don’t jump around.

Emily Schneider [00:23:27]:
Right? The same, like, person is treated in the same way. Colors are used. You know, things come to life in different ways. And if we can apply that strategy to adding visual consistency to our presentations, you’re automatically allowing people to follow your story versus making up their

Tim Newman [00:23:45]:
own. Yeah. Yeah. It’s it’s a really good good analogy talking about kids. And and as soon as you said that, I you know, I I’ve got a 4 year old granddaughter that does the exact same thing. Yeah. And it’s it’s funny how fairly accurate she is in telling the story.

Emily Schneider [00:23:58]:
Yeah. It’s amazing. It’s amazing to me. I I think we it’s like the idea that, like, as you get older, the idea of play goes away. Right? Or that but, like, it even with kids, it’s like, you start messy and then you start to clean it up or you you know, like, I’ve I’ve a little girl, so she loves rainbows, but there’s order in the chaos. Right? There’s there’s consistency. You you know the way things are, and it creates comfort, and it creates that that trust and that, I guess, trust maybe not. But, like, it creates that comfort.

Emily Schneider [00:24:25]:
It creates that, credibility, and you don’t feel like as an audience or somebody who’s listening, you you’re you’re creating that synergy for them and you’re making it less chaotic. You know, the other important thing I always make sure when we’re talking about when I work with my clients, so let’s say chart data information. Right? It’s not what’s in it for you as a presenter, meaning I don’t need all the information. Like, you know all the information. But what does your audience need to know? And do they need to know every detail of how investments grew? Or do they just need to know the key dates or from the beginning to the end? You know what I mean? And so, again, you synergize what’s in it for them to tell that story with the right picture, I think is really important. And that’s what I think, you know, little kids and and their ability to read stories without reading words is is doing that because they’re focused on the simplicity of what’s on those pages.

Tim Newman [00:25:17]:
I guess, you know, the the whole idea is, you know, what again, from a coaching perspective, I try and tell them that we’re not presenting information. We’re telling a story because remember, people don’t remember information. They remember the stories. Yep. And so we we’ve gotta find a way to tell the story and then have the visual follow that story as well to to highlight those points as well. And so, you know, you just you just gave a really good example from a from that financial perspective, and and I don’t know if you saw my face, Sasas. I saw it. That’s a that’s a that’s a that’s a really good point.

Tim Newman [00:25:51]:
You know, you so so so sometimes you don’t necessarily think about how you can how you can tell that story really simplistically.

Emily Schneider [00:25:59]:
Yeah. Well and I think sometimes we we believe and I I’m a I’m a I I do it too. We’re like, I need to tell you everything. So you know the whole story. You know every detail. You know all these things. But, like, that information overload actually turns people off. Right? Like, I’ve lost you because I don’t know what you’re talking about anymore because you’ve given me details that aren’t important.

Emily Schneider [00:26:21]:
And so it goes back to, like again, I think one of my one of my best, you know, tips is less is more. Simplicity and consistency allows you to tell it better, tell it slower, and really connect to your audience. And in the end, you want them to remember what you say and how you made them feel or what you made them think or what you made them do after. And you can’t if you give them too much information, they’re gonna they don’t know what to do with it. I mean right? I and same is probably how I’ve Yeah. I remember in college being, like, given assignments and feeling like, like, you get paralyzed by too much because I don’t know where to start. And so sometimes, you know, it’s it’s that those simple things. What is that one thing I need to say overall? Or what is the one thing I want them to do at the end? And that, again, goes back to one of my you know, you start with the beginning in mind so that you can really simplify that story.

Emily Schneider [00:27:11]:
But it takes practice, and it takes it takes putting it out there and then, you know, doing that exercises of pulling back and all that stuff. It’s definitely it’s definitely a process. It it’s not a one and done to get there.

Tim Newman [00:27:22]:
How do you make PowerPoints more interactive and and engaging, you know, for for the audience?

