If there’s one thing drives me crazy, it’s seeing people putting together and designing a presentation before they even know what they’re trying to say. Often, this cart-before-the-horse approach is the result of laziness and simply not wanting to outline a story first. But I also see cases where presenters are literally trying to generate business ideas and solutions at the same time they’re deciding what font color to use. This couldn’t be more counterproductive to successful ideation, and it shows me yet again that idea generation is a vanishing art. “Innovation” is what leaders say time and again is most important to their businesses, and yet few of us know how to actually generate and select innovative ideas—be it an iPhone or a better way for signing up for the office softball team.
Keith Harmeyer is one of the two principals of SmartStorming, one of the best ideation consultancies there is. I talked to Keith to ask how ideation figures into presentation.
SO, HOW DO YOU SUCCESSFULLY IDEATE?
I’ve written before about the book SmartStorming which I still consider the single best book I have ever seen on this topic. The authors, Keith Harmeyer and Mitchell Rigie (good friends and former colleagues, full disclosure) are simply the best in the business when it comes to helping others generate new ideas and innovate.
1. WHAT DOES IDEATION HAVE TO DO WITH THE MAKING OF BETTER PRESENTATIONS?
One of the key objectives for anyone sitting down to create a presentation, is to make that presentation as engaging and persuasive as possible, right? Well in order to accomplish that, you need ideas. Ideas for how to most effectively structure your content. Ideas for how to visualize it, and present it. There are tens of thousands of people sitting at a computer right now, working on their next presentation. What’s going to make YOURS stand out? What will make your audience say, “That’s one of the best presentations I’ve seen.” I believe the first, and possibly most crucial step in the presentation design process is to generate fresh, innovative ways of approaching your work.
In other words – take the time to come up with some great ideas.
2. HOW CAN SMARTSTORMING HELP THE AVERAGE PERSON WHO IS NOT LOOKING TO CREATE THE NEXT IPHONE, BUT HAS MORE BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES AT WORK?
One of our missions at SmartStorming is to “demystify” the innovative thinking process, and make it relevant to everyone. Lots of people get hung up on the term “innovation.” They think being innovative requires that you come up with something ground-breaking that no one’s ever seen before. But in fact, the most common type of innovation is simply taking something that already exists (a product, service, process, idea, whatever) and making it better. Simple. And anyone can do it, at any time – and in the process, deliver greater value and benefits to their employer, customers, clients, etc. At SmartStorming we give people the basic understanding, skills and confidence necessary to approach any type of work more innovatively.
3. IF SOMEONE COULD TAKE AWAY JUST A SINGLE SPECIFIC TEACHING FROM THE SMARTSTORMING TRAINING, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT IT TO BE?
In terms of a practical tip that will instantly help someone generate bigger, better, more innovative ideas, simply this: never judge your own (or others’) ideas prematurely. When you’re engaged in the process of generating ideas, anything goes. Don’t reject anything; allow even “bad” ideas to survive, for awhile, to see where they might lead. There is a time to judge and eliminate ideas, but later, during the evaluation and selection process. Keep the two processes separate, and your creative problem-solving ability will improve exponentially.
About Nolan Haims:
With more than 20 years’ experience in the field of visual communications, Nolan helps organizations and individuals show up differently and tell better stories with fewer words. Most recently as a Vice President and Director of Presentation for Edelman, he helped the world’s largest public relations firm consistently win multi-million dollar pitches by communicating more visually. As a designer and art director, he has created high-end presentations, keynote addresses, and pitches for Fortune 500 CEOs, leading financial institutions, top foundations, and all the major television networks. Nolan trains organizations to think visually and to create and give more effective presentations. He speaks at national conferences and writes extensively on visual storytelling. Microsoft has recognized him as one of only 11 PowerPoint MVPs in the U.S for his contributions to the presentation community. In a past life, Nolan was an award-winning magician and juggler and performed with the Moscow Circus and Vermont’s Circus Smirkus before turning to the theater. He directed and wrote professionally, creating stories on stages in New York and around the country for a decade. He can be reached at nolan@nolanhaims.com.
