Amazon Founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, recently repeated his rule that PowerPoint is banned in executive meetings. Instead, they write a comprehensive memo which is read in silence at the beginning of each meeting and then discussed. Unfortunately, the reality for many businesses is that banning Powerpoint just isn’t going to happen. It’s an integral part of most of our working lives.

In the same way that Elon Musk told staff at Tesla to walk out of unproductive meetings, it’s better to improve or fix something that isn’t working effectively, rather than just throw it out. I’d rather see bullet points banned rather than PowerPoint.

PowerPoint made it much easier to develop slides. We’ve come a long way since the days of handwriting or photocopying text onto a transparency or film, but there were advantages to this. You had to get it right otherwise it would cost a lot of time and money to start again. You really had to think carefully about what you wanted to say.

The most common misuse of PowerPoint

As we’ve become more used to using PowerPoint we’ve become more reliant on our slides, to the point where they have become ineffective. In fact, it’s now common for people to ask for presenters to share their slides following a presentation so that they can be read. If there’s enough text on your slides for them to be read like a Word doc, you’re using Powerpoint wrong.

In an attempt to minimise the use of bullets points, following the 6×6 rule can be helpful – where you use no more than 6 words per line and no more than 6 bullets per slide – but where’s the creativity in that?

Maybe we can’t escape bullet points entirely. But the main application for PowerPoint should be visual aids to help give a presentation more impact or better engage the audience. And ultimately, achieve a decision or change in behaviour. If we really want to engage our audience, we should think about other ways to convey our message. It could be a single striking image or simply a few words on a white background. What’s the story you want to tell? What memory do you want people to go away with?

We have an innate love for stories

I’m betting you’ve heard the story of the hare and the tortoise, right? It tells the tale of a race between a speedy hare, who brags about how fast he can run, and a tortoise, who challenges him to a race. Out of this tale comes the well-known moral of the story: slow and steady wins the race.

Why is this important? It’s about storytelling. It’s about our innate love of stories and our ability to remember them, recall them, learn from them.

Stories have captivated the imagination for as long as history has been recorded. A great story keeps us turning the pages of a book, enchants children at bedtime or has us on the edge of our seats in the cinema. A great story holds our attention.

What can we learn from storytelling in business presentations?

Storytelling is something that’s happened for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Our ancestors have passed on stories that we now tell our children. How can I remember the full story of countless fairytales but I can’t remember a single bullet point from yesterday? In fact, I’m not sure that I can remember one truly outstanding bullet point from the last 30 years!

A story connects us to the person that is telling it; it forms a bond. Stories also offer a chance to establish experience, credibility and knowledge from previous companies or roles. They may illustrate a positive outcome or can serve as a warning in the way of less favourable outcomes previously.

As technology and modern culture changes and evolves, the platforms to tell or share stories are ever-changing. But the art of storytelling remains the same: it’s the ability to inspire, engage and entertain.

#5 reasons to use storytelling in presentations

Whether you use PowerPoint from a laptop and projector, interactive whiteboard, training room or video conferencing, my top 5 reasons to introduce storytelling into presentations include:

1. Don’t be a robot

Slides are there to support what you are saying; they shouldn’t be your script. Not only does it sound robotic to read from a slide, but it can also be boring for your audience when you don’t offer anything different to what’s been written. If you fear public speaking, slides can sometimes make you more nervous as you try to keep to script.

2. A picture paints a thousand words

An age-old saying but it’s so true. What images can you find to support the topic you’re presenting or to help bring an idea to life in the mind of your listeners? Can you avoid using bullet points altogether? Sometimes it may be appropriate to introduce props to help tell your story. What’s important is to think about ways to make people remember the experience.

3. Learn to tell stories

Storytelling is a more natural and engaging way to connect with people but it won’t necessarily come naturally. It will take some practice but once you’ve mastered it, you will take your audience on a journey that sparks their imagination and enthusiasm. To keep it flowing it will take some careful planning but that’s probably no different to writing pages of bullet points.

4. Engage your audience

If you’re too busy reading cue cards or, worse still, standing with your back to the audience because you’re reading from the projector screen, you’re missing vital body language signals. Are people engaged? Falling asleep? Replying to emails on their phone? If you speak to your audience and capture their attention, they won’t be looking at anything else but you.

5. Avoid emailing the slide deck

If you’ve packed your slides with bullet points, the chances are someone will ask you to send them via email after the presentation. If your slides are minimal in terms of written content, the importance shifts to what you are saying. When you’ve used storytelling to get your message across, your slides become the visual aid – exactly what PowerPoint was designed to be.

Inject some creativity into your meetings

In a business world where so many interactions are carried out online, over email or via WhatsApp, presentations can offer the opportunity to step away from reality and inject some creativity into the day.