Emily Schneider [00:27:26]:
Yeah. I think it I really work with my clients to understand what each slide is supposed to say and what that should be. So pending how type is treated, how graphs are simplified, color is used. I don’t do a bunch of animations, but definitely building things in in sequential order so that you’re not sharing. If you have 3 main points or you have 3 things that you’re gonna talk about, you know, you build each each block at a time. So it goes with your voice over. So you kind of engage them or create a different visual interest. Transitions are helpful.

Emily Schneider [00:28:01]:
I again, less is more. I’m not saying every page should be have animation. I’m not saying every page should have different animations. I definitely I definitely learned that the hard way where, like, I designed this beautiful, amazing deck. Everything was different, and it was overwhelming. And they were like, no way can we work with this. So you got it. Right.

Emily Schneider [00:28:18]:
So less is more there. But, I mean, it even just like a a background color and white text has so much power, than just a white slide with colored text. I think, again, what there’s the simplicity the simple way of leveraging dynamic, larger information when you have less really allows you to use your space nicely. That’s how I that’s how I approach it.

Tim Newman [00:28:43]:
You bring up the animations. When should you use animations? And and what role do they actually play? Or, you know, is is there an emotion that they should that that you’re trying to elicit? Or or is there something that that you’re really trying to bring out by using the animation?

Emily Schneider [00:28:56]:
Yeah. So I actually am very like, I animations don’t happen very often. I actually don’t think you need them as much as people do think it’s, like, fun. It’s kind of like the idea that, like, then you should have a video. You know? Like but but we are. We’re our in our society now with, like, social media and the way we engage and we’re drawn in because people keep showing that stuff. But animations should be obviously strategically planned around when you have a slide or you want something to really bring to life. I like to do it, you know, in award ceremonies, let’s say, where you’re, like, popping the names out.

Emily Schneider [00:29:30]:
You’re growing things.

Tim Newman [00:29:32]:
For

Emily Schneider [00:29:32]:
example I said before, if you have if you have 3 main points, and I’m thinking, like, they’re designed in buckets and you have, like, a big one designed and, you know, it’s in a color and then you have your 3 three boxes. You know, if your story is gonna be sequential, you wanna you show the top line or that one sentence that talks about topic 1. You put that up there, and then you’re like, okay, now topic 2, and then topic 2 pops up. But you’re not building it and then, like, and then it and then presenting it, if that makes sense. Like, you use your animation

Tim Newman [00:30:03]:
Right.

Emily Schneider [00:30:03]:
To support your voice over. They don’t just okay. I click the slide, everything animates, and then I talk. It should be kind of work together. And then I and then, you know, then then you get into just to help people that are getting used to it is like Then you have the option of like, does it automatically play or do I click it? And what am I comfortable in? Some people don’t like the click, so they got you know, you you can time those thing, which helps you which helps you practice. Again, it’s all preparation, in the end. But yeah. Yeah.

Emily Schneider [00:30:31]:
Is that is that how you usually talk about animations? I’m curious.

Tim Newman [00:30:34]:
When the animations first came out, I I went through a stage where everything was animated. Every letter, every every bullet, you know, after after doing that for a little bit, I said, yeah. That it’s just way too much. And it really takes it takes away from from the message that you’re talking about and the message that’s on the screen because it they’re not really paying attention because it it’s it’s too overwhelming. You never know if it’s what what’s when’s the next one gonna start?

Emily Schneider [00:30:57]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Tim Newman [00:30:57]:
You know what I’m saying?

Emily Schneider [00:30:59]:
Another great spot to use animations, I do think is sometimes in, like, like, linear chart or, like, bar charts. If you wanna show, again, data growth or data change because it allows the viewer to see that more dramatically if it’s like if it’s like rolled in. You know what I mean? So that would be one where, like, it doesn’t have to go in your voice over. It could go on the build up, but, like, timeline kind of things. You know, or if you show, again, here’s where the business says was. Here’s where we are, and you wanna show that difference, like, that line of up or that number percentage, like, that coming in after you’ve shown something. It just when you’re building on what you already have, it definitely helps to play. But I agree.

