Shows
Presentation Thinking™#169. Establishing “rules” of Visual Storytelling to avoid Death by PowerPointAfter exploring WHAT Visual Storytelling is with Creative Director Allie Wilson in Episode #166, we thought it’d be useful to establish exactly HOW to achieve successful Visual Storytelling. What are the “rules” to implement in each of your slides?In this episode, Molly sources data directly from presentation designers of GhostRanch to inform several clear “rules” for visual storytelling—keeping ONE idea per slide, establishing a clear hierarchy of information, being intentional with content and keeping your style consistent. While these may seem like simple concepts, breaking out of the typical Header + Bullets style can go a long way.
2025-05-0321 min
Presentation Thinking™#167. TED Talkin’: Christopher Cummings on assessing risk and creating dark magic with communicationSocial scientist Christopher Cummings takes the TED stage with his talk “The dark magic of communication: how we manipulate others” to show us that communication is like magic—and magic can be used for good or evil. (Dun dun dunnnnnn!)What kind of “dark magic” could we be talking about? As a social scientist and health/risk communicator, part of Christopher’s job is assessing risk and just how dangerous or risky something actually is. We all know there’s a difference between perceived risk and actual risk but how does that get determined? Christopher walks us throug...
2025-04-1725 min
Presentation Thinking™#166. What is Visual Storytelling? With Creative Director Allie WilsonB2B folks everywhere:You’ve probably heard of “visual storytelling” and how important it can be for your brand and for your presentations. However, like many a buzzword, we’ve seen the phrase thrown around so much, we fear its true meaning is often confused with a focus on style, rather than substance. Visual storytelling goes beyond decoration, embellishment and off-brand AI imagery. True visual storytelling helps marketers achieve clarity in their communications—it helps to bring the core of our messages to life with meaning and memorability.To join us in this Visual...
2025-04-1132 min
Presentation Thinking™#163. What Aaron Sorkin’s screenwriting Masterclass teaches us about storytelling everywhereThe one where Mikey and Molly embody their role as “students of storytelling” by taking Aaron Sorkin’s Masterclass on screenwriting. Aaron’s writing is literally award-winning—think A Few Good Men, The Social Network, The West Wing—so this online class seemed like a more affordable option than film school.We dig into Aaron’s teaching style, his reverence for Aristotle and what can be gleaned in our presentation and marketing world from screenwriting tips. From story sequencing to letting the audience in on the secret to the importance of research (hello, win-loss intervi...
2025-03-2048 min
Presentation Thinking™#162. Soft Skills Pay Bills: You’re Invited to Story Camp this summer!COMING THIS SUMMER to Park City, Utah—GhostRanch’s Story Camp retreat is now open to the public!! What is it? Story Camp is a small but mighty micro retreat this July 22-24th, 2025. No huge hotel crowds, we’re talking 40-50 people.Who is it for? It’s for anyone that wants to level up their presentation, storytelling and soft skills. In fact, soft skills pay bills is part of the hypothesis that brought Story Camp into existence! Molly interviews Mikey about where this idea came from and how with the rapid g...
2025-03-1333 min
Presentation Thinking™#159. Delta CES Keynote: Taking presentations to new heightsThis episode was recorded before the Delta crash in Toronto on February 17th, 2025. We are extremely grateful that everyone is okay. Delta made a surprising appearance at CES 2025 (Consumer Technology Show)—a tradeshow typically showcasing explicitly tech brands and the latest consumer innovation.With The Sphere in Las Vegas as its setting, Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian delivered a memorable pep rally centered around celebrating Delta’s 100 years in business and a myriad of tech product/partnership announcements. GhostRanch Creative Director Allie Wilson joins Mikey and Molly to analyze the stage, screen and story e...
2025-02-2041 min
Presentation Thinking™#155. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang adds innovation to presentationNvidia has long since been an inspirer of innovation with software and hardware that serves as a starting point for tech and gaming communities around the world.
Of course, they’ve been pioneers in AI as well.
CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote address at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) was called to our attention as an outstanding presentation and start-of-the-year launch for various new Nvidia products.
And dang—from Jensen’s lowkey delivery to the high-end visuals, we were impressed. Jensen’s visuals help convey the processes of densely technical products while his goofiness makes everyth...
2025-01-2439 min
Presentation Thinking™#154. “Act like a shepherd”: The importance of messaging buy-in with Steve EarlThroughout 2025, we’ll be exploring the path towards Presentation Excellence. One of the first steps to achieving such rare air is getting messaging buy-in. Without it, messaging adaption can never happen and it will have a huge impact on presentations throughout your organization.
Steve Earl, Executive Director of GhostRanch, has a rich enterprise tech background which afforded him the experience of “selling” messaging buy-in first-hand.
He shares 3 vital tips if you have also found yourself in these shoes, wondering how best to walk: 1) Think like a sales person 2) Communicate like it’s a high-stakes presentation (it is) and...
