By Gail Zack Anderson on December 19, 2016
If you are presenting, odds are you are using your laptop either to walk the listeners through content in a small group, or projected on a screen to a larger group, or online when speaking with a virtual group. It’s just how we present these days. But so many people stumble over the technology, which […]
By Gail Zack Anderson on December 1, 2014
Slide shows getting boring? Next time you get ready to deliver a presentation using slides, review this list and commit to delivering your slides with impact. Decide if a slideshow is really needed. If it adds value to the audience, use it. If you are using it as a crutch, skip it. Don’t just tell. […]
By Gail Zack Anderson on November 18, 2014
Next time you open PowerPoint to create a slide deck for a meeting or presentation, remember these super-quick tips to ensure better-looking, better-functioning slides that add visual value to your talk. Highlight key words by bolding, not by underlining. Avoid Random Caps, ALL CAPS, and inconsistencies in capitalization. Stamp out ugly “bumper sticker” boxes. Soften […]
By Theresa Pojuner on June 2, 2014
Mapping is a technique for organizing and visualizing your ideas. It is a great way to communicate relationships within different ideas, and shows how all these ideas or thoughts are connected. Mapping is used in many areas from writing to creating flow charts to designing an application. Technical writers can use this mapping technique to […]
By Gail Zack Anderson on May 27, 2014
James was a skilled high potential leader who spoke with great composure and strength. These skills had served him well in his previous roles, but now he was moving into “large group” presentations where he needed to provide direction rather than details, and motivate more than inform. His goal was to add more appeal, more […]
By Gail Zack Anderson on March 24, 2014
John was reluctant to present monthly results to his leaders. His heavily chart-laden slides either resulted in sleepy audiences, or in lots of questions, most of them off-topic. What to do? If your presentations are number-heavy, or if you are presenting financial data, you might want to try some of these tips to bring them […]
By Gail Zack Anderson on January 14, 2014
Tired of the same old-same old training session or presentation? If you are, you can bet your audience will be too. So start thinking creatively about ways to change it up, break it up and shake it up…for your benefit and that of your audience. Here are a few ideas just to get you started. […]
By Theresa Pojuner on December 20, 2013
User manuals provide a road map for the user. Many technical writers embed screen shots or images into documents to aid the user in seeing what a product or application is composed of, how a task is achieved, and most importantly, what not to do. But there are always questions as to where and how […]
By Gail Zack Anderson on August 14, 2013
If your content is technical, complex, data driven or numbers-heavy, you will want to listen up. Don’t fall into the camp of “I know it is dry and boring content but I can’t do anything about it…” Instead, try one or all of these strategies to make complex information more engaging and more interesting. Use […]
By Gail Zack Anderson on June 18, 2013
Sam didn’t know what a great business presentation looked like. He had joined his organization right after leaving school, and when he presented, he was alone with his clients. Other than all-hands meetings, he just hadn’t been exposed to many presentations, so it was hard for him to evaluate his own presentation skills. Some of […]
Gail Zack Anderson, President of Applause, Inc., has nearly 20 years experience in training and coaching. She
provides individual presentation coaching, and leads effective presentation workshops and effective trainer workshops.
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Theresa Pojuner is a Documentation Specialist with over 20 years of writing experience and is skilled in many areas of documentation, for example, Style Guides, Training Manuals and Test Cases, wth a specialty n Technical Writing and Procedures.
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