A course that will make you better at your job.
Two options for your learning style and needs:
I just need the major points to be dangerous...
Hit the Deck Online Core
- A concise 90 minutes of storyboarding and PowerPoint training
- Four simple modules based on four must haves for every deck
- "Bite-sized" videos ranging from 5 to 12 minutes for quick consumption
- Step-by-step approaches for building slides from scratch in minutes
- Cheat sheets for important shortcuts and commands
Must Have #1: Creating a Story in Slides - Have you ever read a document that just made perfect sense? Ever found a person who can take a complicated topic and present it simply? This module teaches you how to do that with slides. Learn how to set up every slide the same so that your message sticks.
Must Have #2: Obeying Horizontal & Vertical Logic - Want to make sure your deck is bulletproof, and avoid unneeded criticism? Want to avoid getting called out by an executive for not having a story that flows? This module teaches you how to make sure you avoid losing your reader/audience.
Must Have #3: Making the Point on the Slide. A picture is worth a 1,000 words ... then why don't people use more pictures? Chances are you are a visual learner, and your reader/audience will be too. This module teaches you the importance of illustrating slides and a method for doing so.
Must Have #4: Make it Pretty. Sadly, a book - and a deck - can be judged by its cover. People often criticize slides that are misaligned, poorly presented, and frankly, ugly. Unprofessional materials are not taken as seriously as their cleaner counterparts. This module teaches you the principles of a "pretty" slide and the PowerPoint strokes necessary to make them so.
I want a comprehensive training and lots of practice...
Hit the Deck Online Full
- 4 hours of storyboarding and PowerPoint training
- 7 simple modules that walk through the 3 layers of a good slide
- Incremental content on shortcuts/using PowerPoint for speed and slide design
- Step-by-step approaches for building slides from scratch in minutes
- Cheat sheets for important shortcuts and commands
- Fun? Yes. I try! I did my best to make a PowerPoint course that doesn't suck
1.) Defining Your Audience: Often people rush to make slides with no clear idea of what they need to create. This module covers how to tactically scope your deck to avoid wasted time and what critical questions you need to have answered before you start.
2.) and 3.) Creating your Message and Drafting Your Storyboard: A good slide and a deck are nothing more than manifestations of good ideas. These modules teach how to create a compelling argument, storyboard a deck, and lay it out across slides.
4.) Designing Your Slide: A good slide design/layout is like a sharp axe. This module covers putting your ideas into graphics and common slide layouts you can use.
5.) Setting Up PowerPoint: This module covers power-user PowerPoint setup. Pilots don't attempt to fly the plane until they know what the buttons in the cockpit do!
6.) Learning to Create: ... and now it's time to fly the plane! Extensive exercises here on inserting and manipulating objects, quickly. Plus we briefly go over charts. Heavy dose of keyboard shortcuts!
7.) Checking for Quality (Make it Pretty): Sadly, a book - and a deck - can be judged by its cover. Your slides have to look good to be effective. We go over the principles of aesthetically-pleasing slides and go through an example of cleaning one up. We finish with picking apart a few slides for formatting and common mistakes
Necessary prep for your internship or day-job!
- People view your decks as a reflection of you: put your best foot forward
- Slides are a daily opportunity to showcase your thoughts and ideas - don't pass those opportunities up
- Slides can consume a lot of your time, and can come out terribly, if you don't have a structured approach for making them
- If you are going into consulting, this course is a must!
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