"The enemy is a good presentation - no goal" - an interview with Sergei Slutsky, "Metaforma"

Sergey, how it all began? How did you come to the presentation of business?

I have been doing presentations in seven years.

It all started with the student business game. Thanks to them, I realized that the presentation - it's a competitive advantage. Our team won at the expense of good visualization of ideas and thought-out feed. And in 2013 we went to Unilever Case Championship in Singapore. We rehearsed a lot, worked on the structure and took care of the design. As a result, we entered the top three.

After that, I started working at Unilever. Once in the corporate world, I am constantly faced with inefficient visual communication. Started taking orders for the creation of presentations and seven years later he founded his own studio "Metaforma".

We help companies build effective communication through visual language. The peculiarity of our presentations is that they are like movies or animations. One of the last projects that are proud -

Kia Motors visualization strategy.

Why do the majority of presentations are boring?

In Russia there is a university or a subject at school, where purposefully taught to do a good presentation. Pupils and students are doing the slides, not because they are interested in the topic, and for the sake of ratings. Neither the speaker nor the listeners do not understand what to do with all this information.

The enemy is a good presentation - no goal.

To inspire, engage and interact with the audience, you need to understand a little bit of drama, storytelling, slide design. But who talks about it in our schools and universities?

All presentations designers with whom I worked in the studios and on freelancing, came from a completely different professions, from lawyers to marketers. So there is no single standard. Everyone has their own style, which depends on the backgrounds. Best Teacher - is a constant practice and a desire to be heard.

What other mistakes committed in the preparation of presentations?

Almost every presentation lacks meaningful titles. The basic idea is often hidden somewhere between the lines or at the bottom of the slide. At the top is usually about anything do not speak words: strategy, our achievements, and so on.

E-mail headers so that the entire presentation can be read and understood only by him, and the slide content reaffirms and supplements their meaning.

No need to pore over each slide to the finish. It is better to take small iterations. Make simple white slides with a standard font, and then add pictures, choose background and font, highlight key points. This method is called progressive dzhipega.

The secret to the presentation at any time was ready, just in varying degrees of elaboration. Another advantage - the opportunity to look at your slide more than once and to notice the errors that had not noticed before.

What makes a good presentation?

I distinguish four steps that will help to build a high-quality communication. Follow them help check list.

1. purpose. Honestly answer yourself the following questions: "Why am I doing this presentation?" And "Do I need to solve the problem it do?" Awareness - is not the goal. The aim of the presentation is to be a change of opinion or behavior of people, inspiring them to action.
2. Scenario. Consider presentation logic, a simple draw storyboard. Do not just copy into PowerPoint and Keynote all that you have in Word and Excel. Remove all unnecessary and turn the presentation content in a story in which the story will develop.
3. Slideshow. Make simple slides and structure. Do not be afraid of empty space, do not fill it with unnecessary images. Each design element has to work. One slide should reflect only one key idea, which is clear from the title.
4. speech. Rehearse a few times and come to the place of performance in advance to check the equipment and get used to the site.

How to make presentations?

If you have formulated the goal and do not miss work to the structure, the performance will not be a problem for you. At least - you have not failed.

Often people do not want to rehearse: they think they will cope as well, without training will be more natural and sincere. This is not true.

Not to be confused with a lack of improvisation training.

Rehearse as much as possible. Steve Jobs hosted a long and exhausting runs, forced the staff who went out with him on the stage, over and over again to repeat and work performance.

Best of all, if you have a listener for feedback: friend, colleague, wife, or at least a video camera. If your family and you yourself after 5-10 minutes longer interested, then you need to change something.

The secret of successful performances revealed Nancy Duarte on TED Talks: create contrast, switch from plus to minus, and if possible to keep the end of the conflict. Where the speaker sees the structure of the block part and slides, the audience sees the movie history. The film without conflict - it is boring and wasted money.

How does your workplace?

To be creative, to me it is important to switch the focus.

If you work at home, I do not sit all day at the computer. Of the time using other tools: working on a whiteboard and a pad. Always keep in desktop thermos with hot water during the day to make tea that is focused on hiking into the kitchen.

The second way - it is a change of location. I work productively from a tea or coffee. On the road, you can find new ideas for design on posters or graffiti.