Emily Schneider [00:31:39]:
I think that deep all there’s no animation. And then you can see, you know, then then if you’re prepared enough, you can kinda add some subtle ones. But

Tim Newman [00:31:46]:
Right. And I I do sometimes sometimes I I generally like to use transition animations depending on what the topic is, you know, makes a little bit

Emily Schneider [00:31:55]:
That’s true.

Tim Newman [00:31:56]:
May maybe a little fun. Now we’re gonna go go over here to this topic, or we’re gonna, you know, do this. So I do I do that every once in a while, but but again, so not not nearly, not a lot.

Emily Schneider [00:32:06]:
No. Another, way I like, I’ve tried to think about it, is that I’m not a web designer, but when you think about websites, right? If you go to a website, it has all these animations and all these things like slide in, you get distracted and you’re like, I don’t know where to look.

Tim Newman [00:32:21]:
Yes.

Emily Schneider [00:32:21]:
But like well designed websites do keep you engaged because they’re building or they’re slowly like, you know, just just the appearance or the fading of something is really powerful. It doesn’t have to just to your point, like every letter doesn’t have to roll in, but if it all fades in together, my again, I’m I’m creating an interesting thing for my head and my brain or my eyes and my brain to connect with. And I’m sore and if I’m listening, it starts to really you know, support your story. And it just makes such a more such a better impact.

Tim Newman [00:32:50]:
Yeah. You you you’re absolutely right. And, you know, I just started kinda kinda thinking about things visually for a second here. You know, colors that that complement each other, but we don’t want guess I guess we don’t people have to be able to see it. They have to be able to read it. So we don’t necessarily want real bright, harsh colors. You from from a color perspective, what what do you what do you kinda look for?

Emily Schneider [00:33:12]:
Oh, that’s such a good question. You know, I don’t I haven’t actually, like, feel like I’ve, like, dissected this enough. But so, legibility and readability are 2 of, like, the words that I’ll I’ll throw out there. So legibility is, can I see it? Like, that’s where color colors come in. You know, people who have are color blind or, just like, need colors. There’s I my brother is actually color blind. So, like, he can’t see certain colors, and they don’t contrast each other. There’s definitely like digital, and websites where you can like throw things up to see color contrast and make sure that they’re legible.

Emily Schneider [00:33:47]:
And then readability is to make sure that people can see it. So the way the size and the fonts or the how big things are, again, those are all important. Colors. Yeah. I mean, again, where are you presenting? What is that screen like? What I show on my computer is very different than if I’m in a big conference room or if I’m in on a TV screen. Just the the amount of white that pops through, can be, you know, in a dark room, a big white screen or a big white slide is really harsh on the eyes. I usually try and go into Again, it’s not the nyads. It’s not the brights.

Emily Schneider [00:34:22]:
They’re a little bit more muted, a little bit darker. And then making sure to your point, there you have contrast. There’s great tools out there of, like, color palette generators where you can kinda play with that. So you can see how things look next to each other, because you would know when color like, when colors radiate against each other, you can’t focus on anything. So, again, I think it goes back to your to the simple things of, like, a couple colors max used throughout, 3 to 4, grays. And then even doing opacities of those colors is really helpful. So like Yeah. A a pie chart doesn’t have to be 6 different colors.

Emily Schneider [00:34:59]:
It could be all purple, but then you do different, you know, opacities of that. So you you see the differences, but you don’t have but it’s not the color the color play. And each presentation or each story and should reflect who that person is or what that brand is. So some brands have a lot of color. It’s you use them, but they’re usually, in brands that have existing color palettes. They’ve already there’s been brand designers who have done that exercise. If you’re just creating it, I say pick pick 2 or 3 colors. My brand itself is one color for that purpose because if not, it’s just too much.