I’d love to look forward to a presentation, knowing there’s a chance I’m going to be entertained by the speaker. We’re used to seeing engaging content on television, through sports commentary using interactive whiteboards and even on the news, where the presenters swipe their way across different screens to mix live reporting with social media activity. It’s time for the business community to take note and follow suit.

A key part of this is company culture and something that is embedded into our day-to-day working lives. For Amazon employees, they know what to expect from an executive meeting. How does your company inspire employees to be creative? Read our latest report, The Economy of People, to find new ways to approach workplace, culture and technology in order to create the optimal office. To get your copy, just fill out the form to the right (or below if you’re on mobile).

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I’m a fan of the Channel 4 TV show, First Dates. If you haven’t seen it before, I think you can guess what it’s about from the name. More often than not you can learn more about how the participants are feeling from their body language than what they are saying. It’s easy for a person to say they’re having a great time. But if they’re shifting awkwardly in their seat or avoiding eye contact when they do so, they’re probably not telling the truth.

Do not underestimate the need to connect visually

Despite being more connected than ever before, nothing builds trust like face-to-face communication. When you can’t see the person you are talking to you are missing out on important social signals. In the rush for productivity, mobility and flexibility we should not underestimate the need for people to connect on a personal level.

For example, on an audio conference call, a supplier might be enthusiastically agreeing with your request. What you can’t see is that they have their head in their hands. If you could see this, you might question whether or not they’re really able to deliver.

What else do we gain from face-to-face communication?

• Affirmation – from a peer or manager that what you are saying is correct
• Agreement (or disagreement) – in the form of body language and small facial expressions
• Attention – we can instantly see who is listening and engaged or just not bothered at all
• Reassurance – of how well work is progressing and the direction it is going in
• Empathy – through subtle changes in tone of voice and body language
• Confidence – to do more and push the boundaries when someone shows their support
• Doubt – can you trust someone or are they hiding something

Can technology really replace face-to-face communication?

It’s is not easy to replicate human interaction. Anyone who’s used Siri can tell you that. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t embrace and use technology if it makes communication and collaboration more effective.

We don’t need to let technology completely replace these important factors in our working relationships, they can enhance and facilitate it.

In our latest report, Economy of People, we asked employees and executives about the effectiveness of different technologies at making employees more productive at work. 78% of employees rated technology to assist remote working as effective at making employees more productive at work.

This shows there is a desire among the workforce to embrace technology if it means their working day is more productive, but I’m certain more people could be adopting video conferencing – and those that are could be using it more.

Video conferencing technology doesn’t have to be complicated, you just need to have the confidence to use it

There is still a misconception that you need a fancy video conferencing suite in order to hold video calls. Nowadays there are many browser-based applications available that means you don’t have to be in the office, you can video conference anywhere. But perhaps there is resistance to use it because we don’t feel comfortable on camera.

13 video conferencing etiquette tips to help you get started

1. Make video conferencing the norm

If you’re having regular meetings with employees or clients who are not based in the same office as you, make it a video call. Encourage attendees to enable the camera so you get the full benefit of seeing each other.

2. Be professional, be ready

Prepare for the meeting in exactly the same way as you would for a ‘normal’ face-to-face meeting: send out invitations in advance, including a reminder the day before, and have everything you think you may need in front of you.

3. Dress appropriately

Even if you’re working from home, dress and look as you normally would in your office.

4. Don’t be late

Treat the video conference call and participants with the same respect you’d expect for an office meeting. Be prompt in signing in to the call. If you are using new software, download and test it before the meeting is due to start.

5. Normal meeting rules apply

If you are the host, start with some introductions, the purpose of the meeting, the agenda, how you want to handle questions etc so everyone knows what to expect. Otherwise, normal meeting rules apply to keep it on point and productive, which we’ve covered on a previous blog post.

6. Camera position

Try to position the camera at roughly eye-level, the best way to do this it to sit at a table or desk. Avoid resting your laptop on your lap, as extreme or unusual angles can be distracting and unflattering. When speaking try to look at the camera, not at the image of yourself speaking.

7. Find a neutral background

If you are at home you may not need to hide it but try not to advertise the fact. Set-up to achieve a plain, neutral background and check that your surroundings do not include anything too distracting.

8. Mute your microphone

It’s always a good idea to mute your microphone when you’re not speaking. This will avoid any unnecessary or awkward noises in the background.  But be sure to unmute well before you want to make any verbal contribution to the meeting as it may take a few seconds to connect. If you are delivering a presentation it may be useful to mute all other participants as you start. Invite them to unmute themselves if they have questions towards the end or ask them to post a question on the chat facility.

9. Speak slowly and clearly

When you do speak, speak slowly and clearly but be enthusiastic. Sometimes you have to compensate a little for not actually being-there but I find it’s always best to be yourself and imagine you are in a room with everyone.

