Smart Content and Customizing your Sales Deck on the Fly

In today’s competitive landscape, crafting effective sales presentations is essential for closing deals and engaging prospects. Many sales professionals rely on PowerPoint, but its linear, book-like structure can severely limit creativity and personalization. In this article, we’ll explore how Prezi’s Smart Structures can revolutionize your sales presentations, making them more dynamic, engaging, and tailored to your buyers.

The Limitations of Traditional Sales Decks

PowerPoint presentations often follow a rigid sequential format that can hinder your ability to customize your content for different prospects. When attempting to tailor your sales presentations, you might find yourself bogged down by repetitive cut-and-paste tasks. This not only consumes precious time but also increases the risk of errors, such as outdated information or missing slides that can damage your credibility.

Moreover, the conventional approach can lead to uninspired, formulaic sales presentations that fail to capture your audience’s attention. In a world where prospects have limited attention spans and numerous options, delivering engaging and tailored sales presentations is crucial.

Why Choose Prezi for Your Sales Presentations?

Prezi offers a groundbreaking solution for creating impactful sales presentations. Unlike PowerPoint, Prezi uses a non-linear platform that allows for dynamic storytelling and visually engaging content. With Prezi, you can easily reorganize your sales presentations, ensuring that your information remains relevant and organized.

Smart Structures: A Game-Changer for Sales Presentations

One of Prezi’s most powerful features is Smart Structures. This tool allows you to effortlessly manipulate large sets of information within your sales presentations. You can move entire topics or sections with simple drag-and-drop actions. For example, if you’re preparing to meet with a healthcare organization, but need to present to a tech firm later in the week, you can quickly rearrange your content to resonate with each audience’s specific needs.

Buckets of Information: Streamlined Customization

Another valuable concept within Prezi is the “Buckets of Information.” This organizational method allows you to group related content into easily accessible segments, streamlining the customization process for your sales presentations. Instead of scrolling through a lengthy slideshow, you can quickly focus on delivering a tailored experience that speaks directly to your prospects’ challenges and goals.

Enhancing Audience Engagement in Sales Presentations

Visual storytelling is vital for captivating audiences during sales presentations, and Prezi excels in this area. The platform features a zoomable canvas that guides viewers through a visual journey, highlighting key points while keeping them engaged. Unlike static slides, Prezi’s dynamic presentation style ensures that your audience remains focused and interested throughout your pitch.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Sales Presentations Today

If you believe that traditional PowerPoint presentations are limiting your effectiveness in sales, it’s time to embrace a change. Prezi offers a modern, efficient, and engaging way to elevate your sales presentations, turning them into powerful tools that drive results.

Don’t let outdated methods cost you potential revenue. With Prezi’s innovative features, you can transform your sales presentations into compelling narratives that connect with your audience. Let’s connect and discover how Prezi can elevate your sales strategy and enhance your presentation skills today!

References

• Prezi. (n.d.). Prezi Present: Engage your audience with dynamic presentations. Retrieved from Prezi.com
• Williams, R. (2021). “Why Visual Storytelling Matters in Sales Presentations.” Sales Insights. Retrieved from SalesInsights.com

Since this model for presenting in sales relies on the very basics of persuasion techniques, it is relatively easy for salespeople to adopt, and because it is a conversational and natural way of selling is well-received by prospective buyers who are tired of pushy and pitchy presentations. 

Presenting in sales shouldn’t feel like a manipulation game.

When we are taught to ask deep questions during our sales meetings, we fear that doing so will create friction with the prospect, or that we are too invasive, nosy, or just plain bothersome. The truth is, as professionals in our field, without such information, we can’t help our stakeholders to make an informed decision.

Because of the natural acceptance of this model by both salespeople and prospects, it is easy to coach sales professionals in using this framework in their sales presentations. And our prospects will praise this take on otherwise dull meetings.

Disclaimer. Be Warned: I created this method after helping hundreds of sales teams to transform the way they present to build increased revenue and shorter sales cycles. However, there is no third-party research or data to back up my claims. There is a massive difference between a model that I can replicate with my clients with great results and a methodology that can be scaled by and for third-parties.

I want to hear your story and find if this model can help you (or not.) Get in Touch.

If you would like to find if this model can work for your team too, send me a note using the form below so we can talk about your challenges when presenting in sales and funding conversations.

Walk the Story

Walk the Story is about listening to the prospect’s stories (prompted by the right questions) and supporting her narrative, rather than trying to steer her from their set course and into our Story. 

It is also about collecting the information that will help you Build the Dream.

In this world of global connection, she is already on her journey and has done her research and even already made decisions (whether you like it or not.) The foundations for the stakeholder’s narrative are set (and maybe outcomes are already being considered!). In a way or another, she knows what she wants.

Most salespeople will try to steer prospects from their set course in attempting to apply persuasion techniques and magic tricks, creating friction. What if instead of pulling rabbits out of hats to try to bring them to our narrative, we support theirs?

By listening carefully, asking the right questions, and adding the missing parts to the story, we get to be part of their journey and influence its course towards a specific outcome in a natural way, just like when two or more people have a conversation and agree on something.

Make your Hero

Remember High on Storytelling? By making your prospect the Hero of the narrative, you are appealing to ancient instincts that set their gears on and connect with the story at much deeper levels than by using abstract narrative and data.

Narratology states that the Hero’s Journey is the general framework of tales and lore. It involves a hero who goes on an adventure, and through a decisive crisis, earns a victory coming home changed by the experience.

See, the Hero’s Journey is a solid template you can use to create a narrative that puts the stakeholder as the central element of the classic Problem-Solution-Outcome sales momentum.

Let’s say Hellen is valiantly facing low sales that have been disseminating terror at Acme Inc. She embarks on a journey of discovery and adventure to find a solution and comes out from it changed, victorious, and with her boss’s and everyone else’s admiration and recognition. You can see how the whole thing gets immediately connected at an emotional level. 