2025-01-1337 min
Presentation Thinking™#153. TED Talkin’: Maintain motivation and get your goals done with Ayelet FishbachMotivation researcher Ayelet Fishbach’s TED Talk, How to set the right goals and stay motivated, is the perfect TED Talk to kickoff your 2025 and hold fast to your resolutions.
With over a decade of experience in the “motivational psychology” space, Fishbach makes a compelling case for motivation not being a muscle you can exercise, but rather a series of factors that can be customized to help keep you going.
Firstly, you have to identify the right goals, then you strip out the ego and be ready with a buddy or a “balanced goal” to help achiev...
2025-01-0334 min
Presentation Thinking™#151. Presentations actually are all around: Post PMA-Summit presentation style breakdownMikey and Molly return from visiting London for the Product Marketing Alliance (PMA) Summit and discuss the MYRIAD of amazing presentation formats they encountered.
From an all day training course to breakout sessions to a reel for the GhostRanch booth, presentations were everywhere and it’s clear this preferred B2B medium isn’t going anywhere.
As presentation creators, it’s helpful to keep tabs on these formats and see how they evolve, what’s working and what factors are important to keep in mind when designing. We share what we learned and the highlights for each...
2024-12-1934 min
Presentation Thinking™#148. PrezTHANKING: What we’re thankful for in the presentation communityIt’s that time of year again (Thanksgiving in the United States) where Mikey and Molly gather the most epic Spice Cabinet and stuff it full of things they’re thankful for in the presentation community.
And we’re not just talking about nutmeg or pumpkin spice!
From inspirational people to PowerPoint tools to our trusty editor, Will Kommor, this is a short episode with a tall list of resources.
Tune in, turkeys!This is an episode for: presentation designers, speakers and friends and fans of the pod.
What’...
2024-11-2824 min
Presentation Thinking™#147. Connecting our Left & Right Brain for holistic presentingWe’ve all heard the idea that being a “left brain” person means you’re logical and a “right brain” person means you’re creative—but did you know that’s a bit of a myth?
Like most myths, it’s based in some truth:
The left side of our brain processes more analytical information while the right side tends to hold emotions and nuance. However, a study in 2017 at Duke University confirmed that the number of neural pathways that connect the two sides contributes to someone being more creatively capable.
In other words, the more we can...
2024-11-2226 min
Presentation Thinking™#146. TED Talkin’: Malcolm Gladwell shares what he got wrong with The Tipping PointMalcom Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, was a bestseller—a popular book that discussed the elements of virality well before things “went viral” online. The sub-title reads “How little things can make a big difference” and explores how and why trends in fashion, culture and life come and go.
With Gladwell’s new book on the horizon, Revenge of the Tipping Point, he revisits topics from his original book. And Malcolm is now publicly addressing a controversial theory he credited towards reducing crime in NYC called “Broken Windows Theory”.
“Broken windows is the theory that Small crimes are...
2024-11-1530 min
Presentation Thinking™#145. What GhostRanch learned from Presentation SummitIt’s no secret that we’re fans of Presentation Summit—the first conference in the world dedicated to presentations, storytelling and PowerPoint. We’ve chatted with its founder, Rick Altman, previously in episodes 139 & 71.
2024 is the final year of “PreSum”, as it’s lovingly called, and several folks from GhostRanch attended for its Last Hurrah.
Creative Directors Jeff Carter, Allie Wilson, Sr. Designer Laura Waskovich and Technical Director Steve Sheets all join the pod to let us know everything they learned at the summit and who you should be following for presentation inspiration.
From technical P...
2024-11-0744 min
Presentation Thinking™#144. Onsite event experience in Nashville with Sr. Designer Collin HerkoSenior Presentation Designer Collin Herko AKA “Herk” joins the ‘cast to discuss his recent onsite event experience in Nashville for one of our favorite clients.
This included everything from live site edits to how a big conference process goes down with AV design, teleprompters and more.
With the event being in Nashville and Collin being a former Nashvillian, we also talked about the history and influence of “Hatch Show Print” style that the client specifically wanted to incorporate into this project.
As Collin emphasizes, it’s one thing to design a beautiful slide on your 15 inch...
2024-10-3140 min
Presentation Thinking™#143. TED Talkin’: DK gives the public speaking lesson you never hadDK is a creative director and presentation coach and is on the TED stage to give us the lesson in public speaking that none of us ever received.
We love a simple framework and accessible advice to enhance presentation skills and DK really delivers. Sharing his journey growing up with speech impediment to becoming a speaker coach builds a brilliant rapport with the audience as he leads up to his “jedi mind trick” that can help anyone transform their nerves into confidence onstage.
DK also moves (literally) through common body language pitfalls that we should avoid...
2024-10-2433 min
Presentation Thinking™#142. TED turns 40. How founder Richard Saul Wurman’s “horizontal” learning perspective helped it become what it is today.You ever wonder about the origin story of TED talks?