Tim Newman [00:35:30]:
Yeah. It’s it’s a lot. Yeah. It’s a lot. And, you know, I I don’t think I’d I don’t think I’d ever use a a white screen. I I would not never say never, but but a white background. To me, it just it it it it’s too plain. It’s too, you know, even if you’ve got it, you know, a you know, a good strong font, again, that that’s readable, that that’s dark, that’s gonna pop off the screen on that.

Tim Newman [00:35:53]:
To me, I I would rather do the opposite. Right?

Emily Schneider [00:35:56]:
Yeah.

Tim Newman [00:35:56]:
Have whatever whatever color you’re gonna make the font, make that the background and have the font white. Because I think that just kinda pops a little bit better and makes a little bit more readable. Yeah. It makes, more more dimensional. That’s just, you know, from my perspective.

Emily Schneider [00:36:11]:
And that simple shift makes it feel like it’s been designed, that it’s been thought of, that there’s been intention behind it. And that again creates Right. That connection with your audience, that trust, that accountability, and they’re listening better. When you just put white you know, black and white. You know? And but it could be as simple as, like, sometimes I’ll do presentations or, like, I just have a little graphic or a bar, you know, that, like, houses something odd. Like, it’s all black and white, and then I use, like, a gray bar to put the date on. And that when you have you can have subtle things. So I I do I I don’t go I pending the medium or way it’s being presented, I agree.

Emily Schneider [00:36:45]:
I I try to not go to white. But sometimes, like, content gets overwhelming on color, you know, especially when you’re doing design. Yeah.

Tim Newman [00:36:51]:
Oh, absolutely.

Emily Schneider [00:36:52]:
You know? So I think there’s a good combination. But, yes, like, when you don’t have much, color is such a great a solid color is a great way to add interest.

Tim Newman [00:37:00]:
Yeah. I I I think, you know, one of one of the things that that, again, that I don’t like a whole lot is you you’ve got a nice color, and then you’re pulling a graph or some data from Excel over in into it, and it it just doesn’t match. And then you’ve got us you’ve either gotta recreate it or or do a lot of work to to get that actually to match, you know, the the again, the consistency consistency that we’ve talked about. And then sometimes I think, well, it’s not even worth even bothering, and I’m not sure that that that that information is gonna really help me tell the story anyway. So most of the times when I do that, I I I just just get rid of that, and I’ll I’ll explain it in a different way anyhow.

Emily Schneider [00:37:38]:
Yeah. Well, I would say, like, again, put it on there and then start pull pulling it back or start adjusting it a little bit and see if it does help. Sometimes it could be, to your point, like, just removing all the extra information on a thing and just highlighting, you know, that data point or that what each of these pie slices represent. So that Because visuals do have an impact. But you obviously have another way of visualizing. You don’t wanna lose the visualization. But, but yeah, I think it is. The default of Especially when you don’t have a template established, the default in PowerPoint is is very chaotic, and it could be overwhelming.

Tim Newman [00:38:15]:
So are there any any emerging trends or new features that are in PowerPoint that we should be aware of?

Emily Schneider [00:38:23]:
Oh, that’s a I feel like that’s a trick question for me. I think my my what I’m what I’d see is less is more. People want to tell their stories with less words and more pictures, more graphic, and they want to, you know, keep things clean and fresh when it comes to to charts and designs. So how so that that’s where my my trends are. And again, I think when you think about, like, the hero brands of Google and Apple, you know, those like, just how simple their designs have been and where they really just top the right thing. I mean, they have products, so it looks a little different. But, like, they’re very simple. They’re very, you know, clean and consistent.

Emily Schneider [00:39:06]:
And, I think that’s that’s where everything is going. Less is more. There’s so much. Our brains take it so much. So the less work we can make them do to stay engaged is gonna be better for all the

Tim Newman [00:39:16]:
So a AI is everywhere now. I mean, you can’t go anywhere without somebody talking about AI. Is there anything from presentation perspective in what you’re doing that a AI is either helping or or hindering?