By Walking their Story, we get to collect information about where she comes from and where she’s headed. We also learn what struggle brought her to this moment and what she imagines that will happen as a result of talking to you. That journey of identifying the real obstacles, going through a process to solve them (having a conversation with you, for starters), and finally picturing the successful outcome are the tools that you need to Build the Dream.

Build the Dream

Building the dream is about helping Hellen picture how things will be once she becomes the Hero. What is the story in the future that we are building with Hellen that will drive her emotions (and behavior) in that direction? 

We can use the details collected during our interactions so far to create a complete picture of how will be Hellen’s life (NOT about benefits or solutions for Acme Inc.) once she becomes the Hero. We will have, from her, a deep emotional commitment and a pull from the future to get there.

Real Practice: A True Story

When I started working with Chris, he was suffering from very low engagement in presentations with his SDRs (Sales Development Representatives in an Outbound Prospecting model.) When we first spoke, I started taking some notes about the parts of the problem that created more stress in Chris.

By asking the right questions, I could build a picture of where he was coming from and what the pivotal points of the problem were.

The problem was this: Chris came from a different background, in which using a slide-based tool to present was fine, but now, his team was struggling to keep their prospects’ attention once the presentation started as they used a linear model that felt stiff and lacked relevance to each prospect’s specific concerns. 

Besides that, I learned that his team had never had any formal training on how to present – a major red flag.

Moreover, their presentations were remotely delivered using a screen-sharing solution, but its technological complexity was high, and many meetings went astray because either end had technical issues.

And so the process of asking questions to Walk Chris’ Story up to the present moment had me describing it to him as such: his sales team was struggling with a lack of presenting skills and the astray engagement of their prospects. Those, in turn, happened because the team wasn’t able to be quick on their feet to bring the presentation to a conversational level. Technology troubles were part of the problem since they relied both on hardware and software compatibility on the prospect’s side. And that he was on a quest to solve this issue, and now we were in that quest together. We then spent the next few minutes savoring the idea of smooth, conversational meetings and what that meant for him.

Then I told him that his frustration was because those small issues were blocking the view to the bigger picture: if his team could present smoothly, he would be able to bring 10x more qualified prospects to the AE team.

Making Him the Hero

By verbalizing the struggle back to Chris and placing him in that emotional position, I can start making Chris the hero of his journey, beginning with the distressful situation.

Taking from past experiences helping clients in similar situations, I knew I could relate them to Chris’ situation, and use them to help him. With some additional skills, I started being able to help him build his Dream.

Dream-Building Skills

Then I went on, recalling a previous client’s story. Marzia had problems with a lack of presenting skills in her salespeople, so we solved it by creating a simple framework for them to follow. We taught them to have conversations instead of presenting and then gave them a TODO list of things to keep in mind before and during the meeting. In that particular case, we opted for a quick solution and to create a framework, instead of giving full training on presenting and soft-skills to her team.

That story took care of showing Chris’ first steps to the making of his Dream.

I also told him that most of my clients who present remotely had the same problem as he did. Most screen-sharing tools out there are too complex to use for the first time. Since his prospects used it for the very first meeting with prospects and had issues most of the time, that would abort the meeting, or at least briefly but so, take the focus out of it. 

I figured the solution was to use a tool that meant zero effort for the prospect, and if possible, also avoided the need to juggle different tools at the same time, such as a screen-sharing tool plus PowerPoint combo from the pits of darkness itself.

Luckily, many applications could help him, and due to my expertise, I recommended Prezi. Prezi (disclaimer: I am a certified Prezi Expert) would be later mentioned again as an integral part of my proposed solution to him. I let him know that he was using the wrong tools for the job, so if he had the correct ones and proper knowledge to make them thrive, his solution would be widely recognized at the corporation.

Back-and-Forth Storytelling

My point was backed by the story of a friend of mine who was hindered by a tool that was inadequate for the job, but the company refused to update. So she afforded a trial by herself and showed everybody how much revenue the company was losing. This was the first step for her to become their current CRO.

To build his Dream, I had to tie all the different stories that Chris and I have told each other and put them together in a way that helps him commit emotionally to that proposed reality. However, there was still room for a few more questions that would help me understand what was at stake for Chris.

Well, if Chris failed, he would lose his job. If he succeeded, he would keep his job and earn more commissions. Was that it? Or was that it?

I got a hint of how Chris was invested emotionally on this project when he belatedly expressed that he wanted to “show them wrong.” What could happen if I pulled that thread a little more? I wondered.

After some questions, the real story was revealed. When Chris applied for an internal promotion, someone else did the same, and the other candidate got the job. However, Chris felt strongly about their qualifications and thought that who made the decision made a mistake. The emotional knot is that Chris felt rejected and not appropriately valued in the organization. That was the final piece I needed.

By putting all these pieces together in a coherent narrative and verbalizing it back to Chris, I got to use his own stories to create a strong feeling about the current moment and then move that emotional weight to a sense of relief, success and resolution by telling the story that will be (or that was starting to become).

Sure enough, his Dream started to crystallize in a matter of days, as the results of us both Walking his Story and Building his Dream became visible to the naked eye in concrete, positive outcomes from his team and the spike in his professional recognition.

Give it a Try

Now, take a while to think of previous contacts you had with stakeholders or prospects. Choose one and have this framework applied to it. Was your prospect indeed the Hero of the Story? What was the conflict they faced, and what did you learn from the first conversation with them? Did you Walk the Story with them and helped them Build their Dream? If not, what was missing on your part as a presenter?

This article was originally published at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sales-presentations-work-walk-story-make-your-hero-build-povarchik/ on November 20, 2019.

What Are Prezi Presentations?

Prezi presentations offer a dynamic alternative to traditional PowerPoint slides, allowing users to create non-linear, visually rich content. The platform’s unique zooming interface enables presenters to navigate their content in a way that captures attention and makes complex ideas relatable. By embracing Prezi, you can craft engaging narratives that resonate with your audience and convey your message effectively.

The Power of Visual Storytelling in Prezi

One of the standout features of Prezi is its ability to facilitate visual storytelling. Instead of a series of static slides, you can create a journey that takes your audience on an immersive experience. With Prezi presentation’s zooming and panning features, you can present your ideas in a cohesive and interconnected way.