As TED turned 40 this year, TED founder Richard Saul Wurman and current head of TED Chris Anderson sat down together to commemorate and reflect on the iconic event that promotes very simply: ideas change everything.
It was no surprise that Richard is a fascinating fellow with countless “TED moments” to share (did you ever hear about the time when he cut off a speaker’s tie onstage?).
An architect turned data designer turned author turned conference curator—Richard’s done a bit of everything...
2024-10-1831 min
Presentation Thinking™#141. Best of Product Marketing (so far) on Presentation ThinkingWhenever we talk to a product marketer, we know they’re going to relate to the “Presentation Thinking” project.
Product Marketers tend to be “Big Picture” people, excellent communicators and always end up creating slides on slides on slides.
Steve Earl joins Mikey and Molly to break down their “playlist” of the Best of Product Marketing (so far) on the ‘cast. As we each revisited a handful of these conversations, it was clear that patterns were emerging.
The pathways to product marketing are varied. From Jen Jones studying neuroscience to Harvey Lee touring with ACDC in the music i...
2024-10-1244 min
Presentation Thinking™#140. How to work for (and trust) yourself with Nick LaffertyNick Lafferty says early on in our conversation he was a “terrible student” in school but he’s taught and challenged himself with so many skills, it’s hard to believe.
Founder of Early Exit Club—a network and newsletter for people that want to work for themselves—Nick’s experience in product marketing to paid ads has provided a unique perspective on the importance of soft skills, go-to-market strategy and simply trusting yourself.
Starting at a radio job in Texas, finding affiliate marketing and following software development along the way, Nick has an incredible journey to the...
2024-10-0345 min
Presentation Thinking™#139. Reflecting on 22 years of Presentation Summit with Rick Altman, Dr. Carmen Simon and Mike ParkinsonRick Altman has been hosting the Presentation Summit for 22 years and this October will be his last— “at least in THIS format!”, he emphasizes.
It’s a party—eh, I mean conference—for PowerPoint enthusiasts and presentation nerds like the conference veterans Dr. Carmen Simon (Corporate Visions) and Mike Parkinson (Billion Dollar Graphics), who join us for this episode.
All presentation experts in their own right, Rick, Carmen and Mike found their way to Presentation Summit through unique work in software, data, design and neuroscience.
While we talked to Rick back in Episode #71 about his jour...
2024-09-2655 min
Presentation Thinking™#138. Presentation Thinking ties the knot: How to officiate a wedding“We do” believe that presentations are all around us—and Molly’s recent experience being an officiant for her brother’s wedding emphasized this.
From creating a throughline with the ceremony story, catering to the audience and keeping the delivery well-paced, the foundations of good presenting all came up throughout this process in helping two people get married.
Ceremonies of matrimony have taken place as long as storytelling itself so it was interesting to dive into this idea of a wedding “presentation” and building it specifically to fit with the bride and groom’s story.
Molly shares...
2024-09-1934 min
Presentation Thinking™#137. TED Talkin’: Why simple messaging is stronger, with Niro SivanathanNiro Sivanathan is an organizational psychologist that wants to help your messaging convert clearer, faster and stronger.
With his 2019 TED Talk, The Counterintuitive way to be more persuasive, Niro goes through several exercises that demonstrate how the “dilution effect” shows up in decision-making and risk-assessment across several types of scenarios. Mikey and Molly dive into his well-paced delivery, less-is-more approach and scientific studies to back it all up.
For product marketers or anyone wanting to convince someone of something, it’s a useful messaging strategy to put to the test.
This is an episod...
2024-09-1227 min
Presentation Thinking™#136. Enhancing events through video production—in conversation with Phil Platt of First Sight MediaVideo production and livestreaming are essential parts of any modern event these days—be it a marketing conference, promotional event or university graduation.
Phil Platt is a Business Development Manager at UK-based production company First Sight Media and he’s a jack of all trades in the digital production world. With a background in film and cinema technology, Phil is a creative visual storyteller.
Phil talks to Mikey and Molly about the various ways in which video and digital media can enhance the “story” of any of any event or presentation. Whether it’s a conference...
2024-09-0548 min
Presentation Thinking™#135. Lightning Talk Stories from GhostRanch’s StoryCamp 2024GhostRanch hosted its third annual StoryCamp this past July, reaching new heights in Park City, Utah. StoryCamp is our annual in-person gathering where we hear from experts, learn from each other to level-up our storytelling skills and just spend nice quality time together.
This year’s theme was “More than just a pretty slide”—referring to the idea that presentation design encompasses so much more than simply “pitch polish”. We contribute to clients’ stories and strategic messaging on a regular basis.
With this concept in mind, we invited the Rancheros to give their own “Lightning Talks”, 4-8 minute...
2024-08-2941 min
Presentation Thinking™#134. Short-form storytelling with filmmaker Asha Alaji-SharifAsha Alaji-Sharif is a designer by day and filmmaker by night—or dawn, if she’s getting up early to get a sunrise drone shot.
