Presentation Thinking™

What’s the forecast say for presentations in 2023? Rainy with a sprinkle of G Slides? GhostRanch Creative Director Allie Wilson and Kelsey Jones, Director of Account Management, join Presentation Thinking to get their presentation meteorology skills on! They’re experts in what they highlight as the “Three C’s” to look out for: Cohesion, Composability & Continued Learning. Tune in for some fresh ideas to bring to your team and how to keep up in the rapidly evolving presentation and visual storytelling space. This is an episode for: team leaders, presentation experts and folks that get pumped about brand storytelling.

Boris Hristov was destined to improve the world of presentations. Following his exposure to presentations with the all-too-common “Death by PowerPoint” phenomenon, he would later found his presentation agency called 356 Labs. With the arrival of the pandemic, they created the Present to Succeed conference, the world’s largest gathering for presentation skills. We’ve been longtime fans of 356 Labs, we’ve attended the conference and NOW—Boris joins us to chat presentations, catering to your audience & what it means to produce such a massively awesome event. This is an episode for: presentation skills nerds, public speakers and (hybrid!) event producers.

Ever wonder if there’s ONE thing you need to be doing to improve your presentations? The Rancheros have answers. When GhostRanch retreated to Palm Springs for a “Winter Workation” last week, we did hot-seat style interviews! From art director to designer to technical director, we got advice that people (like you!) can easily implement to level-up their presentations. And for good measure, we asked a bunch of silly random stuff too. Similar to our “What GhostRanch Learned at StoryCamp” (#32) episode, this is an episode for: Presentation designers, aspiring or current speakers and friends of the Ranch.

Tony Fadell might not be a name you know, but it’s attached to products used around the world. Starting his career at Apple with Steve Jobs and designing the early iPod, Fadell later went on to invent the Google Nest smart thermostat. His TED Talk, The First Secret of Great Design, illustrates how breaking habituation is the first step in observing everyday problems around us that innovators can solve. What aren’t you noticing? And how can its design serve us better? Mikey and Molly analyze this TED Talk and what we can learn from its content, Tony’s execution and, of course, the slides. This is an episode for: TED Talk enthusiasts, engineers, product designers and tech nerds.

Tamsen Webster knows how to get to the heart of things, or rather—the Red Thread. A strategic messaging expert and TED Talk aficionado, Tamsen has been working with brands and individuals to hone a talk, craft a message and get to the ROOT of a mission for almost 25 years. Mikey and Molly are already big fans of her book, Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible. In this episode, we go through one of Tamsen’s fantastic tools “The Conversational Case” and we’re sure it’ll help you with your messaging and goals as much as it helped us. This is an episode for: Strategic messaging folks, brand experts, storytellers & TED Talk enthusiasts

What we learned starting a presentation podcast and where (we hope) it’s going. This episode’s “Year in Review” peels back the curtain so we can tell you EXACTLY how many regular listeners we have, which episodes came out on top and how many nicknames Mikey has gifted the ‘cast. It’s been a journey—From figuring out what the heck to talk about, to getting folks to interview, to avoiding over-enunciating into our microphones.  And we can’t wait to keep growing our listening community (#PresentationNation!) into the New Year. This is an episode for: podcasters, creators & people that love Spotify Wrapped

When Mikey is asked to return to his college Alma Mater and present to a club for business leaders, he is posed with the challenge: How do you engage & inspire young people with a presentation? Thus began the pod’s first endeavor into a motivational presentation. We discuss the story Mikey shared, how he prepped and exactly how many laughs he got. "Is this deck ready to pitch?" As Captain Ron says:“Best way to find out is to get her out on the ocean. If anything’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen out there.” Consider this one step closer on Mikey’s journey to the TED Talk stage. This is an episode for motivational speakers, presenters & people that work with young people.

Life is better in color - and presentations are more strategic with it, too. Associate Creative Director Lindsay Hadley AKA our resident “Color Commentator” joins the pod to discuss palettes, Pantone and the impact color can make on any project. How much is too much color? How do you find a memorable color combo? And what can Pantone’s Color of the Year tell us? Join this “Color theory 101” to paint your next presentation strategically. Episode #47 is for color nerds, designers & people that follow Pantone’s Color of the Year.

You’ve probably heard of motivational speaker & “guru” Simon Sinek. Mikey and Molly dive into Sinek’s early 00s TED Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. It’s inspiring, of course. It’s also a masterclass in great presentation skills. His use of repetition, a simple diagram and even—dare we say—the lack of slides are all perfectly executed. Whether you’re a Simon skeptic or stan, there’s a lot to take away from this famous TED Talk.

Aimée Mazara calls herself a Visual Journalist. Based in the Dominican Republic, her illustrations take on a dynamic watercolor-esque quality—you can feel the movement of the streets; the markets. Focusing on everyday life scenes, Aimée tends to start conversations with locals for inspiration. Her art has even been a method for fundraising and raising awareness for a neighbor in need. It was so much fun to hear about her process, her inspiration and hilariously—how she used PowerPoint to present the context of the “faceless doll” from the Dominican Republic to a client. This is an episode for illustrators, storytellers and people that love Humans of New York. Note: This episode is in English + Spanish. For English translation, listen to THIS version of the episode.