Tip: Use relatable narratives and metaphors to illustrate your points. For example, frame your presentation around a journey, where each milestone represents a key idea or topic.

Boost Engagement with Interactive Elements

Interactive elements are one of the key advantages of Prezi presentations. Incorporate videos, images, and animations to make your content more engaging. These elements enhance the visual appeal and help reinforce your message, making it easier for your audience to grasp complex information.

Tip: Choose interactive components that directly support your key points. For instance, embedding relevant video clips can effectively illustrate your concepts.

Ensure Consistent Branding Across Prezi Presentations

Your presentation should reflect your brand identity. Prezi allows you to customize colors, fonts, and templates, ensuring your design aligns with your brand. Consistency in branding fosters recognition and professionalism, creating a lasting impression on your audience.

Tip: Develop a brand kit with essential colors, fonts, and logos to maintain a uniform look throughout your Prezi presentations.

Simplifying Complex Ideas with Prezi

Complex concepts can easily overwhelm your audience. Prezi helps you break down intricate ideas into digestible segments. Utilize visuals, infographics, and concise text to convey your message efficiently. The goal is to make your content accessible without sacrificing depth.

Tip: Use Prezi’s zoom feature to highlight specific details while maintaining the overall context, helping your audience connect the dots.

Practice for Successful Delivery

A stunning Prezi presentation is only as good as its delivery. Familiarize yourself with the flow and timing of your presentation through rehearsal. Practicing boosts your confidence and enhances your overall delivery, ensuring that your audience remains engaged.

Tip: Record your practice sessions to identify areas for improvement in delivery style and pacing.

Foster Audience Engagement

Engagement is crucial for an impactful presentation. Encourage audience participation through questions, polls, and discussions. Prezi’s interactive capabilities allow for a two-way conversation that can make your content more memorable and maintain audience interest throughout.

Tip: Incorporate open-ended questions and invite your audience to share their thoughts or experiences during your presentation.

Conclude with a Strong call to action.

An effective Prezi presentation should always end with a clear call to action (CTA). Whether you want your audience to sign up for a newsletter, make a purchase, or share your presentation, guide them toward the next steps you want them to take. A strong CTA reinforces your message and encourages immediate action.

Tip: Highlight your CTA visually, ensuring it’s memorable and easy for your audience to follow through.

Final Thoughts

Prezi presentations offer a unique way to engage your audience and communicate your ideas effectively. You can create presentations that captivate and inspire by leveraging the power of visual storytelling, interactive elements, consistent branding, simplified concepts, practice, audience engagement, and a solid call to action.

As you embark on your journey to mastering Prezi, remember that the goal is to inform and connect with your audience on a deeper level. With the right approach, your Prezi presentations will be memorable and lead to meaningful conversations and actions. So, let’s get started and elevate your presentation game with Prezi today!

It was an honor to share a moment with David Adler at GatherGeeks, talking about what makes a presentation great, and what mistakes to avoid.

The following is not verbatim and is an annotated transcription of the episode. I disagree with David and correct myself as an afterthought. You can also listen to the podcast episode:

In the intro, Beth Kormanik asks David Adler what is Death by PowerPoint and about this love-hate relationship we have with the tool. David explains the phrase from the audience’s point of view, when you are at a meeting or conference and see a slide filled with bullet points and words on the screen, and you want to kill yourself before the presentation even begins.

But I disagree. It is not the audience’s death that’s at stake. 

David also explains that he uses Prezi because it’s a platform that let’s you use images, videos, and other elements all in one place without the fuzz of having to manage different tools. 

I disagree again… Keep reading to find why.

I also entirely dodged a couple of questions. Read more (or listen to the podcast episode) to find out.

The conversation starts with David commenting on this thing of people “dying” because of all the thoughtless PowerPoint presentations out there, and the Death by PowerPoint phenomenon, and asking my opinion.

Pablo: Well, for me, death by PowerPoint is the presenter’s process end. The death of your efforts to communicate and connect with an audience. The death of your sales process, the death of your brand launch, not the actual audiences’ death. Your audience is well alive and chatting with their friends about tonight’s party, while you talk-at-them.

David: So then how do you go from death by PowerPoint to engagement by PowerPoint, or engagement by any presentation shells. Certain presentation shells have a bad rep, like PowerPoint. But people use PowerPoint all around the world.

Pablo: There is no such thing as “engagement by PowerPoint” unless you are a PowerPoint guru, a PowerPoint design expert. If you are a speaker, or a sales professional, in most of the cases, your specialty is not making presentations but speaking or selling.

Note: People use PowerPoint around the world because it is the de-facto model for presenting. Culturally accepted after 30+ as the only solution in the market. The status quo, ingrained in the way we think about presentations.

David: People think it’s fun to create PowerPoint presentations because they see all the things they can do, and all these graphics. And, usually, the result is terrible.

Pablo: I think that people “used” to think that it was fun using PowerPoint, maybe 10 or 15 years ago. But today we’re flooded with tools to create presentations in different ways. I am biased towards Prezi because I am a Prezi Expert, I help people and companies to implement Prezi.

But it is far more fun to create a presentation in Prezi, navigate your way through, and have your own adventure. And have levels and dimensions were you don’t need to be a professional designer or know a lot of PowerPoint tricks, but just to put the content where you want for your presentation.

David: Before we talk about how to create a Prezi presentation, let’s jump through the different technologies. You are an expert in Prezi, which I happen to use. But there is PowerPoint, there is Keynote, there are a lot of different new ones.

Pablo (dodged question entirely – ask me why!): There are hundreds. PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides. A ton of small startups (showing up for specific niches). And so on.

The problem is that they are all (or almost all) based on slides. Using the concept of one slide after the other, like pages on a book. Instead of having a multi-dimensional model that you can approach from different sides and in different ways, depending on how, to whom, and where you are presenting.

David: I use Prezi. Why is Prezi better, in your opinion, than the typical slides? What makes it more engaging. What about it is so interesting?