With several film projects already under her belt, the Atlanta-based creative’s latest is The Four Noble Truths, a film about her brother-in-law, Maeta, with sziocphrenia. It premiered at Voices with Impact Film Festival, a festival focused on mental health and lifting up causes to raise awareness.
Mikey and Molly reunite with Asha (a former Ranchero & friend of the ‘cast) to discuss her creative process, storyboarding and how in the heck one c...
2024-08-2238 min
Presentation Thinking™#133. Andrea Tomingas and the art of “information organization”Andrea Tomingas has a talent for telling one story, many different ways. From being a presentation designer at Hulu to co-founding a business, Andrea offers a unique perspective on presentations.
Having co-founded Duck Brigade over ten years ago, Andrea knows the importance of communicating a company story well, in a short amount of time.
Duck Brigade specializes in UX design, landing pages, logos and pitch decks—all various forms of “information organization” as they call it.
As Andrea walks us through what’s in/out in pitch decks, their ideal pitch deck flow and creatin...
2024-08-151h 07
Presentation Thinking™#132. Rad ads, storytelling & the evolution of visual communication: In conversation with Art NovakArt Novak is a copywriter, ad guy, author, teacher and an overall presentation design pioneer.
We feel lucky to know Art via his teaching days at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) because both Mikey and Allie Wilson, Creative Director at GhostRanch, had the privilege of being in his classroom.
Before recording, Art claimed he had a “problematic background” starting most of his presentations in the past with words rather than visuals—he was a copywriter, after all! But learning to evolve his process as technology and different forms of illustration emerged put him at the f...
2024-08-0846 min
Presentation Thinking™#131. TED Talkin’: Tom Fishburne and the power of humor at workTom Fishburne didn’t go to Harvard Business School to become a comic. But his ability to transform his life experiences into relatable illustrated comics was something that both helped him through college and later his marketing career.
In his 2018 TED Talk, Tom shares his experiences and highlights the power of laughing at ourselves—especially at work. Importantly, he says that comedy and humor have the power to “disarm” us and make it easier to talk about hard things.
Tom left his marketing job over ten years ago to create Marketoonist, a cartoon studio helping businesses...
2024-08-0126 min
Presentation Thinking™#130. Leveraging your voice as presentation power with vocal coach, Michelle SiracusaMichelle Siracusa puts new meaning to the phrase “your voice is your power”.
Michelle is a performer and vocal coach blending psychology with performance fundamentals to help folks be their most compelling when they speak.
From finessing tone, creating emphasis and adapting emotion per the audience you’re speaking to, vocal delivery can truly transform a presentation or talk.
Mikey and Molly work through several exercises live with Michelle to put into practice the small-but-mighty shifts in tone and emphasis that you can implement into your own work.
Being able to use your...
2024-07-251h 02
Presentation Thinking™#129. TED Talkin’: The tool Phil Waknell uses to make presentation magicPhil Waknell from Ideas on Stage is a brilliant presenter.
In his 2020 TED Talk “The 3 Magic Ingredients of Amazing Presentations” he shares his insider process into making presentations more than just information dumps. Phil actually illustrates how to make presentation “magic”!
Many presenters tote their “Top 5 tricks” or “3 Things you MUST do before presenting…” but Phil Waknell takes his concept a step further. He presents a brilliant tool, “The Audience Transformation Roadmap”, wherein the basic 3 ingredients he offers early in the talk are alchemized into a flow-chart that helps to map out which content goes where.
Better s...
2024-07-2029 min
Presentation Thinking™#128. From the stage to startups—Lorenzo Thione knows how to tell a storyLorenzo Thione is a serial entrepreneur. Having founded a handful of companies, he’s now a Co-Founder and Investor at Gaingels, a Venture Capital firm that’s focused on showing that representation and diversity in Venture Capital leads to world class returns.
He estimates he’s seen thousands of pitches in his lifetime and has (more than) a thing or two to share about the structure, the storytelling and the presentation strategy of a pitch deck.
In addition to this skillset, Lorenzo is a Tony-award winning producer and advocate for theater arts. As anyone in the pit...
2024-07-1147 min
Presentation Thinking™#127. Jessica Malnik on remote work, presenting and starting your own businessJessica Malnik is a marketer on-the-go.
With a background in journalism, Jessica harnessed her writing skills to start her own business copywriting and has established herself as a thought leader in the marketing and content strategy space—all while working remotely.
Jessica also produces her own podcast about leading a team remotely, is a regular on the conference circuit and is starting to speak on panels!
Jessica and Molly met at a conference in Austin but she already knew Mikey from a LinkedIn group which just goes to show how involved in her commu...
2024-07-0937 min
Presentation Thinking™#126. TED Talkin’: Karen Eber balances storytelling and data to improve leadership skillsDo you know what your brain looks like on storytelling?
