Presentation Thinking™

“Voyage and Return” clocks in as the FOURTH plot of Christopher Booker’s The 7 Basic Plots book, bringing you a few all-time classic stories. While Booker walks us through the commonalities in Alice and Wonderland, Wizard of Oz & Peter Pan, Mikey and Molly applied the plot to some PIXAR favorites—Toy Story and UP! The idea of embarking on our own ambling journey is one of the most relatable plot shapes yet. Some of the best presentations are ones that share their respective “Voyage”....and “Returns.” (Get it??) Tune in for more storytelling breakdowns, what we can learn from the “Thrilling Escape” & a call-back to why PIXAR is always making us cry.

Everyone enjoys a good sense of humor. But have you ever wondered what it might do for your career? Or better yet, your next presentation?? Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas are students of silliness. Having researched and taught on the subject at Stanford, their book, Humor, Seriously gets straight to the heart of the funny bone. They walk us through the anatomy of funny, the psychology behind it and how to be more successful at work by being funny—all with the research and data to prove it. Loyal listener Breece Justice joins Mikey and Molly for this book club episode comedy nerds are sure to love. Our take? Humor, Seriously is seriously fun.

As we continue with Christopher Booker’s The 7 Basic Plots book, “The Quest” is his third “story shape”, lending itself to some of the most epic stories of all time. Homer’s Odyssey, Moby Dick, Lord of the Rings (kind of). We all cheer when the hero sets out to get the prize, destroy the ring, achieve the dream—but what are the lessons learned along the way? What are the patterns we can implement into our Presentation Thinking world? Is The Goonies a “Quest” kind of story?? Time to set out on our own Quest journey and find out.

This summer, a particularly special gathering for the remotely-dispersed GhostRanch team called “StoryCamp” was created to level up our collective presentation storytelling. There was minimal structure but maximum learning with workshops, deep dives and, obviously, karaoke. It provided both much needed in-person time (hugs!) AND a reminder for GhostRanch’s values & mission. It’s something we’re hoping to duplicate for clients so first, we’re putting it out on the pod. This episode brings on three “Rancheros” to rave about our shenanigans and share how this type of retreat could work for you.

When your presentation client’s content is detail-heavy and your design is full of different animations, fonts, etc.—it can be a lot to keep track of. After many years in the biz getting decks “client-ready”, there’s one Quality Assurance (QA) framework that Mikey and team have found provides consistent and dependable results…and that’s MTN FACES. What’s this, you ask? An acronym, of course! M - master T - titles N - notes F - footer A - animations C - content (and comments) E - edge game S - size of the file MTN FACES is for making your list, checking it twice and getting a flawless review from the client. A design-forward episode.

Richard Goring has long-since been a #PrezThinking icon of ours. Director (and co-founder) of BrightCarbon, a trailblazing company in the Presentation design space, he’s passionate about animations, eLearning tools, webinars & consuming other podcasts and presentation paraphernalia (just like us!). But we’ll let the prolific presenter speak for himself. A fun conversation with tips for presenting, creating online tools & the future of presentation design. Proof that meeting your heroes is, indeed, inspiring.

#2 of Christopher Booker’s The 7 Basic Plots is the tried and true Story Shape: "Rags To Riches." From Cinderella to The Sandlot, we love cheering for the underdog moving up in the world. But WHY and HOW is this Story Shape so effective? How can we channel Remy the Ratatouille rat in your own life?? Mikey and Molly discuss all this Bippity Boppity Boo.

Can all stories be categorized into 7 different plots? That’s what English journalist & writer Christopher Booker spent 34 years researching for his mega-book, The 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. In honor of GhostRanch’s 7th birthday (August 2nd!), we’re excited to dive into the first plot of this 7-part series, “Overcoming the Monster.” In a Disney context, an “Overcoming the Monster” story is the threat of perpetual winter taking over in Frozen. In our PrezThinking world, this might be “Death By PowerPoint” or bullet points. How can these story arcs work for us? And what can we learn from applying them to work? Let’s find out.

Phil Charron, Executive Vice President of Think Company, is a presentation pioneer. From helping put on PowerPoint presentations when physical slides still had to be switched manually to joining the UX design world as it was being invented, Phil truly has a holistic view of the evolution of presentations and design. What was it like to see PowerPoint change the landscape of presentations? What’s his perspective, having been both the line-level producer AND the client? And how, exactly, did he get electrocuted helping with a presentation?? A true storyteller, Phil is chock-full of hilarious anecdotes. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the past, present and future of the world of Presentation Thinking. Full show notes HERE.

Andy Raskin is a strategic storytelling evangelist. For Mikey and Molly, his work was a gateway into the thriving ecosystem that is Presentation Thinking. From his in-person appearances to an online article gone viral, he emphasizes that your story IS your strategy—and it’s important to leverage it. Learn along with us how to use your story and invite people to join in your journey.