To PPT or not to PPT

Lots of blog talk today about the proper use of PowerPoint and Keynote - the ubiquitous presentation applications.

Seth Godin and Mike Hyatt both provided their own list of DOs and DON'Ts and they make good points -

But here's a thought -

Do you REALLY need presentation software?

Last year, I was faced with leading a retreat in a place where it was going to be impossible to use a projector.

OH MY I thought WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

There's wasn't much I could do besides go to my notes and make the presentation SANS all the pretty graphics and other crap I'd taken so much time to develop.

And you know what? It was one of the best sessions I'd done in a long time.

I'm a good storyteller, so I used words to grab their attention. In a couple of instances I drew on a board to illustrate a point.

Since then, I've done a few more with nothing but my notes (and charming personality) - and the comments are always positive.

"He knows his stuff and doesn't get lost in PowerPoint slides."

My point is this - presentation software has it's place, but if you are a good storyteller and you know your stuff, take a deep breath and jump off the board without a projector to keep you afloat.

Does this twist work?

The axiom "Less is More" makes sense on many levels.

So, I'm wodering if there are an equal number of situations where the opposite is also true.

Think about this.

Can you name situations when "More is Less" in your life or business?

Fish where the fish aren't

The biggest fish are seldom swimming with the pack.

If you want average success, drop your hook where everyone else is fishing . . . but the trophy is out there swimming in uncharted waters.

Seth Godin makes a simple observation about the downside of "targeted marketing" in this entry from his blog.

Much Ado About Idol?

Every commentary from Rosie to Keith was crying about the terrible treatment of a contestant by the judges on American Idol.

It was pretty brutal, but accoring to Toni Fitzgerald, writing for Media Life, the folks watching the show either weren't offended, or their remote controls were broken.

Idol's season opener scored 2 million more viewers than last year and was the second most watched episode, ever.

Will Someone Leave a Note for Our Loved Ones?

Reading this story about the Dooms Day Clock being pushed ahead two minutes, primarily because of climate change issues, I'm wondering if society isn't in a way committing suicide.

Unhappy thought, but certainly a call to each of us to do what we can invidually to beat the clock.

Mankind will adjust to changes, we always do. But, what if some of the changes are a result of our collective ignorance, indifference or arrogance?

If God put us here to take care of things (read Genesis), how are we doing with the task?

Books I Read Every Year

There are always new books to read, but I have a short list of titles I re-read every year.

Who Moved My Cheese? - It takes 45 minutes and reminds me that change is not only inevitable, it's necessary.

Purple Cow - It is SO easy to allow my remarkableness to get soft.

Management Methods of Jesus - Hands down, the best of it's kind. Concise. Relevant. Thought provoking.

The Bible - I try to read the entire text every year. Different translations and reading guides.

Marketing Success Through Differentiation of Anything - Ted Levitt's 1980 paper on being different. Makes me proud to do what I do.

iPhone? Eh, tell me something new

Hmm - full disclosure, I am a huge Mac fan.

So, what I'm about to say is almost blasphemous. What's up with the iPhone?

Oh yeah, it's probably going to be an incredible piece of gear. And given Apple's track record, it'll work a lot better than any similar device brought to market by anyone else.

So, what's the beef?

Well - It strikes me as ironic - Apple is such an innovative company that when they announce something that's going to have a major impact, people just shrug and say, "Oh, we expected something like this from Apple."

Has Apple reached a point where their own innovation is a commodity? If some other firm had rolled out the iPhone, people would be have been amazed and bedazzled. Apple does and folks yawn.

Oh, don't get me wrong. People will still buy the darn thing, because it'll work. But what will Steve Jobs and his team need to do to break the next ho-hum barrier?