Pablo: I don’t know if engaging is the right term. Prezi is easier to understand and more memorable. 

David: Because of the audio and the video…

Pablo: No. It is because of Spatial Cognition. The ability of our brain to relate concepts to locations.

David: Right. What do you lose when you use slides on the screen? What’s the difference, though? What’s the UVP of Prezi vs. PowerPoint?

Pablo: Because Prezi leverages spatial cognition. And has a mind map-like structure. A mind map is when you dump the content (of your brain, or your presentation) on canvas and distribute the content through that canvas to represent different ideas. Your brain, your mind, will remember that canvas because concepts are in various positions of that canvas. Slides are like a book, pages disconnected from each other. One slide and then the next, instead of having one view transition into the next.

David: So, are you saying that when we are talking about Storytelling that the spatial cognition approach is more conducive to Storytelling?

Pablo: Yes. It greatly helps with Storytelling, yes, of course. 

David: So you think that would be, in a larger audience, even more important to use those techniques. Right? To allow a larger group of people to understand, through spatial cognition. 

Pablo: The size of the audience doesn’t matter. What matters is how you deliver that presentation. It is not the same if you deliver a presentation to three people than to a thousand, but the concept of spatial cognition is valid on every setup. 

At this point in the conversation with David, I invite the listeners to do a quick experiment with me, to play a short game. This experiment cannot be conveyed with written words because it loses perspective. Instead, I am using a visual way to convey the same concept (listen to the podcast episode for the alternate version):

This is the PowerPoint way:

This is the Prezi way:

Pablo: It is easier for the mind to understand and remember things when they are attached to locations (physical or visual locations.) So, in a canvas, where we have different sections, and we can attribute meaning to those locations, it will be easier for our brain to understand, process, and remember that.

David: So that, in a nutshell, is the difference between PowerPoint or Keynote, and Prezi, which is a completely different approach.

Pablo: Another power of Prezi is that it facilitates Storytelling. Because of its nonlinear structure, it is easy to create a presentation with plenty of storytelling. The basic concept of Prezi is that you have containers with information. You create new boxes (topics), and you add data into those containers. And that’s all there is about creating a Prezi presentation. 

David: So now, we are at an event… We’re about to present to a big audience on stage. What is the best approach to do that? You are talking about the combination of Storytelling and enhancing the speaker. How do you help people do it?

Pablo: I help people in two different ways. One is creating their presentation; they tell their story to me and give me their assets and materials and pictures and videos, or ideas and concepts. With that, I deliver back a visual tool that they can use to tell their story. But also how to tell a story, to connect, and to deliver that message effectively. And I think that the cohesive element on this process is your intimate relationship with your own story, the story that you are telling. You can’t fake that. I mean, you can, but the result is not the same.

David: There are certain types of stories that people tell. Why don’t you tell us what some of these types of stories are? Because depending on the story you want to tell, the kind of story you use becomes more critical. What are the different story types, for the people that are listening to this podcast?

Pablo: There are story types and story structures (or frameworks). 

There are seven story archetypes used in business or practically any setup, and are:

• Overcoming the Monster
• Rags to riches
• The quest
• Voyage and return
• Comedy
• Tragedy
• Rebirth

However, all of those types of stories can all be structured in a three-step story. Where you start with a struggle, a problem, and you undertake a quest, a journey, to solve that struggle, and then you come out from that journey or adventure, changed yourself and with the solution. This is the framework to tell any of the seven types of stories.

The three-step structure is the simplest, and there are also five-step frameworks, the Hero’s Journey, and so on. There are different frameworks. I suggest, if this is the first time, or your first approach to Storytelling, to use the Hero’s Journey with a three-step structure, which is the simplest and most effective. It is the one that always works. 

The Hero’s journey is basically, the adventure of our Hero. Your Hero is each participant in your audience or guests in a meeting.

In an investor’s presentation, your Hero is your investor, in a sales presentation, your Hero is your prospect. And they face a struggle, different kinds of conflict. That struggle is almost always related to WHY are they there in that particular moment. The story that brings them to look for a solution. What’s my story, or the story of the company I work for and all those stories combined.

(ERRATA: I take advantage to correct myself here, the Hero in a funding conversation is you, not the investor. Refer to this article for clarification)

And the framework is the story, the problem to solve, the adventure or quest undertaken to solve that problem, and the resolution, where the Hero comes out of that journey victorious, with the solution. He’s changed himself.

We can make a story more or less dramatic depending on the setup, the situation, the audience.

But the structure is pretty much always the same:

• A problem or struggle.
• The quest, or adventure, to solve (or dissolve) that problem.
• And the Hero comes out, the winner with a solution or whatever the resolution is.

David: So. Okay. We got the story types and structure together, what is next for the person giving this presentation. When they are talking to you about their performance, do you help with the script as well, or are you just helping them with enhancing the story that they wrote? Or are you helping write the story as well?

Pablo: Sometimes I write the whole story, usually based on their story. Nope. That didn’t come out well: I don’t write my clients’ stories, only they know their stories. I help them articulate the story in a way that makes an impact, and also the visual narrative.

David: So, okay, visually, we have some rules that we have about visuals. 

Pablo: A few tips:

People cannot read and listen at the same time. When you have a lot of text on the screen and are talking over it, our brain crashes (literally). The spoken word should be enough, and the visuals should be a metaphor to support the speaker’s message. One good example is having just a few words (no more than three, remember) that represent what the speaker is talking about. Keywords to help you, the speaker, to remember what you are talking about, and for the audience to get it faster and more comprehensively.

This, I think, is one of the most common problems with presentations today.

Note: The crash lingers for a moment past the struggle, and our audience will do a double-take to get back to us and our story. For example, once past that particular slide, people keep wondering if there was something different between what you said and what was written.

David: And what about the pictures and things like that. Do you think they should be used as metaphors for simple concepts?

Pablo: I prefer to keep things simple. Pictures need to be very well chosen or made (taken) for the occasion.

Another tip. Do not try to convey more than three ideas or concepts on the same screen. Use a 3×3 model. This is a very well known framework, where you use three keywords, three concepts multiplied by three topics for a total of nine ideas (top) to convey. 