Karen Eber does! A leadership consultant on a mission to help others effectively tell their stories, Eber’s 2020 TED Talk, “How your brain responds to stories—and why they’re crucial for leaders”, dives into the neuroscience behind storytelling.
Karen proves that when used well, data can help emphasize and illustrate your points—not overshadow them.
Having studied the “shape” and patterns that make a good story GREAT, this talk was particularly satisfying for Mikey and Molly to dissect—not to mention, Karen’s A+ presentation skill...
2024-06-2833 min
Presentation Thinking™#125. Mac Conwell on perfecting your personal story and pitchMcKeever “Mac” Conwell II was meant for the (pitching) stage!
While his career began in coding (“before it was cool” he says), Mac has started multiple businesses and helped shape the Maryland Social Impact Fund—the first fund for women and minorities in the country.
Now, as the Founder of RareBreed Ventures, Mac’s perfected the art of storytelling and is passionate about helping others do the same. He and Mikey discuss Mac’s journey to where he is now, his secret formula for what to include (and what to leave out) of a pitch and how anyone...
2024-06-2138 min
Presentation Thinking™#124. Finding authenticity in visual storytelling with Mohamed DanawiMohamed Danawi is many things—an artist, Founder and Director of IlloZoo, professor at SCAD—but if you were to ask one of his current students, they’d say he’s just “Mo.”
SCAD alumni and GhostRanch Creative Director Allie Wilson joins the ‘cast with Mikey and Mohamed for an amazing conversation around art, visual storytelling, design trends and how to be authentic in your art.
Mohamed’s experience teaching over the years has given him a unique perspective with how the arts department has evolved, the growth of illustration and the challenges “teaching” creative mediums. Visual commun...
2024-06-1848 min
Presentation Thinking™#123. TED Talkin’: Porter Gale wants you to always be networkingPorter Gale has a couple of TED Talks and they’re both about looking at everyday human connection as a form of networking.
As Head of Marketing for Virgin America from 2007-2011, Porter traveled a lot for work. On these countless plane rides, she found opportunities of connecting with interesting people and even on occasion people that would affect her work, become her friend or simply inspire her.
Now an author, investor, speaker and CMO, Porter Gale’s career clearly flourished from such a casual approach to networking.
As we’re about to read her...
2024-06-0737 min
Presentation Thinking™#122. Mike Raab on startups, storytelling and manufacturing serendipityMike Raab is good at starting things.
Executive Director of Northwestern University’s “The Garage”, an entrepreneurial community and startup hub, Mike is known in the startup community for his smart mentorship and mantra, “manufacturing serendipity.”
Mike is also the co-author of Founded: The No B.S. Guide for Student Entrepreneurs.
With a background in television and film, Mike’s journey to startup and ventures is unique. He joins Mikey and Molly (Mike, Mikey & Molly!) for a conversation around storytelling, pitch decks and what risks are worth taking.
This is an episode for: en...
2024-05-3040 min
Presentation Thinking™#121. Presentation Preferred RE-RELEASE: PIXAR’s “22 Rules of Storytelling” and How To Use ThemWhat with Inside Out 2 around the corner (June 14th!), we wanted to bring back a “Presentation Preferred” crowd favorite and RE RELEASE this gem of an episode going through PIXAR’s 22 Rules for Storytelling.
This is an episode for: Disney & PIXAR fans, presenters, speakers and anyone feeling stuck in their creative process.
It’s no secret that we love a good PIXAR story on this podcast.
PIXAR’s “22 Rules of Storytelling” adds yet another piece to the list of incredible storytelling strategies and resources that PIXAR provides us.
First put together by a former PIXAR...
2024-05-2457 min
Presentation Thinking™#120. Pitch (deck) perfect: a conversation with VC expert Tom FowlerTom Fowler—CEO, Venture Capitalist expert and startup mentor—is the person you want in your corner.
Tom spoke to us about the VC & startup world, creating pitch decks and presentation skills and we loved getting to know his unique breadth of experience in sports performance, investing and even theater (!).
Most importantly, he walks us through—slide-by-slide—his ideal format for the perfect Pitch Deck to break through all the noisy advice out there. (Well, Tom said there’s no such thing as the perfect Pitch Deck, but this breakdown will get you pretty dang close).
2024-05-1636 min
Presentation Thinking™#119. What’s new in the event industry? Notes from ETL Vegas 2024What happens in Vegas…gets directly recorded onto our podcast!
Mikey’s back from Las Vegas to spill the beans on all things Event Tech Live, an annual event for event marketing that brings in all sorts of new ideas and technology for the event industry to continue to be cutting edge.
From learning about prioritizing the attendee experience to humanizing events, we learned that events are their own kind of presentations and as always—tell a story when done well. This is an episode for: event marketers, planners, presenters and anyone curious about emerging...
2024-05-0933 min
Presentation Thinking™#118. In conversation with Julie Terberg—presentation design expert and makeover mavenJulie Terberg, Presentation Design expert and the woman who co-wrote THE book on PowerPoint templates (among others), joins the pod!