Emily Schneider [00:39:29]:
Yeah. So I’m gonna say I’m not scared of AI yet. Like, I don’t because I just don’t think a computer can ever do and create that authentic connection in the way that we need it. Right. Especially, you know, again, when I when I talk to my clients, when it’s about business development, when it’s about sales, that is a one on one personal connection that they need to make. And, like, AI is not gonna be able to produce that. But, but what I will say that I love about AI, and I’m just starting to geek out about chat gpt because you can take your 17 sentence headline and say, help me craft this shorter or rewrite this. Keep it simple.

Emily Schneider [00:40:04]:
Those are, like I always am going to chat GPT and be, like, rewrite and keep it simple. Now does he does he? Does chat GPT do do the batch job? Like, no. There still needs to be, like they’re gonna throw in words that, like, I don’t sound natural to me. But what it does is it can synthesize information. And as somebody who is I’m not a writer, it helps me get to that point. And it helps me communicate better. And to be honest, I love it because now I’ve been using it for about 6 months for sure and with copy and just in in some of my pieces and my content that I’ve been sharing. And I’m learning to write like that better.

Emily Schneider [00:40:39]:
So I’m I’m I’m not taking away from a craft. I’m actually focusing in. In the same way, I know there’s a lot of chat or, AI stuff for visuals, for image creation and stuff. It it helps. It I’m not worried about there’s you can even do AI slide presentations. But what you get back Yeah. Is very raw or it’s it doesn’t necessarily Yes. Get all the the what I want my audience to feel, think, and know.

Emily Schneider [00:41:07]:
It doesn’t know how to focus on what you wanted to focus on. And so I but I do think it’s a great starting point. And it helps us see something from a different perspective without having to tap and for me, I can’t always hire a writer to write all my own own social posts, but having somebody, or having ChatGPT helps. Even when I’m doing presentations and trying to help clients synthesize information, I’m not the expert in their field, but I can use their long bill and say, shorten this, and then work with them to, like, find the exact right word. But it helps get best there faster.

Tim Newman [00:41:42]:
Really important points. I I’ve had a conversation with somebody yesterday about, you know, using Chat GPT, you know, for for copy on website. I said, when I use Chat GPT, I use it kind of as a maybe a starting point or an idea generator. I’d I told her, I said, you know, even though I’ve got it trained, it still uses words that I would never ever use. It uses a tone that that that’s not me. And so if I were to use that, people would know automatically that something doesn’t match. And I used through chat GPT, like you said, you you could do a a PowerPoint presentation. And I did that 2 weeks ago.

Tim Newman [00:42:17]:
It came back about 30 seconds. I looked at it. I said, you know what? No. I I would rather just do it myself because I didn’t like how it looked. It used pictures that didn’t match what anything. And the copy that was in it really didn’t match the prompt that I put in.

Emily Schneider [00:42:31]:
Yeah. Well, and I heard and I don’t I’m like, I just heard somebody was, like, be like, the cautious part of Chat GPT is it’s pulling in things that already exist, where I think what we’re talking about is creating new or redefining.

Tim Newman [00:42:45]:
Creative.

Emily Schneider [00:42:45]:
You know? So like, are you use it as a starting point, but you need to tailor it to what your needs are. JAD GPT only knows what already exists. It’s not creating something new. So even when it comes to copy, you might ask it to write something, but but it’s actually pulling in prompts that already exist. So, like, you know, again and and or a different story is, like, thinking about I know chat gbt in schools and, like, in high schools and with papers. Are you in education? In your class, people are because they’re But you can find those sentences other places because Chat GPT is just good at taking a lot of information and putting it together. But it’s not tailoring it to what your needs are is what I would say the takeaway is. Yeah.

Emily Schneider [00:43:25]:
So, yeah, I mean, I agree

Tim Newman [00:43:26]:
with you.

Emily Schneider [00:43:26]:
I get a lot of stuff from JetGPT where I’m like, that sounds like I don’t even know. I have to Google the words that they’re using because I know what the words are.

