Comments on: How Product Managers Can Get Better At Creating Powerpoint Slides http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides Home Of The Billion Dollar Product Manager Where You Too Can Learn To Be A Wildly Successful Product Manger Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:14:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-2804 Dr. Jim Anderson Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:57:59 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-2804 Matt: Great article! I especially like the guidance "pictures, not words"! Thanks for sharing. Matt: Great article! I especially like the guidance “pictures, not words”! Thanks for sharing.

]]> By: Matt Kesler http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-2794 Matt Kesler Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:09:54 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-2794 I've compiled some lessons learned using PowerPoint as a product manager for more years than I care to admit. Here is an article with some of those lessons: http://launch-your-product.com/effective-presentations/. I would welcome additions. Please let me know if you have some experiences to share: matt@mattkesler.com. Thanks! Matt I’ve compiled some lessons learned using PowerPoint as a product manager for more years than I care to admit. Here is an article with some of those lessons: http://launch-your-product.com/effective-presentations/.

I would welcome additions. Please let me know if you have some experiences to share: matt@mattkesler.com.

Thanks!

Matt

]]> By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-463 Dr. Jim Anderson Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:15:26 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-463 David: you bring up an interesting idea - should PowerPoint slides stand by themselves? I know that I've tried to create many "decks" that could be read through without actually seeing the presentation. I think that we like PowerPoint because it allows us to quickly draw a lot of pictures. However, if our audience is not sitting in a presentations it sure seems like it's not the best way to get our message across. Perhaps this is why it has become so quick & easy to create videos - PowerPoint plus video may be the best answer to effective communications... David: you bring up an interesting idea – should PowerPoint slides stand by themselves? I know that I’ve tried to create many “decks” that could be read through without actually seeing the presentation. I think that we like PowerPoint because it allows us to quickly draw a lot of pictures. However, if our audience is not sitting in a presentations it sure seems like it’s not the best way to get our message across. Perhaps this is why it has become so quick & easy to create videos – PowerPoint plus video may be the best answer to effective communications…

]]> By: David Locke http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-461 David Locke Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:36:05 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-461 A conceptualization is a collection of concepts, maybe a network of concept. Differentiation has us including some concepts and their networks, and excluding others. Terminology management has to embody those concepts in keywords. Those keywords turn up on the UI as labels. And, they are all you say. The user is supposed to know what they mean without reading the manual, but then again, there may be too many users with different backgrounds. Slides are the best place to put this stuff, share this stuff, and debate them. If you need more than one slide, then the word on the slide isn't good enough. If you need a sequence, you still need to summarize that sequence. Boil it down to one word, maybe two, but boil it down. These slides might not communicate with investors, but somehow we expect these same words to the the job on the interface. Maybe the problem is broader than Powerpoint. A conceptualization is a collection of concepts, maybe a network of concept. Differentiation has us including some concepts and their networks, and excluding others.

Terminology management has to embody those concepts in keywords. Those keywords turn up on the UI as labels. And, they are all you say. The user is supposed to know what they mean without reading the manual, but then again, there may be too many users with different backgrounds.

Slides are the best place to put this stuff, share this stuff, and debate them. If you need more than one slide, then the word on the slide isn’t good enough. If you need a sequence, you still need to summarize that sequence. Boil it down to one word, maybe two, but boil it down.

These slides might not communicate with investors, but somehow we expect these same words to the the job on the interface. Maybe the problem is broader than Powerpoint.

]]> By: Product Management Reader: 19Mar09 | The Productologist: Exploring the Depths of Product Management http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-457 Product Management Reader: 19Mar09 | The Productologist: Exploring the Depths of Product Management Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:27:17 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-457 [...] How Product Managers Can Get Better At Creating Powerpoint Slides [Accidental Product Manager] [...] [...] How Product Managers Can Get Better At Creating Powerpoint Slides [Accidental Product Manager] [...]

]]> By: Lena http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-432 Lena Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:19:14 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-432 Training: School :) Personally I really like PPs which uses the new glossy buttons etc in the Drawing Tools section. It makes all the difference to the boring blue 90's styled standard boxes. PowerPoint is a great tool to use when visualizing early product ideas. Some prefer to draw up ideas with pen and paper, some photoshop and some PowerPoint. I think it's good to use PowerPoint when creating quick mockup if photoshop isn't on your pc... not just for presentations and meetings. Training: School :)

Personally I really like PPs which uses the new glossy buttons etc in the Drawing Tools section. It makes all the difference to the boring blue 90′s styled standard boxes.

PowerPoint is a great tool to use when visualizing early product ideas.
Some prefer to draw up ideas with pen and paper, some photoshop and some PowerPoint. I think it’s good to use PowerPoint when creating quick mockup if photoshop isn’t on your pc… not just for presentations and meetings.

]]> By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-430 Dr. Jim Anderson Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:38:24 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-430 Lou: you missed my point here (but don't feel bad, it's kinda subtle). Yes, of course, the focus should be on the entire presentation. However, with that being said, how do the individual slides look? Too few of us are artists and so often our individual slides take away from the overall message of the presentation. We all need to become better artists. The question that I was trying to answer was "how do we do that". Lou: you missed my point here (but don’t feel bad, it’s kinda subtle). Yes, of course, the focus should be on the entire presentation. However, with that being said, how do the individual slides look? Too few of us are artists and so often our individual slides take away from the overall message of the presentation. We all need to become better artists. The question that I was trying to answer was “how do we do that”.

]]> By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-429 Dr. Jim Anderson Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:35:49 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-429 Kim: good point. I love what the folks over at slide:ology do. My only struggle is that the slides that they produce look so good that it's kinda hard to use them in internal planning meetings! Kim: good point. I love what the folks over at slide:ology do. My only struggle is that the slides that they produce look so good that it’s kinda hard to use them in internal planning meetings!

]]> By: Dr. Jim Anderson http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-428 Dr. Jim Anderson Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:31:01 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-428 Ed: you've hit the nail on the head. Where I see PowerPoint being used (incorrectly?) is for weekly status reports. It sure seems like we need a different way of communicating information - one that would allow the use of images but would also make it easy to embed additional detailed information. Hmm, looks like a product opportunity for someone! Ed: you’ve hit the nail on the head. Where I see PowerPoint being used (incorrectly?) is for weekly status reports. It sure seems like we need a different way of communicating information – one that would allow the use of images but would also make it easy to embed additional detailed information. Hmm, looks like a product opportunity for someone!

]]> By: Lou http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/uncategorized/how-product-managers-can-get-better-at-creating-powerpoint-slides/comment-page-1#comment-426 Lou Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:30:56 +0000 http://www.theaccidentalpm.com/?p=503#comment-426 Jim, I have to disagree with your approach. The focus should be on the presentation as a whole, not the PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint is but a tool, not the presentation. When designing PowerPoint slides make sure they do not become the presentation--your idea is the presentation. Otherwise, why do I need to listen to you or your presentation when all I have to do is read your PowerPoint slides? Jim,

I have to disagree with your approach. The focus should be on the presentation as a whole, not the PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint is but a tool, not the presentation. When designing PowerPoint slides make sure they do not become the presentation–your idea is the presentation. Otherwise, why do I need to listen to you or your presentation when all I have to do is read your PowerPoint slides?

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