Three topics, each containing three concepts or ideas, and each containing no more than three keywords or talking points.

When it comes to visual elements, most of the presentations are distracting. We think that by using more colors, more parts, more effects, we will make the presentation more engaging.

But, do you want your audience engaged with the screen or with you and your message? What is your goal? The audience paying attention to what you are saying, to your message, or the flashy things on screen?

David: The flashy things are amateur stuff…

Pablo: Yes. I did that too! 

David: This is cool! (laughter.) Let’s change the transitions in a million ways. Let’s do this and that. That’s the worst.

Pablo: Yes, because you are distracting the audience from you and your message. 

David: You also mentioned how colors make a difference too. How can you create a mood (or disrupt it) by using different colors?

Pablo: Just a few:

Orange. Lots of energy. Uplifting. 

Red. Angry. Aggressive. Overexcitement.

Blue. Authoritative. This means you know what you’re talking about.

Pantone, pastel colors to create a mellow effect. Or to not call the attention too much to that object.

Black. Premium, luxury, high-end kind of stuff.

White to create space. To let people wonder.

Everything that I am saying about colors is void, null because it depends on the context.

David: Let’s talk about green. You are not a big fan of green.

Pablo: Lol. This is just personal experience and not backed by research or data. Green distracts people because it’s related to environment and conflict. Something we are not comfortable with.

Unless the green is granted, of course, I also use green on my brand, but only some little details here and there.

David: When you do presentations, I know this depends on the context, but how long should a presentation be? We see, like TED Talks and they are 20 minutes. When you see an hour-long presentation, isn’t that overkill today?

Pablo: Yes, it is. Today, we reach conclusions in milliseconds. We didn’t use to do that. We used to consume a lot of information and research before making an opinion, a decision, or to decide to keep going with something.

Note: You need a hook off the bat, to keep your audience engaged through the entire talk.

Longer presentations are useful for conversational settings, where the performance is a conversation, an exchange. One-to-many presentations (or deliveries) should not go over 20 minutes. But this really depends on the context.

David: Let’s talk about music and video. How does that integrate into modern presentations? Because I use them to demonstrate things. Brings other people into the presentation.

Pablo: You do it very well because you add the videos with a precise scope, a specific goal in mind. Which brings us back to GOALS. When you add a video to add some flashy visuals to the presentation, or to encourage engagement without a clear idea of why you are just distracting people, but, for example, in your case, you use the video to add value. You shut up, run the video, and then talk. So you have ten speakers in one presentation. Your idea, and you do it very well.

Note: David does this part very well by bringing videos of other speakers into his talks. He effectively brings ten other speakers to each of his presentations.

David: What about audio?

Pablo: Audio. Mmmmh. Just for the intro and outro, I mean, you are talking, any sound or noise will be distracting unless you are creating an effect that supports your multimedia story. Audio effects in a talk can be funny and engaging when used to support your Storytelling.

If you’ve been following my work, you might know that I’ve covered topics like Storytelling in Business and shared insights on creating compelling narratives. But this time, it was great to hear from someone who’s helped major companies across Europe, especially in Spain, transform their visual presentations. Marcos, who has evolved from a Prezi Expert to what he calls a “Story Angel,” now mentors businesses on how to craft stories that truly resonate.

During our chat, he broke down three go-to structures that can help elevate your visual storytelling. Let me share those with you:

Solar System Structure

When you’re building a Prezi presentation, organizing your ideas is step one. One of Marcos’s favorite approaches is the “Solar System” structure. Picture this: your central idea is the sun, and all other points in your presentation orbit around it, like planets.

Start by identifying your “sun”—this is your main message. Once that’s nailed down, place your supporting points (your “planets”) around it. You can even get more granular by adding sub-topics, like moons orbiting the planets.

This structure not only helps your audience follow along easily but also keeps your message clear and focused. Marcos likes to encourage presenters to mix it up sometimes, maybe even use a smaller idea as your sun to see the story from a fresh angle.

Need help putting this together? Get Prezi help now—we’re ready to guide you.

Two Scenarios Structure

The “Two Scenarios” structure is a favorite in the business world, especially when you need to compare ideas. It’s ideal for showing where you are now and where you’re heading.

Marcos pointed out that businesses love using this format for strategy presentations and business plans. If you’ve seen some of my work, you know I often incorporate this structure into my Prezi designs. Want to see it in action? Check out my portfolio, and if you have questions, just reach out.

This structure is particularly great for visual thinkers. You can lay out both your starting point and end goal, with a clear path showing how you’ll get from one to the other.

Three-Act Structure

Marcos is also a big believer in the timeless Three-Act Structure, which breaks your presentation into three simple stages:

1. The setup or context
2. The development or growth
3. The resolution or outcome

This structure is tried and true for a reason—it sticks with people. We’ve used it in countless projects, including one for Carmine Gallo, a well-known speaker and business coach. In one of his videos, Carmine uses a Prezi I designed to explain three types of business stories. It’s a perfect example of the Three-Act Structure in action.

Narrative Kung-Fu

Marcos also introduced a concept he calls Narrative Kung-Fu. The idea here is flexibility—rather than following the typical narrative path, you start at the end and work your way backward, guiding your audience through your story in reverse. It’s a great exercise for keeping your storytelling agile and adaptable to your audience’s needs.

Whether you’re looking for storytelling consulting or need help crafting your next presentation, contact my team. We’re here to help you become a visual storytelling pro.

For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.

The power of a story makes it overcome time. Hemingway wrote this a century ago, and we still talk about it. Stories are everlasting – imagine what this could do for your brand.

What is Business Storytelling

We all know what Storytelling is, but we all have a different understanding of it. Most are correct in that understanding. It forms two-thirds of our daily verbal and visual communications.

However, when asked, most salespeople couldn’t agree on what is Storytelling and less so on how to apply it in their business meetings.

Business Storytelling is all about using narrative in business scenarios to compel the involved parts to engage and collaborate, to learn and remember more. The point is how we use stories in our business situations to increase performance.

