Visual Communicators Rock!
Katie Laird
klaird@schipul.com
www.schipul.com/happykatie

✓ Let’s talk slides,
people
✓ Visualization toolkit
✓ Behold the FUTURE!

www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html

www.edwardtufte.com/

Personal notes Illustrative slides Handouts

300%
resolution

Design
1.Story Tips
2.Simple
3.Data love
4.Visuals count

1. Message 4. Plot
So my point is...
2. Conflict 3. Characters
Once upon a time...

Seven Questions to Knowing Your Audience
1 What are they like?
Demographics and psychographics are a great start, but connecting with your audience means
understanding them on a personal level. Take a walk in their shoes and describe what their life
looks like each day.
2 Why are they here?
What do they think they’re going to get out of this presentation? Why did they come to hear you?
Are they willing participants or mandatory attendees? This is also a bit of a situation analysis.
3 What keeps them up at night?
Insert a representative
Everyone has a fear, a pain point, a thorn in the side. Let your audience know you
picture or illustration of an
empathize—and offer a solution.
audience member in this
rectangle. It helps to put a
face on the audience. 4 How can you solve their problem?
What’s in it for the audience? How are you going to make their lives better?
5 What do you want them to do?
Answer the question “so what?”—and make sure there’s clear action for your audience to take.
6 How can you best reach them?
People vary in how they receive information. This can include the set up of the room to the availability
of materials after the presentation. Give the audience what they want, how they want it.
7 How might they resist?
What will keep them from adopting your message and carrying out your call to action?
© duarte.com 2008

Powerpoint and slide decks get a bad rap. Communicators must
know who they are talking to and present with a purpose. One way
to get there is to realize the difference between notes, slides and
handouts. With slide design, less is more. It’s not about winning
design awards, it’s about being clear to your audience. Get help
with graphics and gain info architecture knowledge - don’t be shy.
Your degree and job title mean nothing, your curiosity means
everything. Ask me, I can help and I think you’re really swell.

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$1 Trillion
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Spend
$1/second for
32,000 years
Only
1 billion
minutes ago

www.nytimes.com//interactive/2009/07/31/business/20080801-metrics-graphic.html

http://blog.duarte.com/book
BUY THIS BOOK BUY THIS BOOK
BUY THIS BOOK!!

Pie Charts Total Cupcakes Eaten
Large differences in
proportion 100
75
50
25
Bubble Charts = Scatter chart on steroids 0
Good for understanding relationships 2007 2008 2009 2010
(3 values per bubble) http://blog.duarte.com/book Rainbow Vanilla
BUY THIS BOOK BUY THIS BOOK
BUY THIS BOOK!!
Bar Charts
More precise with larger data sets

www.amcharts.com
Lovely free graph / chart creator - pay
a little bit for some interactive
coolness.
http://chartchooser.juiceanalytics.com/
Freebie, decent looking graphs when you
need them fast.

www.crowdspring.com
Crowd sourced, well priced
custom design.
www.sliderocket.com
Make your own, be inspired by
others. Beautiful.
HIRE A GRAPHIC DESIGN
INTERN!!

www.colorschemedesigner.com
Free tool to help with coloring your
world / slides.

http://search.creativecommons.org
Search for all kinds of media and juicy
visuals for your presentations
www.freebase.com
CC friendly images, video
and audio at your disposal
www.compfight.com
Incredible alternate Flickr search.
My absolute favorite. Just beautiful.

www.aviary.com
Free image editing and adjusting -
vector friendly and everything.
www.picnik.com
Fun and easy semi-deep photo /
image editing (easy hook up to Flickr)
www.photoshop.com
Photoshop finally wizened up and put
out a freebie photo editing tool.

www.commoncraft.com/twitter
Best way to explain Twitter -
visually and through video!
www.mediaconverter.org
Fast and easy way to get video on
your slides without the Web

www.slideshare.net
Like YouTube, but for your
Powerpoints
www.empressr.com
Design and present in a
single online space
www.sliderocket.com
Create, update and promote
your presentations

http://personas.media.mit.edu
Review your personal brand equity
through great visuals
http://bit.ly
Shorten your URLs and revel in the
handy built-in statistics!
www.google.com/analytics www.twitalyzer.com
Compile networks and What are your RT-ers influence and
related key phrases footprints like?

www.mint.com www.mailchimp.com
Free online personal finance tool with Free email marketing tool with great
great visuals stats to tell you what you need to
know asap!
http://blog.duarte.com/book
BUY THIS BOOK BUY THIS BOOK
BUY THIS BOOK!!

1. Simple visuals
2. High contrast slides
3. Even less text (HUGE)
www.roambi.com
Mobile visuals of accurate data
from software you already use

www.microsoft.com/surface

www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Zl1e5pAHA

✓ YOU are your
presentation
✓ When in doubt,
take it out (or print it)
✓ Seek inspiration

Katie Laird
Schipul - The Web Marketing Company
www.schipul.com // www.tendenci.com
(281) 497.6567, ext 519
Katie details:
Personal brand: www.schipul.com/happykatie
Blog: www.happykatie.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/happykatie
Flickr: www.flickr.com/happykatie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66125582@N00/457743309/

• Slide 2:
a.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69919530@N00/411189722/
b.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13733685@N00/123933708/
c.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37904562@N07/3559312488/
d. http://www.flickr.com/photos/38338230@N06/3676263520/
Slide 4:
a. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/2986607755/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Slide 5:
a. www.flickr.com/photos/pablomaronas/3639081656/
b. www.flickr.com/photos/kk/2986426677
c. www.flickr.com/photos/bz3rk/3200824172
d. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10687935@N04/3301521291/
Slide 8:
a. http://www.flickr.com/photos/48622270@N00/2832981040/
Slide 10: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8427392@N07/537590787/
Slide 21:
a. www.flickr.com/photos/27988337@N00/286464562
b. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12905355@N05/1454133285/
Slide 31:
a. www.flickr.com/photos/13533187@N00/1979506022
b. www.flickr.com/photos/limowreck666/447241516
c. www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/127378638
d. www.flickr.com/photos/evank750i/306288390
Slide 32:
a. http://www.flickr.com/photos/33711869@N06/3493033892/
b. www.flickr.com/photos/13533187@N00/1969028132
c. www.flickr.com/photos/13492637@N07/2114683166/
d. http://www.flickr.com/photos/40145521@N00/460270581/
e. http://www.flickr.com/photos/86892506@N00/224826722/
Slide 41:
a. www.flickr.com/photos/angelinawb/510706140
b. http://www.flickr.com/photos/71209115@N00/41370809/
c. http://www.flickr.com/photos/71209115@N00/41370809/
d. http://www.flickr.com/photos/evank750i/306288390 /
e. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/127378638/