I haven’t used PowerPoint in over five years.

Call me old-fashioned, but I think it’s more important to use business presentations to establish rapport, build relationships and develop conversation that helps clients.

I can’t understand why salespeople or other leaders would take the trouble to assemble an audience only to say, “Please look away from me to the screen while I turn down the lights.”

If you feel you must use a handful of PPT slides, put them in the middle of the presentation.  This way you can look into the audience’s eyes at the beginning of your talk and at the end.  The end, of course, is where all good presenters stage the “call to action.”

Recently, I started using PowerPoint again, but with a twist . . .

I now use a single slide during my talks

This one graphic image is so powerful, you can hear a pin drop when it appears on the screen.  This slide is all audience members can talk about when the presentation is over.  And get this–the slide usually has no direct connection to the subject of my talk!

What is this magic slide and how can you use a similar technique to strengthen your presentations?

Well, the slide is a very unusual graphic based on a personal story.

When my father was in the hospital a few years back, our family kept a journal at his bedside.  We used the notebook to  track Dad’s progress and leave each other reminders of what to ask the doctors.

Dad even wrote in the journal, especially after the medical team inserted an “NG tube,” and eating tube which kept Dad from being able to speak.

Anyway, about two weeks into his hospital stay, it became clear Dad was failing due to mysterious complications.

We were all looking for clues about how to help him get well, so in a quiet moment, I asked my father what he thought was happening.

Dad's parting words

He wrote, “I think I’m improving.”

And then, he died the next day.

Although this story and the accompanying slide are not usually the core message of my speeches, it’s incredibly easy to integrate its optimistic theme.  After all, a dying person who remains upbeat can teach us all a bit about having a better attitude.

Do you see how showing a single PowerPoint slide can be so effective?

I’ll bet you can make a similar arrangement with your speeches and presentations.

I’ll teach you how to use this technique and many of my other presentation tricks during the May 25 teleseminar, How to Give Killer Presentations.  A playback recording is available for this session, but you can order the audio CD version of this topic, if you’d like to listen anytime or share the info with others.

Can you say “no” to PowerPoint?