Tim Newman [00:43:34]:
How we started all this is it’s you’re dealing with people, and it’s about relationships with people. And and they’re gonna be able to tell that there’s a disconnect somewhere and then that that relationship is dead. It’s not gonna grow because it they’re not gonna know really who who they’re actually dealing with, which one which one is is the is the right person.

Emily Schneider [00:43:53]:
Yeah. And, like, people, you know, you try ChatChippet will throw in some crazy words like you said. But, like, if they’re not authentic to your vocabulary, when you share them, that comes out. And that that resonates, and now you’re not confident. But when you can break it down simply, you can connect to people better. And then if they have questions, you can go in deep. But again, I don’t think we’re I think in the in the world that we’re in, it’s about those connections and that trust and that Yes. Relationship and that conversation.

Emily Schneider [00:44:20]:
And if it doesn’t feel conversational for you, it’s people people can call that, you know, you can be called that on that right away. It’s very, very obvious when you’re when you’re faking it to make it.

Tim Newman [00:44:30]:
So Exactly. Yeah. Alright. So when you’ve done a project and you go back and and and you look at them, you know, how would you or what what criteria would you say would is your favorite or best presentation that you put together?

Emily Schneider [00:44:46]:
So I And why?

Tim Newman [00:44:48]:
And why?

Emily Schneider [00:44:48]:
So that’s such a good question. When I look back at my work, I don’t think about the work that I did. I think about the way the work was built, who I worked with, how that process went, and how that client felt or responded to it, that’s what I think is successful. So, like, early last month, I worked on a project for 2 weeks, and it was super collaborative. I’d actually worked with this team before, and my direct, partner is an amazing now now we’re really good friends. But it was like my I enjoyed that work. And then when I when we look back at work, it was some of those beautiful work we’ve done because the process was so joyful. The partnership, the collaboration, the way everybody responded.

Emily Schneider [00:45:26]:
Even if they didn’t like it, it was like, oh, this is so interesting. Let’s what about if we tried it this way? So, yeah, I don’t look at work necessarily and say the process or or, like, the 5 like, I don’t look at it from a I look at it from a journey, not necessarily end result. But I definitely love, I’m not as good at something I am working I with my business coach right now. And so we’ve been going back to, like, what is where did these slides start and where are they? And it is fun to, like, look at things because, because as somebody who, like, I do this all the time, I don’t realize how big shifts could be. But, you know, it really Right. It really is funny. It’s wild to me how, like, I look at something that I can clean it up and I’m like, okay, move on. But then when I go back to compare it, you’re like, just to your point, simple slides where, like, I turned it to a color background, and I bulleted everything and treated the bullets and aligned them right.

Emily Schneider [00:46:26]:
Like, that makes such a powerful difference. But usually, it’s the usually, if you’re gonna, like, to get really to keep to keep talking because I’m so good at talking. The the it’s when I look at charts and the difference in charts, I think is the most powerful change that I’m able to help my clients with. You know, those visual those visual pulls, which I said.

Tim Newman [00:46:46]:
The charts to me are are charts to me are very difficult. Trying to get them to look good in in PowerPoint. Right? Yeah. But I really loved what you said about the process because again, it come it comes back to to the people and the relationships. I mean, you because you could not have okay. Here’s my stuff and this is what I want done with it. You can do it. Okay.

Tim Newman [00:47:06]:
It’s great. But but the relationships that you’re building in the processes, that’s that that to me is really powerful. And I and I I really appreciate that that you said that because that’s to me, that’s what it’s really about.

Emily Schneider [00:47:17]:
Yeah. I mean, going back to, like, how I got here or, like, the idea, like, you don’t really know what you’re what you wanna do when you first start. Right? Like what I I remember being in my first job in the first few years and not enjoying the way feedback was given to me or the way I would hear something because of where I was in the in the hierarchy of of, you know, of a leadership role where, like, I was at the bottom, so I wasn’t in a meeting. I didn’t hear the client say it. And even if my client said it, they got it from their boss. So that chain, right, bothered me. And then I remember what I could present to my client directly and that interaction and how much better it was, how much more fun it was. So I just realized, again, I tapped into the things like, oh, this is actually fun this way.

