Presentation Thinking™

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 with English translation recorded over Spanish.

Molly reports back after attending this year’s STORY Conference in Nashville—a self-explanatory event about, well, storytelling. This immersive conference experience took us to Neverland—complete with fairy dust, Lost Boys running around and a mermaid in the fountain. From Narrative Strategists at NASA to the writer of Beauty and the Beast, the variety and caliber of speakers was stunning. This was the perfect place to learn how to be a better presenter, storyteller and simply get inspired. Consider us fans of STORY and we can’t wait to see where they go next. This is an episode for speakers, frequent conference attendees & everyone who needs a bit of inspiration.

Illustrator Derek Abella might call himself “a silly little guy who draws”, but his creative work has garnered national and cultural significance. With soft lines, beautiful gradients and blended shapes, Derek’s work makes otherwise hard-to-depict subjects approachable AND beautiful. We discuss his creative journey as an artist and peel back the curtain on his process—with a lot of valuable takeaways for presenters, editorialists & creatives alike. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal & Google. This is an episode for visual storytellers, folks in the editorial world & people that get pumped about the ~process~.

Visual Designer Isabela Humphrey has always loved to draw, growing up surrounded by a family of creative people. But her journey to becoming a successful designer wasn’t so straightforward. From studying fashion design to side-hustling with card-making, Isabela is further proof that there are limitless pathways to becoming a full time illustrator. Her clients now include Apartment Therapy, Refinery 29 & Google Play and don’t be surprised when she eventually starts her own artist agency “where it’s more like a co-op.” Isabela’s continuous inspiration from the strong women in her family is apparent in her swoon-worthy Insta feed which you can follow here. This is an episode for: aspiring illustrators, pro graphic designers & people that get pumped about the ~process~.

For this episode’s “Presentation Book Club” discussing Making Numbers Count, we brought on our favorite CFO and the biggest “numbers guy” we know—Kip McCauley. Kip and Mikey break down their takeaways from Chip Heath and Karla Starr’s 2022 book, Making Numbers Count. How can we most effectively communicate data and numbers? It’s all about painting pictures, comparing them to human terms or translating to a more digestible scale. This is an episode for people that deal with data, reports, and everyone who’s intimidated by it. P.S. Kip is leading our 11/15 webinar, “Do Data, Better” on the same subject! Register here.

We’ve arrived at the SEVENTH and final of the 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories —Rebirth. While “rebirth” conjures up images of a phoenix rising from the ashes, we now might also think of a wilting rose in a castle or the Ghost of Christmas Past. Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast & A Christmas Carol are all familiar classics that can be considered a “rebirth” plot. A dark shadow, menacing threats & finally, a redemption figure are key components in resolving a Rebirth story. We’re excited to wrap up these 7 story frameworks with which you can/should start any project. Are you (or your project) the hero that needs redeeming? The solution to overcoming the monster? The map to guide one’s Quest? Assigning a plot and making a story out of something builds a more compelling case—and hopefully a happy ending. It’s all here for you in Christopher Booker’s 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories.

Lianna Patch knows the power of making someone laugh. In fact, she’s built her own business around it. Punchline Copy is one of many projects for this speaker, stand-up and professional conversion copywriter. After Mikey saw her present in Mexico City, we did a classic cold email to get her aboard the pod—and boy, was it worth it. From copywriting tips like her very professional “We-We" process, to bombing onstage, to running a full-on COURSE on infusing your marketing with humor, Lianna’s experience is so valuable. And hilarious. This is an episode for speakers, wannabe speakers, copywriters & stand-ups alike.

On its surface, The Tragedy is a story we all know well—a sad and dark string of events that ultimately lead to a hero’s doom. (Debbie downer, I know). But for Christopher Booker’s book 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, it follows another clear plot pattern that is well worth studying. From Romeo and Juliet to Bonnie and Clyde, tragedies tell us about a hero/heroine’s run with temptations, greed, lust and hubris. Does a brush with death ALWAYS resolve a plot? And how could they serve as cautionary tales in our presentations? Welcome to Presentation Book Club. Let’s talk about tragedies.

Todd Henry is an “arms dealer for the creative revolution.” And if that branded phrase of his doesn’t strike a creative chord somewhere deep inside you, well, keep moving. An international speaker, we’ve had the privilege of hearing from Todd on both big and small stages. For this episode, he joins Presentation Thinking to chat about translating creative concepts into slides for the stage. Author of six books, the most recent release called Daily Creative, Todd is also an expert on how to maintain prolific, brilliant and healthy work. AND he’s the host of the popular podcast, “The Accidental Creative.” We’re big fans and constantly inspired by him—and know you will be too.

If you think you know the “Comedy” plot structure from Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories as the “SuperBad” movie or Jim Carrey’s slapstick—you’re not wrong. But you don’t have the full picture. This plot structure has undergone an evolution throughout history starting with Aristophanes’ “Old Comedy” in ancient Greece to an introduction of lovers facing ridiculous obstacles until finally, Shakespeare transformed it into the kind of Comedy that we know and love today. And, plot twist—it doesn't necessarily have to be out loud “ha-ha” funny. While Booker’s examples might be a bit outdated, Mikey and Molly are here to apply it to relatable Rom-Coms and Judd Apatow productions that will have you questioning what IS and ISN’T a comedy story arc.