With a background in industrial design and graphics, Julie designed slides pre-PowerPoint on physical slides before becoming an expert in the software.
Terberg has developed several online courses, published books on developing PowerPoint templates. appeared at the conference circuit regularly and also holds status as a Microsoft MVP.
Julie has taken on creative challenges throughout her presentation work such as her “Makeover Maven” series and designing a Slide-A-Day.
Julie’s work around...
2024-04-2535 min
Presentation Thinking™#117. Paul Graham’s “Do things that don’t scale”—a presentation POVPaul Graham’s blog post, “Do things that don’t scale”, has largely been heralded as the best advice given for startups—maybe ever? But what can we takeaway from it as presenters?
As the founder of renowned accelerator Y Combinator, people trust Paul and are still talking about this post over ten years later. (A big deal for today’s Age of Information).
Mikey and Molly dive into the many conversations around doing things that don’t scale, what that means, and how presentation people might be able to implement it into their day-to-day as well. Thi...
2024-04-1841 min
Presentation Thinking™#116. Does Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule still stand? (Micro episode!)Guy Kawasaki is an amazing marketer, creator and thinker. (If you don’t follow him already, do it here!)
His 2005 blog post, The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint, provided advice for startups on how to pitch to VCs—but it blew up because it resonated with presenters of all kinds.
As presentation enthusiasts, it’s about time we checked it out and see what still holds up.
This is a shorter, “micro” episode where Molly goes through Guy’s advice and examines how the 10/20/30 PowerPoint rule is still useful today.This is an episode for: People tha...
2024-04-1115 min
Presentation Thinking™#115. TED Talkin’: Alicia Syrett knows why investors say ‘no’If you couldn’t already tell from some of our Shark Tank episodes, we love the startup and Venture Capital world.
There’s truly no passion that matches that of a founder on a mission.
Alicia Syrett—a VC herself, author and business leader—knows this and wants YOUR passion to come to fruition. Her short n sweet TED talk at TEDx Fulton Street from 2018 is a perfect guide with simple Do’s and Don’ts to get a ‘yes’ at your next pitch.
With a clean presentation style and confident stage presence, Alicia guides us t...
2024-04-0428 min
Presentation Thinking™#114. Tamara Grominsky of PMM Camp on personal positioningWhat we’ll hear about:
How Tamara’s MA and start in publishing set her up to be a standout storyteller and award-winning Product Marketing leader.
Tamara’s emphasis on career intentionality and personal positioning.
“Write your purpose in pen, but your path in pencil.”
The ‘good time’ journal: Notice the activities that give you energy.
Tamara’s path to speaking, including mentorship along the way from Oli Gardner who has a new company, Outline!
First mistake most people make is to introduce themselves again. Don't do that! Come out on stage, start with a strong statement or question!
Does s...
2024-03-2935 min
Presentation Thinking™#113. TJ Schaid on becoming a trauma surgeon and presenterWe know that presentations are used across all kinds of industries but did you know they’re important in the medical world as well??
General surgery resident physician TJ Schaid joins the ‘cast to discuss his experience presenting research at various conferences around the world throughout his residency. Turns out, these medical presentations can play a big part of any surgeon’s journey!
From presenting dense data within a handful of slides (or clicks) to challenging existing practices, TJ offers so much insight in how to present to a niche group of experts—as an expert h...
2024-03-2137 min
Presentation Thinking™#112. Get Comfortable with Grief: Marisa Renee Lee on speaking publicly about the personalMarisa Renee Lee is a speaker, an entrepreneur, an author and “grief advocate.”
Having lost her mom to breast cancer and struggled with infertility, Lee has alchemized her experiences into a NYT Bestselling book, Grief is Love: Living with Loss.
Marisa joins us to share how she presents and speaks on such vulnerable topics, how grief can show up at work and how you can support colleagues experiencing grief.
In sharing her personal stories and experiences, Marisa is helping to break the stigma around these heavy subjects and offers new ways to approach grief...
2024-03-1447 min
Presentation Thinking™#111. Marcus Andrews on crafting a new category through Narrative DesignMarcus Andrews knows how to craft a good narrative. In fact, we’d argue he heavily contributed to developing the concept of Narrative Design when working in product marketing at HubSpot.
Now as a Narrative Designer at Pendo, he joins us for a conversation around crafting a memorable narrative, what frameworks to use (or not) and how to create your own category. We exchange presentation experience stories and offer insight into what separates a good speaker from a great one.
Having recently completed PMA’s Narrative Design course led by Marcus, Mikey and I were excit...
2024-03-0747 min
Presentation Thinking™#110. Yeehaw! Mikey’s Road to the TED Talk continues in AustinPresentation Nation, by our 110th episode, you may well be aware that we worship at the stage of presentations.
