Nina Kokotas Hahn: Writer, Editor, Interactive Producer

Communicate with style: “I want to love you, PPT”

ninakhahn — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:00:54 +0000

Imagine creating a PowerPoint Presentation (PPT) that awes and inspires your audience, a wonderfully “sticky” experience that generates the kind of happy joy coming from the Michael Jackson song going on in the background here. It can be done and it’s as easy as thinking about PowerPoint in a different way. Forget bulleted lists, clip art, and 80′s office imagery, PowerPoint is more akin to a beautiful, oddly cinematic experience tied neatly around a meaningful story.

If you’re looking to create powerful and lasting PowerPoint Presentations, follow these tips to do it with style.

First, forget what you know and start thinking of PPT presentations as an opportunity to tell a short and entertaining story. An interesting story not only creates a sticky experience folks will remember, it also provides an opportunity to explain a complicated idea or underscore and support the key points of your presentation.
Use high-quality images. Beautiful and inspiring images contribute to the story and actually do a lot of talking for you. Large images are great, too, but it’s best not to use more than four images at a time. And for those images requiring explanation, do it via your live presentation rather than directly on the slide.
Keep text to a minimum. Try to focus on one point or message per slide and avoid bulleted lists like the plague (unless you’re sharing an agenda). Edit down, edit down, edit down. Repeat.
Consider what really matters. Throughout the process of creating your presentation, put yourself in the shoes of your audience and stop often to ask, “so what?” If it doesn’t matter, don’t include it.
Remember, you are the star of the show, the meat and potatoes, the big Kahuna, not the slides. Think of PPT slides as an added dimension and interesting backdrop to your presentation. They are in addition to your ideas and concepts, not a summary or replacement.

Inspired by my favorite presentation gurus, Garr Reynolds and Presentation Zen, and Edward Tufte.

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Communicate with style: send short and sweet emails

ninakhahn — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:22:46 +0000

Wanna show someone love today? Send them a short-n-sweet email with a clear request at the very top of the message. Too often, we send lengthy messages with the key request or purpose buried somewhere in the message, leaving our recipients scratching their heads about the real request at hand.

There are many ways to keep email to the point, but here are my top three tips for making it happen with style.

State the key point, purpose, or question clearly in the first few lines of the your message. Most folks on the receiving end are already busy weeding through other emails and they’ll appreciate a clear and direct request.
When you have multiple requests or items to share, pull them out of the main message and list them below your signature in a separate section. Here’s an example of how this might play out: “Hey there, Joe! Below you’ll find the top ten list we created in our meeting this afternoon. Please take a look and let me know if you need anything else.” This tactic keeps the message light and scannable, and demonstrates a clear purpose.
Rather than forwarding on a message, sum up what’s necessary in a line or two in the main body of your message. This minimizes confusion, brings your request or purpose front and center, and tells your recipient that you respect their time. Of course, there will be times when it makes more sense to forward on a message, especially if you find yourself explaining away in three or more lines.

Keeping your message to the point doesn’t mean you should forsake polite conversation which is a critical element to any professional and respectful communication. The difference with email is that the pleasantries can be as simple as a fun greeting or grateful signoff, and that the conversation should always follow the key request or purpose.

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Communicate with style: laugh it out

ninakhahn — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:08:24 +0000

Writers are always looking for ways to connect with the person on the other side of the page, and I’ve found that sometimes the best—and often craftiest way —to get the job done is to share a great sense of humor.

Point in fact: the latest NPR commentary from Mark Acito on the 50th anniversary of William Strunk and E.B. White’s Elements of Style. A friend of mine confided that he definitely doesn’t agree with Acito, but alas, I think he’s missing the point.

Don’t take it too seriously, folks. In fact, don’t read it all—listen instead to the live recording and feel, more than ever, the power of Strunk and White.

Communicate with style: when to use i.e. and e.g.

ninakhahn — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:50:26 +0000

When you’re listing examples, use “e.g.” It’s short for the Latin exempli gratia and means “for the sake of example.” For example, “I like all kinds of beer, e.g. Irish beer, Belgian beer, and good ole’ American brews.”

When you’re explaining something, use “i.e.”, which is short for id est, or “that is.” If you can’t remember the Latin, substitute “in essence” (which starts with the same letters) and check whether your sentence still makes sense; if it doesn’t, use e.g. For example, “I like India and British pale ales, i.e. only hoppy beers.”

This monthly tip inspired by Strunk & White and much appreciated by this style fanatic.

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