For some, a line of charts makes a story, for others, stories must follow a rigid script and are complicated to introduce in sales meetings, while for many more, Business Storytelling is using real-life stories to bring the message home.

Whichever the understanding, most would agree on something: the effects of Storytelling go to a deeper level than any other sales technique, and science has everything to do with it.

Business Storytelling is one of the most successful ways of selling, and combined with Smart Content and Nonlinear Presenting, is changing the way we share our ideas with stakeholders and partners.

High on Storytelling

Storytelling works the brain – it evokes a proven, strong neurological response. But how? According to neuro-economist Paul Zak‘s research, our brain goes through different chemical reactions according to how the story develops. From producing cortisol when something gets our attention and dopamine when the story makes us feel good, to oxytocin to promote an empathic behavior, to connect.

Storytelling goes beyond listening or watching: It allows us to understand, empathize, and learn.

Much has been said about the brain’s chemistry on storytelling; to our point, which is delivering truly engaging presentations that spark collaboration and trust, that chemistry lets us influence the behaviors of the people involved in the experience to gain buy-in and influence.

Though I haven’t found evidence or previous research on the topic, I believe that storytelling works by mimicking in the body and the brain the real experience told from the story to impress the teaching more organically and comprehensively; to create stronger memories.

The work The Neuroscience Behind Storytelling in Sales by Emma Brudner @ HubSpot seems to confirm my thinking: The brain uses a real-life-facsimile to better record the story’s teaching as much alike as a real experience as possible. In this way, the memory gets recorded through multiple channels and organically (like 3D vs. 2D), and not just as an abstract concept.

Watching a story unfold is the best next thing to experiencing in real life, and the chemical process is similar. As a result, we get an altered state of mind; we are hooked. As Doug Stevenson from Presentation Guru says, most people who have ever run a business meeting will affirm that “stories are more memorable than facts and data.“

This is how the power of storytelling works: It creates a strong neurological and physiological response that conditions the way we act and think, it comes naturally to use that to impact others’ lives as well as to influence them.

Storytelling is central to human evolution, now more than ever.

We use storytelling to transfer knowledge, to learn perils and opportunities, to learn from the past and build a better future on top of it, to rebuild what it takes to evolve. We have been doing it since the beginning of time, and it’s now necessary to keep on doing it to upgrade ourselves.

Never has there been so much information on every possible subject out there, and never has there been so much to catch up with if you intend to cover a topic. We can’t begin to study, or even read all the existing information, and this is what storytelling has been preparing for, to serve humanity fully – and why it is now, more than ever, crucial to humankind evolution.

Storytelling travels time and space

The reach of stories is fantastic. Some stories, first told thousands of years ago, are current today and reaching far across cultures and populations. Some stories have gone through so many transformations and traveled so far that are unrecognizable. Stories evolve and expand, adapting to different cultures and community organisms to reach the four corners of the world.

Because of its nature, storytelling has the ease in passing knowledge across space and time, allowing a higher chance to resonate deeply with the people interested in a given topic, ensuring the preservation and growth of Culture.

Business Storytelling is, indeed, an undeniably useful tool to communicate and empathize with others in any given context. So how can we create, carry, and share a story successfully in business?

Nail It! Walk the Story, make a Hero and build the Dream

Lilly the Hero by Catru

Lilly the Hero by Catru

A possible framework for applying storytelling to your business meetings.

Walk the Story

Our prospect (or stakeholder) is already immersed in her own story, and we only have to support that story toward success while helping her building the dream.

By asking questions and listening carefully, we can help in building every part of a Three-Act (or Five-Act, but seldom needed) story practically always. This is Exposition in a Three-Act play.

Make your Hero

Start by uncovering the problems; this is the Rising Action. Use mini-stories to relate to others’ similar problems and their solutions. Bring the story to Resolution by situating your prospect as the Hero of the story in the future.

Build the Dream

Connect Resolution and Success to Build the Dream.

What is the story in the future that we are building with our prospect, that will drive her behavior in that direction? Aliens gave you superpowers, and you became Gotham’s Hero, you have everyone’s admiration, and merchandising royalties are piling up. Okay, that’s you being the Hero, but what would your life really be like if humans of the future had given you superpowers?

If we can use the details that we collected during the conversation so far to create a complete picture of how would be her life (NOT about benefits for Acme Inc., or ROI, or…) once she becomes the Hero, then we will have a deep emotional commitment from her to get there.

Other Business Scenarios

Baby Shoes by Catru

Short Three-Act library-style stories are perfect for agile conversations in complex sales or when we have a variety of products and possible outcomes.

This is valid for sales conversations that span a variety of products or solutions that may need a library of stories (stories that you cherry-pick as you go to build a library to drive the message home about each different solution in your offerings).

Three and Five-Part Stories for Marketing

Business Storytelling in Marketing is often based on a niche concept. Instead of building the story with your specific prospects as for Sales meetings, in Marketing, we define our Hero based on a Persona or Buying Profile.

The winning combination here is STORY+NICHE where one story appeals to most in a given group.

Become the Hero in Funding conversations

Investors fund people with great stories. They’re not investing in a product or service, but in the people behind it.

In sales, the prospect is the Hero. However, in funding conversations, I am the Hero – and not the investor. Instead, the investor reaps the benefits from me being the Hero.

Your success is the investor’s ideal outcome; you are the Hero of your story and your investor, the successful assistant. Build your success as their Dream.

Your trainees are the Hero of their story

Most of the time, staff onboarding and training programs look to be inspirational. Storytelling in training is all about building a success story in your trainees’ mind, where they are the Hero of their own story. It is a Nail It!-like structure, where you assist them in their journey by selecting the right metaphor for the right situation instead of asking questions-toward-results.

Changing Scenarios

Using storytelling in meetings that are flexible on its content by nature is slightly more complicated. Being fast on your feet is essential, but also creating a library of stories based on situations that you encounter today and you want to use in the future (harvest today’s experiences as stories to tell in the future.) The trick is carefully noting down stories worth using to create a library. “Stick” short stories to different parts of your business narrative or presentation, and build up your library of stories to use across the different sales stages.

