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If there’s any doubt that the business world
today is seeking simpler, plainspoken
presentations, you need look no further than
Sears executive Bill Bass. Bass’s rampages
against Sears’ PowerPoint and Jargon were
graphically documented in a recent article in
the Wall Street Journal.
Bass, who took over the Sears internet business
after the retail giant acquired his old company Lands’
End, has been a vocal critic of Sears’
formalized and somewhat jargon-filled
presentation style.
For example Bass fumed at the Sears formality
during a recent meeting, according to the
Journal article. Employees were hashing out a
plan to begin selling apparel online this year
-- a major effort for the company. According to
Mr. Bass, one employee said, "We've been out interfacing
with stakeholders to obtain consensus." Mr. Bass
snapped back: "Do you know what you just said?
Normal people don't talk like that!"
Mr. Bass also complained about Sears colleagues
who seem more obsessed with making PowerPoint
slides than making decisions. At another recent
meeting about shipping rates, he says a Sears
employee gave a presentation with nine slides.
When Mr. Bass grumbled, he says he was told:
"This is good. It was 45 slides, and we got it
down to nine."
People Rely Too Much on PowerPoint
At Speechworks, we are not anti-PowerPoint. But
we agree with Bass that people rely on it too
much. In a 30-minute presentation, you should
have no more than about eight slides. And you
should limit the information to no more than a
couple of short bullet points.
We urge our clients to remember that the most
important visual aid is the presenter. Slides
should reinforce and support your points. But
they shouldn’t become your entire presentation.
And Jargon Can Make You Look Stupid
We certainly agree that jargon can be a real
problem. Indeed, a study done by a British
consulting firm found that jargon is misused 20
percent of the time. Now if you’re using a
buzzword wrong, what is the person listening
going to think? They’re going to think that you
don’t know what you’re talking about.
So minimize your jargon and your PowerPoint. It
might help you connect better with your
listeners. It certainly will help keep you from
a tongue lashing at Sears.
Thanks to Beth Souther of Kurt Salmon Associates
for alerting us to this article in the Wall
Street Journal.
At Speechworks we help our clients learn how to
give presentations that connect with the
audience. If you’re interested in becoming a
great communicator give us a call at
404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