Emily Schneider [00:48:01]:
I don’t like this way. But, yeah, it was like, you know, it’s a few clients of, like is working with people directly is what I love doing because I love, like, when they get when they get something, like, oh my god. You got it. We’re like, this is amazing. This makes it so much easier for me. Those that’s what makes me a success is helping somebody else shine.

Tim Newman [00:48:17]:
And feedback, you you again, you just said something else that’s that really resonates with me. You talked about feedback and how you get the feedback. You know, the person who I was talking to yesterday, who I just mentioned, when she was just getting started, she was thinking about applying for a different position. And she went to her boss, and and her boss said to her, I don’t know why you’d even do that. You’re just a copywriter. And I was like, oh, how how could you how could you say that to somebody? I mean, instead of, you know, encouraging her and and or or whoever it is to okay. Let’s let’s figure out how we can help you get there. But that’s the feedback that we get really said really does a lot of things.

Tim Newman [00:48:52]:
It it affects people’s perception of themselves, you know, their their either their their self worth. But then, you really kinda get an idea of of what other people actually think of you, and then you need to make some decisions about, you know, how you’re gonna proceed. And, it’s it’s powerful, especially, you know, when you’re it’s it’s always powerful. But I think especially when you’re when you’re younger and you and you’re searching for that feedback, and you’re searching for that mentor, you’re searching for for ways to get better and improve and and grow. I think we all need to to kinda take take a step back and and and look at that and really think about how we’re interacting with each other.

Emily Schneider [00:49:31]:
Yeah. And and I think it takes time. Right? Like, you don’t realize it. Yeah. You you don’t realize it until it’s, like, different, or you’re like, oh, I I like this. I I didn’t like that. Like, it’s all again, it goes back to, like, you gotta keep it does it’s not easy. And then but it but with time and with experience and with working with different people in different ways, you start to find those patterns for yourself.

Emily Schneider [00:49:51]:
And then, yeah, you find you find the places where you feel most supported and and most and and where you’re where you’re the most confident. And I think I just say keep tapping into those.

Tim Newman [00:50:01]:
Exactly. So so what advice would you give someone who who’s new, to creating presentations, PowerPoint presentations? What what what what would you say to them to to to get started besides don’t start open PowerPoint as the first thing that you do?

Emily Schneider [00:50:15]:
Totally. Do not start opening PowerPoint as what you do. I’ll I’ll break it down to 4 simple things. It’s how I would say is like know your audience. So understand them, what they want, what your purpose is, why you’re sharing with them. It’s about them, not you. Write your story thinking about the end in mind or the end first, and then go through so end, beginning, middle, end. And once you add your story and you’re ready to put it into PowerPoint at that point or into slides, you know, think about the slide intention from an individual standpoint and the totality.

Emily Schneider [00:50:48]:
And with that comes thinking about how tech and design or visuals are treated. And then once you start to work on that, it’s about your delivery. And it’s about saying less is more. It’s about having your confidence, creating that quality experience, and, involving your audience. And those that and how that looks and how that comes to life is it’s different based on who your audience is, what you’re doing, what your topic is, what your request is. But, but yeah. So it’s knowing your audience, writing your story, thinking about design with a lot of intention, and then, you know, being aware and prepared for your day.

Tim Newman [00:51:24]:
That’s amazing. Audience audience is always number 1. It has to be all your audience has to be first. It has to be first. It has to be first. And as I as I’m coaching, you know, I I look at 4 things as well. Audience, content, expectations, and then the script which is where, you know, the PowerPoint and and the and the storytelling really comes into play. You know, if we don’t have our audience first and foremost and know who they are and know what they want, where they are in the in the in the topic that we’re talking about, it doesn’t really matter what comes after that because we won’t we we we’ll never actually reach them with a story.