Having a framework ready to use makes the creation of a story with your client as the Hero flow smoothly and naturally, especially in sales meetings with lots of moving parts.

A Silver Bullet

There is no silver bullet here, and the information you gain from this article must be converted into knowledge through experience: Find what works for you!

Longer, more complex sales processes grant for putting more thought into creating different stories for each item or solution. Moreover; shorter, more transactional sales may grant for only a general approach.

A short and transactional sales process will use Business Storytelling in a very different way than a complex one. While the former can use short, abstracted stories to create a quick emotional connection, the latter will possibly involve assisting the Hero on a longer journey.

This article was originally published on LinkedIn on May 23, 2019.

Pablo Povarchik is a Consultant and Public Speaker in Business Storytelling & Nonlinear Presentations for Sales Teams.

© Illustrations by Catru. Freelance Illustrator for hire.

References:

Trust, morality, and Oxytocin by Paul Zak

The Neuroscience Behind Storytelling in Sales

For sale: Baby shoes, never worn by Ernest Hemmingway.

Lilly the Hero by Catru – Backstage sketches

What is a Visual Metaphor?

Metaphors are intuitive patterns of thoughts to make complex things easier.  A visual metaphor is effective because it helps your audience visualize your message on the presentation.

For example, Mandy uses Prezi Video to locate the audience in a timeline, using a visual aid to set the future in front and the past behind.

Metaphors are also intuitive patterns for design. She explained how you can use objects as metaphors to describe a specific situation. The challenge is to think about intuitive things and use them as visual metaphors to tell your story.

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For instance, she used a light switch as a visual metaphor to express that knowing is bright and unknowing is dark.

According to Marcos Xalabarder, a storytelling expert, there are three different ways to structure a presentation for agile storytelling. Read his article to learn how to organize your throughts and structure a successful presentation.

The main goal of a visual metaphor is to help your audience remember your content better. Prezi is full of visual metaphors within their templates. One of them is the well known “iceberg metaphor,” in which you see the tip with some elements but when zooming in, there are a lot more below the surface.

Get in touch with out team of designers, we can create a full framework for all your presentations following your brandbook.

Bullet Point and Presentations

Mandy Schild stated the bullet point presentations are terribly ineffective and disengaging to your audience. She affirms that many companies are making a mistake putting visuals and text on the presentation that are not even linked to each other. So, she challenges us to make our presentations even better by using visuals metaphors to guide the audience through the presentation.

How to integrate Smart Visuals into Presentations?

Mandy explained that presenting is so much more than creating a stack with bullet points; it’s about challenging yourself to think about intuitive metaphors and make your message memorable to your audience.

She suggested using nature’s metaphors that may be familiar to your audience, for instance, using a rough sea to describe a dangerous situation. A good exercise could be to play with intuitive patterns to ensure that smart visuals are integrated into your presentations.

Prezi Present is a great tool to take your audience on a journey with you, and Prezi Video is the innovative feature to do it remotely. There are several Prezi templates that you can use to tell your story with great metaphors. For instance, a template with mountains can be a great visual metaphor to describe strategies because mountains mean climbing, goals, and effort.

We are specialized in presentation design and speakers coaching, get in touch with our team to have an open conversation around your project.

6 Tips for Effective Visual Metaphor in your Presentations

Here are some tips and tricks that Mandy shared with us to effectively use visual metaphors.

1. Keep it Simple!

Make the right moves to be sure your audience understands your message, using simple metaphors. The purpose of a metaphor is to clear up concepts, so if it takes you a long time to explain a connection between two concepts, use another comparison.

2. Be Original!

A cliché is always a metaphor, but a metaphor doesn’t always have to be a cliché. Challenge yourself and don’t fall into a metaphor that everybody is using; if you are original, you will engage your audience.

3. Be Relevant!

Link your concepts with metaphors. Surprise your audience at the end of the presentation showing the big picture to feel like an “aha moment.” It’s all about interacting with them and reaching a conclusion together.

4. Think Strategically!

Think about the importance of the metaphor, not everything that you share needs to be a comparison. Use metaphors strategically to emphasize a concept.

5. Use Emotions!

To be memorable, consider; What do you want them to get away with? Emotions usually help your audience remember the message, and metaphors help to get those emotions deeper. Use sensory experiences in a metaphor, such as sight, feeling, scent, taste, or hearing.

6. Target your Audience!

Use metaphors that will be relevant to the public to increase effectiveness. Who are you talking to? And what message do you want to get across? Mandy suggests not using an example from their industry because you will usually get a lot of resistance.

This article was originally published at TeachMePrezi on March 5, 2021.

Our sister company, TeachMePrezi, organized a serie of Masterclass lessons with Prezi Experts around the world and in this opportunity we had the chance to talk with the award-winning designer, Guilherme Criscuolo.

Virtual Presentation Tips

Guilherme Criscuolo has designed hundreds of Prezi Video presentations and knows how to create compelling virtual presentations.

He affirms that you can get creative while designing a Prezi Video presentation and shares some important tips to consider when creating a Prezi that will be used as a video.

Prezi and Prezi Video have almost the same features, but the most significant difference to consider for the video version is positioning your content on the screen. In a Prezi presentation, we use the entire screen to display our content, but we must make room for the presenter in the Prezi Video version.

Contact our team, we can design Prezi and Prezi Video presentatios for you, following your brandbook.

As a Pro tip, Guilherme suggests that Prezi Designers keep a visual connection between one screen and the next one for visual continuity in the presentation. For example, designers leave a shape or image that is visible in two different frames.

How much space to leave for the presenter in a virtual presentation?

Guilherme explained that the first thing to consider is your content. He suggests the ideal proportion to follow while creating a Prezi Video presentation uses half of the screen for the content and the other half for the presenter.

Important note: If you have too much content, the Prezi Expert recommends breaking down the content in different frames or different screens to keep the same proportion (half and half) throughout the entire presentation.