And as Mikey Mioduski, co-host of the pod and founder of GhostRanch Communications, has started to speak at more and more events, we feel it only right to dissect the ins and outs of his preparation, execution and how many laughs he got while speaking.
His latest speaker appearance was at the Product Marketing Alliance Summit in Austin, TX and it was all about embracing the power of presentations! Mikey and Molly discuss this recent experience, h...
2024-02-2931 min
Presentation Thinking™#109. Women Talk Design’s CEO Danielle Barnes wants you to present yourselfIf you’re a presenter, you might have noticed that the conference speaker circuit is a male-dominated space.
With Women Talk Design, founders Danielle Barnes and Christina Wodtke set about to change that. Originally starting as a directory for women and non-binary presenters to find and learn from one another, Women Talk Design now offers a wide range of resources, workshops and most recently—a book! (You can pre-order Present Yourself: Proven strategies for authentic and impactful public speaking here!)
CEO and co-author Danielle Barnes joins the pod to discuss their journey in starting this organ...
2024-02-2246 min
Presentation Thinking™#108. Harvey Lee on leveraging personal experiences for professional growthPersonal experiences can power professional growth.
No one may know this better than Harvey Lee, a product marketer, speaker, former Rock n Roll roadie and now author of Backstage Pass: A Business Book that’s Far From Conventional.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Harvey about his book and how his background in the music industry helped later propel him into the world of product marketing.
From wild stories on the road to how Harvey likes to prepare for a new presentation, our conversation was full of professional and personal nuggets of advic...
2024-02-151h 08
Presentation Thinking™#107. How New Belgium Brewery raised the craft brew bar and created new categoriesMany Coloradans are familiar with the New Belgium Brewery founding story—where Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan return from a life-changing bike trip across Belgium inspired to create their own Belgian style beers for the masses.
In addition to their famous “Fat Tire” ale, New Belgium also created new categories and precedents among brewery business. They have been innovating in sustainable brewing practices since the 90s and upholding an exceptional company culture well before it was trendy.
Mikey and Molly are joined by local beer enthusiast and GhostRanch Creative Director Jeff Carter AKA @Brew_Kid_on_the_B...
2024-02-0842 min
Presentation Thinking™#106. Lessons in web design (and more) with Hype Legal Co-founder Micah KohneMicah Kohne has some of the most well-rounded marketing skills around.
A web designer extraordinaire with a graphic design background, Micah has also dabbled in marketing, sales and co-founded his own business, Hype Legal, for “solutions-driven legal marketing.”
Their speciality is building websites for lawyers, so Micah has also presented at various legal conferences—where a little graphic design would go a long way.
In this episode, we talk (web design) shop, finding a niche and differentiating yourself.
Ahem, we may be biased because Micah designed the GhostRanch website, but if you’re i...
2024-02-0144 min
Presentation Thinking™#105. TED Talkin': Yara Shahidi wants you to prioritize curiosityActor, producer and Harvard grad Yara Shahidi presents a familiar story in a new way with her 2023 TED Talk, “Let Curiosity Lead”.
We’ve all heard about the importance of re-discovering our child-like curiosity and wonder. Shahidi puts a fresh spin on that story with her personal journey of juggling both her Harvard education and acting career (she’s the star of Black-ish and Grown-ish) as equally important catalysts for learning about herself.
Shahidi illustrates that “honoring our distractions” can help create rupture, change and discovery—for both ourselves and the world.
Although Yara may only be...
2024-01-2525 min
Presentation Thinking™#104. Presentation Book Club: April Dunford’s “Sales Pitch” wants you to put your “Differentiated Value” forwardMikey and I read April Dunford’s latest book, Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win, and to no surprise to anyone familiar with her work—it was hilarious, accessible and whip-smart insightful.
Dunford offers a fresh perspective on applying narrative to sales and flips the current advice on its head emphasizing that buying can actually be harder than selling.
One of the biggest takeaways? Shift the focus from your features to your “Differentiated Value”. She all but guarantees that you’ll sell more.
What book should we read next?
2024-01-1847 min
Presentation Thinking™#103. The Good Story Checklist (Best & Worst Films of 2023)When Narrative Strategist and film nerd Asha Alaji-Sharif started to think about the Best and Worst films of 2023, she noticed a pattern.
What common factors make for a memorable movie? And can those factors be applied to brand storytelling as well?
That’s what we explore in this episode with “The Good Story Checklist”.
How does The Little Mermaid remake create the perfect character development combined with mise-en-scene (visuals) while Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey painfully misses every mark?This is an episode for: storytelling enthusiasts, copywriters, brand messagers and movie lovers.
Wh...
2024-01-1131 min
Presentation Thinking™#102. TED Talkin’: How Diana Nyad never gave up on her epic swim storyIn September of 2013, Diana Nyad became the first person to swim unassisted in open water across the Florida Straits from Cuba to Florida. It was an epic feat, and one she returned to at age sixty after a failed attempt in her 20s.
A few months later, she gives an aptly titled TED Talk called “Never, ever give up”.
