 |
|
|
An Interview with Jim Endicott
Interviewed by Geetesh Bajaj, January 11th 2008
Jim Endicott (pictured to the left) is a nationally-recognized
consultant, designer, speaker specializing in professional presentation
messaging, design and delivery. Jim has been a Jesse H. Neal award-winning
columnist for Presentations magazine with his contributions to
the magazine's Creative Techniques column. Jim has also contributed
presentation-related content in magazines like Business Week, Consulting
and Selling Power as well as a being a paid contributor for a number
of industry-related websites.
Geetesh: |
Tell us more about your work and how it is has changed
in the last five years, and what could happen in the
next five. |
Jim: |
Distinction started in 1998 as a presentation design-only company
and opportunities abounded. The biggest challenge was selling
the idea of higher-end presentation design to companies who
simply couldn’t visualize PowerPoint looking any different
then what they were already doing. And most certainly weren’t
excited about paying someone to do what their administrative
assistants could do for $4.50/hour. For the companies, however,
who had a good grasp of the “pain” created by their
marginal PowerPoint (ie. lost opportunity), hiring us was a
no-brainer. We just had to ferret out those organizations.
Although we were raising the bar on presentation design,
we were painfully aware that the baseline content suffered
from pre-existing messaging that was often confusing and
self-serving. In the end analysis, we measured our effectiveness
not on our ability to help a presenter “give” a
better presentation, but rather on the pay-off that comes
when an audiences truly “gets” them. Much of
the world today is still pre-occupied with simply “giving” presentations,
creating an abundance of companies more than willing to
sell picks and shovels to the miners.
Distinction began offering message consulting services
in 2000 and revenues increased quickly. The combination
of clean, crisp design and expertly messaged presentation
flow resonated well with both with our customers and their
audiences. In 2002, the final element came together for
us. Well messaged, nicely designed presentations still
needed to be delivered well. We added delivery skills workshops
to our service offerings and they quickly became the fastest
growing segment of our business. Using a skill-upon-skill
coaching methodology and the vehicle of videotaping, we
provide an opportunity for presenters to see themselves
through the eyes of their audiences making meaningful change
possible.
Where’s it all headed? Well, we’ve all seen
how good PowerPoint 2007 looks right out of the box. Many
of those pesky cosmetic design choices have been addressed
in well thought-out auto-design interfaces complete with
intelligent color schemes. But presenters can still become
preoccupied with form over function. Nice looking presentations
can still have nothing meaningful to say and a presenter’s
personal skills can still undermine their effectiveness.
These challenges create an even greater need for presentation
professionals who see the bigger personal communication
picture. For them, the future will be bright.
|
Geetesh: |
Technology is changing the way presentations are
interfaced and delivered -- give us your opinion about this
sphere. |
Jim: |
The evolution of presentation-related technology
the past 10 years has been much needed. Today’s laptops
don’t lock up like they use to. Electronic projectors
sync well without much prompting. Broader Internet bandwidth
and better web interfaces have facilitated easier web presenting
with less need to dumb down presentations. And a presenter’s
PowerPoint can now be deployed into communication venues
none of us could have imagined a few years back. (ie. iPods).
The responsibility of sorting through all those options
with honesty towards what truly advances the art of personal
communication still falls on each presenter. History would
indicate many will continue to spend money looking for easier,
quick fix short-cuts to the presentation process. Tools or
technologies that promise “dazzle” and “pizzazz” will
trump the hard work it takes to be a more effective communicator.
|
Geetesh: |
Is the marketplace's sophistication
and understanding of the presentation process evolving as
quickly as the design tools? |
Jim: |
Someone once asked me if all the evangelism I do for better
presentations/presenting will eventually impact my business.
The answer is – not in a million years. For every
company that evolves these core competencies within their
organizations, there are 10 more who still struggle with
the fundamentals of presenting their important thoughts
and ideas. Things are changing, however. Companies are
under greater and greater pressure because their competitors
are winning the battle for the hearts and minds of their
customers.
|
Geetesh: |
We are witnessing the advance of presentations in almost
every field: government, religion, education, training, etc.
And many of these areas are nowhere close to saturation as
far as the potential for presentations is concerned. Can you
share your thoughts on how we can ensure that this potential
is utilized in a optimal way |
Jim: |
People everywhere are drawn to PowerPoint done different and
done well. As a presentation community, we need to continue
to elevate the visibility of good visual communication tools
in venues like slideshare.net. Status quo PowerPoint should
create enormous internal pressure on a company to evolve the
use of these communication tools – and quickly. |
|
|