Emily Schneider [00:51:58]:
Right. Or and, like, and know why why you’re talking to them and why this matters to them. Again, now you’ve just created an intrinsic versus an extrinsic connection. And once you know that, it’s so much easier to to capture them and to tell your story because you’re giving purpose for why you’re being there. It’s all about connection. Yeah.

Tim Newman [00:52:16]:
Absolutely.

Emily Schneider [00:52:17]:
So one thing we all

Tim Newman [00:52:18]:
need Exactly.

Emily Schneider [00:52:18]:
And we want.

Tim Newman [00:52:19]:
So, Emily, where can people find you and how could they get in touch with you if they they need, help creating a PowerPoint and telling stories?

Emily Schneider [00:52:27]:
The best place to find me is on my website at imemilyschneider.com. You can learn more about me, my experience, what I love to do, and see some examples of my work. I’m also on LinkedIn. Reach out either way. I’m always looking and open to new collaborations, working with people, helping them build their presentations, and tell their visual stories so that they have more confidence and can drive their and to drive and impact informed decisions for their stories.

Tim Newman [00:52:55]:
Emily, thanks so much. I’ll put those links in the show notes, and I would suggest everybody definitely go because the the examples of work are are amazing. Please go to our website, connect with her. If you need help, reach out and and I’m I’m sure that you all are gonna make amazing stories

Emily Schneider [00:53:12]:
together. Yeah. There’s also a freebie. So in my blog, I have my my my top four tips, as a downloadable. So so people could check that out too and have their own one pager ready for when they’re building their presentation.

Tim Newman [00:53:25]:
Emily, thanks so much. I really do appreciate you take some time with us today. Lots of great information.

Emily Schneider [00:53:30]:
It was a pleasure. So much fun, Tim. Thank you.

Tim Newman [00:53:33]:
Alright. Take care. Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on our conversation with Emily Schneider. One of the most common concerns people express about speaking in public relates to the PowerPoint slides that accompany a presentation. People tend to agonize over what gets put on the screen. What font should be used? What color should be selected? What images should we use? How many slides should we have? How long should each slide be displayed? And the list goes 1 on 1. Emily’s expertise as a visual storyteller specializing in presentation design is invaluable, and I am grateful for her willingness to share tips and tricks with the speaking with confidence community. Emily gives some great advice for creating PowerPoint presentations.

Tim Newman [00:54:11]:
Instead of starting by opening the application, take some time to get to know your audience as a first step in the process. She encourages you, as a speaker, to understand what your audience wants, what the purpose is for your presentation, and why you’ve been asked to speak with them. She reminds each of us that the presentation is about the audience, and it is not about the speaker. According to Emily, the second step is to write your story, the end in mind. Start with the end first, then go to the beginning, the middle, and return to the end. Once your story has been defined, you can open PowerPoint and create the slides. Only then can you create your presentation with intention. Only then can you design something that brings your message to life.

Tim Newman [00:54:54]:
After the slides have been refined, the last step is to practice. By the end of the conversation, I was surprised by how closely Emily’s comments mirrored the things I had been saying for years. While Emily’s perspective comes from creating bold, intentional, and deliberate designs, mine stems from watching others struggle to do the same. Despite our different experiences, we agree on so many of the concepts and strategies that consistently lead to success when presenting. I’m certainly not afraid to admit that I plan on borrowing a few of her sayings and tools in the future. In the meantime, I wanna thank Emily for her contributions to the speaking with confidence community. I encourage you to visit her website, read her blog, and look through her portfolio. Reach out to Emily and use her free resources and suggestions throughout your journey to become a more confident speaker.

Tim Newman [00:55:42]:
Please make sure you visit the Speaking with Confidence website and join our growing community. Sign up for special updates regarding the August 1st launch of the formula for public speaking. Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes. You could download, like, and share the podcast with friends. Always remember, your voice has the power to change the world. We’ll talk to you next time. Take care.