10. Don’t all talk at once

One of the most difficult elements of video conferencing to master is when to raise your point. It can be even harder to hear when everyone speaks at the same time. If you’re unsure when to jump in, notify the chair of the meeting that you’d like to say something by using the chat facility.

11. Know the system you’re using

Become familiar with the features of your video conferencing solution. When you know how it works you are more confident and that will come across when you use it.

12. Do a test run

If you are relatively new to video conferencing, arrange a trial run or test the process with a colleague in advance. Pay particular attention to any content that you have on your screen that you do not want to unwittingly or accidentally share if you plan to use the screen-share feature.

13. Don’t forget you’re on camera

Always remember that you are on a video conference so don’t roll your eyes or put your head in your hands as this will be seen. Don’t be tempted to start checking your phone, looking at emails or generally trying to address work outside of the conference call – even if you are doing genuine work, it can come across badly to others watching.

Does your company have a video conferencing guide? If not, feel free to repurpose the above to get your business started. Like anything, the more practised, confident and prepared you are, the more you will get out of video conferencing.

Read the Economy of People report for more insights into how you can align people, place, process and technology to deliver increased performance and wellbeing. To download your copy, fill in the form to the right (or below if you’re mobile).

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Not a pretty picture, is it.

In fact, just last week Elon Musk himself told staff at Tesla to walk out of unproductive meetings and phone calls.

“It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time,” he wrote in a leaked email.

Musk’s advice may be a little extreme. Not every meeting is going to 100% productive and storming out of meetings on a regular basis may raise a few eyebrows. Plus, meetings are important: they bring people together, build relationships and provide a space for creativity and innovation. What if there was a way to reduce the amount of time spent in meetings at the same time as getting more done?

Well, good news – there is. AI is revolutionising the way we have meetings, letting teams around the world communicate and collaborate seamlessly, in multiple languages and locations.

We tapped into the power of IBM’s supercomputer AI, Watson, to create our own Cognitive Whiteboards. If you’re unfamiliar with Watson, you can watch the below to learn more about how it works.

Here are just a few of the ways that AI will totally change the way we have meetings.

l. Breaking down language barriers

Want to brainstorm with a team in Delhi but worried the language barrier will slow things down? No problem. AI will translate everything you write or say in real-time and display it on-screen to participants around the world in their local languages.

2. Breaking down geographical barriers

Teams in multiple locations around the world will be able to see and edit one another’s notes and sketches, in real-time, as they make them on-screen.

3. Keeping track of the agenda, the attendees and sending you a reminder if you forget something

Meetings aren’t always straightforward. It’s easy for things to drop off the agenda. AI can take care the ‘housekeeping’ – keeping track of who’s in the room, what’s on the agenda and if something has yet to be discussed – so participants can focus on the task at hand.

4. Taking care of slide navigation

There’s nothing worse than having to break up your presentation to scroll through slides or mess about with your laptop. With AI, once connected, you’ll be able to scroll through the slides using voice command.

5. Creating, sending, printing and securely saving digitised notes

As mentioned earlier, 90% of the information discussed in a meeting is lost once people leave the room. AI-enabled devices will keep track of all on-screen notes and sketches as you create them, then when the meeting’s over, share them with meeting participants or securely save them to a USB or built-in temporary drive.

That said, not everyone has access to AI-enabled devices. Follow these steps to run your meetings right, no matter what tech you’re using:

Timing is everything

Pick a convenient time for the meeting. Start on time and don’t burn time with small talk. Keep it short, 45 minutes max. If you don’t have a great deal to get through, make it a 15-minute standing catch up instead.

Collaboration or communication

Decide whether the meeting is to collaborate and find new solutions or communicate and share information. Either way, prepare accordingly.

Preparation

The person who called the meeting must be prepared and ensure that others have prepared. Meetings not adequately prepared for should be postponed. Meetings scheduled for longer than 15 minutes should have an agenda, published in advance.

Location

Informal catch-ups in coffee shops or cafes make a nice change, but don’t attempt proper meetings in those places.

Stick to the agenda

Don’t add extra topics – you may not have the right people there and even if you do they may not be properly prepared.

Stay focused

Keep phones in pockets. Focus on making decisions and agreeing on actions. Don’t get stuck discussing unnecessary background and history. Certainly, don’t get caught up in disputes or dishing out blame. If absolutely necessary, these things should be covered in separate meetings or reviews.

If you’d like to learn more about how Ricoh can help your teams collaborate and communicate more effectively, just fill out the form to the right (or below if you’re on mobile) to download The Decision Maker’s Guide to Workplace Transformation.

*EShare 2016

**IBM and Ricoh research

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