I am a supporter of the analog method: I love to draw, glue and stickers to take notes by hand. On board starts all scripts and concepts presentations that we make in the "Metaforme".

Favorite apps, and services

• Evernote and «Google Calendar." Install them on all your devices - helping to synchronize content between your phone, a laptop and a desktop computer.
• Telegram-bot from Gmail. Sends the message to the messenger when new messages arrive. You can not check your mail and go there only when there is a letter to be answered.
• Backblaze. For data security. Despite the fact that the projects I synchronize with «Google Drive" if the laptop is broken, all the files can be restored from the cloud.
• Focus Keeper app on the iPhone. I worked with him on "tomatoes"And I take appropriate breaks since moved to a regular accounting of time. Every evening am getting the results and be sure to plan the next day. I have a daily and weekly priorities, which I formed on the basis of long-term development plan for themselves and the studio.

Program for Presentation

My favorite program for the preparation of presentations - Keynote. She is comfortable and stylish. The interface is much easier than in PowerPoint.

Recently I made a major client project in «Google Slides." Convenient option when working on a presentation team, not one person. You can quickly write and reply to comments, to give access to view or edit, and immediately see the changes.

In recent years it began to consider and Tilda Readymag as an alternative to the standard presentations. Web publishing can completely replace PDF mailing, and animation capabilities are much broader than the usual software for presentations.

Do you have a hobby?

It is impossible to charge the people around and doing cool projects, when there is no power in you.

Articular workout and yoga - a mandatory part of the morning ritual my wife Julia, my partner in life and "Metaforme". We try to practice every day and meditate together in the evenings.

Sports generally the best source of energy. I am fond of swimming. I was trained at the school I Love Swimming and last summer swam 1.93 km of Kazanka river. He did a great job thanks to regular training and strong support of his wife. Who I started snowboarding, rock climbing and went online course of intensive yoga street workout.

Layfhakerstvo from Sergei Slutsky

Books about presentations

I have a blog full version professional literature list for the discerning presenter. And here - the top 5 for those who are just beginning familiarity with the presentations.

• «Presentation Zen"Garr Reynolds. Tutorial on simple and clear slides - more air, less text and unnecessary embellishment. The book contains many examples and tips on how to create harmony in your slides.
• «skill presentations"Alex Kapterev. Specialized textbook in all three stages of the development of the presentation: history, design, supply. Excellent base for exploring the world of presentations.
• «contact point: Presentation"Alex and Alex Kapterev Burba. A mini-tutorial on presentations. 56 pages, slides can be read in an hour and adopt.
• «Say It With Charts"Gene Zelazny. How to visualize the numbers and choose the optimal shape for complex data. If a lot of charts and graphs, feel free to buy this book in your presentations.
• "Confessions of a speaker," Scott Berkun. Tips on how to behave on stage. They do not make you a Steve Jobs, but help to feel more comfortable during performances.

Books for self-development

• «Building of business models"Yves Pine and Alexander Osterwalder.
• «Steve Jobs"Walter Isaacson.
• "Sculptor" and "Understanding Comics," Scott McCloud.
• "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda.
• «A source"Ayn Rand.

Podcasts and videos

• podcast "Will be done"Nikita Maklahovym. Professional story about everything you need to know about personal effectiveness. Visiting author is always very interesting person, and to read the description of the issue - it is a pleasure: all the books and resources that are referenced by the guest is always at hand.
• YouTube-channel of the University "Synergy". There are regularly spread to the leading business coaches. You can listen to Stephen Covey, Guy Kawasaki or Nassim Taleb.
• TED Talks. I advise you to watch the performance of Ken Robinson, Al Gore, Jill Taylor, Simon Seneca.

Blogs and Websites

• Blog Igor Budnikov about yoga and meditation. Igor writes great lyrics and motivated to practice every day.
• Blog Igor Rod. To be aware of the rules and options to work with the typography and the imposition. I plan to go through its course, the date is on the site.
• Weekly design digest of Awdee. To be in the trend and do not collect the crumbs of news the world of design.

I read Telegram-channel studio Sila Sveta. Like their show, and the work interesting to watch. And on channel studio "Metaforma" we are with the chief editor of the project tells the story of Julia layfhakerstvo in preparing presentations.

I would like presentation