On the one hand, if you have a lot of information and cannot break down the content on different screens, Guilherme recommends using 2/3 for the content and 1/3 for the presenter. If you have a straightforward presentation with keywords or visual metaphors on the screen, you can use 1/3 for the content and 2/3 for the presenter.

The second parameter to consider in the design is the distance the presenter will be from the camera. Sometimes the presenter wants to be in full body on the screen (very far from the camera) and have some elements to interact with. Some others want to sit down closer to the computer screen, where you just see their face.

Prezi Video has different layouts, and your choice will depend on the amount of content to be shown, the presenter’s preference, and the audience. The proportions are as significant as the presentation design.

Get all the answers about Prezi Video in this article.

How to turn Prezi into a Video?

Prezi Video has the same features as a regular Prezi. The main difference is that you can work on the Prezi Video design while looking at yourself on the camera, getting an idea of positioning the content on screen.

If you are having a hard time designing your Prezi Video presentation, contact our award-winning team of designers.

Prezi Video Editor

On the regular Prezi edit screen, you will see a button on the top right that says “Create Video.” This option lets you enter the Prezi Video Editor and work on the Prezi Video design while appearing alongside the content or just add a voice-over to the presentation.

Once you click on “Create Video,” you need to enable your camera (select your camera and click on “allow camera”). Now you will see yourself in the background of the presentation. As your presentation was not designed to be used as a video, you will see that your content will be overlaying your face. Prezi has an option to automatically adjust your content to the right side of the screen, but Guilherme affirms that this is not the best way to do it.

Automatically Adjusting Content in your Prezi Video

Prezi has an automatic option to transform and adapt your Prezi presentation to use it as a Prezi Video, called the adjust content option. This option will move your topics to a side but usually misses all the other elements in your presentation, for instance, the images and text box. That’s why is not the best option. Guilherme suggests recreating the entire presentation to adjust all the content for an efficiently video use.

In most cases, you will need to change the image for the presentation’s cover (the background of your Prezi). In a Prezi Video presentation, you should choose a smaller cover to save room for the presenter; that’s why it is better to use vertically oriented images as the presentation cover.

Pro Tip: In Prezi Video presentations, you need to add an element, such as a shape, behind the text box to make them visible because you never know how the presenter’s background will be.

Does a Prezi Video presentation have a background?

Every Prezi presentation has a background, even the Prezi Video presentations. When you present a Prezi Video, the background disappears. In Present mode, Prezi Video will ignore colors, gradients, and pictures as background.

A Prezi Video Example

At the end of the Masterclass session, Guilherme shared a Prezi Video example that he created for a doctor about the development and use of technology for COVID vaccines.

The Prezi Video example is a very visual presentation, with a lot of graphics. The main idea was to use storytelling techniques supported by images to make the topic more comprehensive and complete. The audience can see visual metaphors and keep a connection with the presenter to convey the message.

Guilherme commented that the presentation could have had a different layout, but it is always essential to have a conversation with the presenter to feel comfortable delivering the presentation.

If you would like to learn more about Prezi Video and see more examples click here.

We also offer Prezi Video design and training, contact our team to learn more.

This article was originally published at TeachMePrezi on April 9, 2021.

Prezi Video is a video presentation maker that lets you interact with your prezis live while you meet on-screen or record a presentation.

Learn how to create a Prezi Video presentation with the award-winning designer, Guilherme Criscuolo.

Prezi Video examples Get prezi video help now

What is a Prezi Video?

Prezi Video is a fantastic tool to maintain a human connection in difficult times like these, without moving from your desk.  Now you can bring your content alongside while you are presenting remotely in business meetings.

It’s the solution to stop wasting time switching your screen between your videoconference and your presentation. Prezi Video is the only video maker that allows you to interact with your content while you are live on-screen. In this way, you can make your conversational presenting even more engaging and interactive in online meetings.

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How to turn Prezi into a video presentation?

Do you have a stunning presentation that you would like to make a video of it, to deliver to your clients? We got the solution for you; every Prezi presentation can be imported into Prezi Video. To start working with this new feature, you need to localize Prezi Video on your Prezi dashboard and choose the presentation that you want to convert into a video.

Guilherme Criscuolo, an award-winning designer, shares some tips to turn your Prezi into a virtual presentation with Prezi Video.

Also, there is the possibility of starting a Prezi Video from a template. Prezi next already offers several customizable templates for Prezi Video; thus, you will save time and effort. 

Moreover, you can even turn a PowerPoint deck into a Prezi Video. There is the possibility to reuse your decks and bring them into a videoconference with this feature.

How to bring Prezi Video to my remote meetings?

Using the Prezi Video Desktop App, available for Mac and Windows, you can present in real-time with the conference tool of your choice, such as Cisco Webex, Zoom, Google Meet, or others. 

Prezi Video will create an interface between your camera feed and your presentation, so your audience will appreciate your presentation in some sort of augmented reality effect.

Alternatively,  there is the possibility to record the presentation to deliver it later to your prospects. In this way, your audience might have more time to review it carefully.

Even if you have camera shyness, you can make a video of your presentation and add voice-over audio to it to tell your story.

Also, like any other Prezi presentation, it is simple to share. You can create a link and share instantly with Slack, MS Teams, or any other messaging app.

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What can I do with the Prezi Video desktop app?

There two ways to use the Prezi Video tool; both of them have the same functionality. The first option is to start working on your Prezi Videos on Google Chrome. The second option is to download the Prezi Video desktop app. In both options, you can start making videos from scratch or from a template, import a PowerPoint deck to make a Prezi Video of it, and import a Prezi presentation to make a video of it.

How to use Prezi Video?

Use Prezi Video in many different ways, like business meetings, team video conferences, sales pitches, webinars, and training.

No matter what you do or where you are, Prezi Video is the tool that brings you closer to your audience.

Learn some tips on how to get started with Prezi Video with Guilherme Criscuolo.

Is Prezi Video free?

Prezi Video is entirely free of charge and is available in every Prezi license account.

Now you can bring the power of stories to your online meetings too. Contact us if you have any questions or if you want to learn more about Prezi Video.

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