Her story is one on never giving up, facing the odds and beating the ego. Nyad’s experience fits perfectly into a 3-act hero’s journey and we break down how she really leverages that to her benef...
2024-01-0428 min
Presentation Thinking™#101. Shark Tankin’: Takeaways from 3 investor pitches that landed big dealsEntrepreneurs and startups everywhere love following Shark Tank—the reality show where passionate pitchers bring their product to a group of wealthy “sharks”—well-known Venture Capitalists—in hopes of investment funds and expert business guidance.
Continuing from Episode 69, we break down another great round of pitches from 2023, “3 Biggest deals Season 14”.
Oogiebear had all of the sharks fighting over an investment, Collars & Co. showed a lesson in what NOT to do and Legacy Shave knew exactly how to tell their story.
While this high stakes pitch environment isn’t the norm, the pitch structure and presentation o...
2023-12-2836 min
Presentation Thinking™#100. One hundred episodes. Countless lessons in storytelling, presentations and podcasting.For our hundredth episode of Presentation Thinking AKA the Storyteller’s Study Club AKA Pitchin’ Ain’t Easy, we’re reflecting on our ~metaphorical~ hero’s journey thus far.
We’ve learned so much about storytelling, presenting, speaking, product marketing, design and, of course, podcasting throughout the last two years.
From meeting fellow presentation nerds online to growing our audience over 3x the amount from the previous year, we feel more and more like true story experts primed to help presenters and product marketers everywhere. (You may hear us say “um” and “like” but hey, we know our way around...
2023-12-2137 min
Presentation Thinking™#99. 6 Tips & Tricks to Survive (and Thrive) SKO 2024 (with Ashima Bhatt)Tis the season for SKOs (Sales KickOffs)!
After years in various roles in B2B marketing most recently the Director of Product Marketing at RingCentral, Ashima calls herself a “Product Storyteller.”
We discuss her path into product marketing management and the necessary elements needed for SKOs to really be a success. In fact, she even wrote a blog about it—"6 Tips & Tricks to Survive (and Thrive) SKO 2024 as a PMM."
From aligning on goals to building a memorable agenda, SKOs really can be FUN and we’re here to help you through it.
This...
2023-12-1544 min
Presentation Thinking™#98. Designer takeaways from the annual PowerPoint Party, Presentation Summit“Presentation Summit” is the annual presentation party—a place where all things PowerPoint, presentation design and speaker inspiration come together.
Created by our friend Rick Altman, we’ve had several Rancheros from GhostRanch attend this annual conference that’s turned into a community. What they bring back is not only fresh insights but hilarious stories—and we wanted to highlight them on the ‘cast.
GhostRanch Presentation Designers Ashante DuJour and Breece Justice are now “PreSum” alum and they're here to share their experiences, favorite speakers and most useful takeaways for you.
This is an episode for: spea...
2023-12-1239 min
Presentation Thinking™#97. VP of Marketing Garrett Denney on broadcast media, presentation soft skills and SKOsHaving started a career in broadcast journalism, VP of Marketing Garrett Denney knows how to communicate effectively.
When we met Garrett as the MC for a Product Marketing Alliance event in New York, we knew he was a natural presenter.
So when he shifted into the tech and marketing world, what skills did he take with him?
Through his role as a Product Marketing Manager and now VP of Marketing at Crayon, Garrett shares the lessons he’s learned, the importance of leaning into presentation soft skills and how to get ready for SKO se...
2023-12-0546 min
Presentation Thinking™#96. Thankful ThinkingIt’s Thanksgiving here in the United States but we didn’t want to miss an opportunity to create a special (and short) holiday episode in which Mikey and Molly riff on everything they’re thankful for within our podcast and presentation world.
From our mascot, Shakespeare, to the pilgrims who invented PowerPoint (just kidding), we run through our “Favorites” short-list.
We are especially appreciative for our weekly episode art illustrator, NoNo Flores—an unbelievably talented artist.
And we’d be nowhere without our audio editor Will Kommor who has graciously edited out Mikey & Molly’s...
2023-11-2316 min
Presentation Thinking™#95. Building strategic & successful webinars with Kaarin HowardKaarin Howard is a B2B marketing professional passionate about building webinars, among other strategic content, for your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile).
With a background in marketing events and launching startups, she came into the B2B marketing world ready to wear the 5 (or 50!) hats typically thrust upon them.
When Mikey and Kaarin connected on the popular marketing forum, Exit Five, we were excited to hear about the success of her and her team’s webinars.
What are key components to consider? How can we collaborate and leverage partnerships? And how do you bu...
2023-11-1642 min
Presentation Thinking™#94. TED Talkin’: Eat, Pray, Love & PRESENTElizabeth Gilbert, author of viral memoir Eat, Pray, Love acknowledges in her 2009 TED Talk that her best work might very well be behind her. As an artist, however, she’s stuck with the challenge of “topping” her last work.
Why are artists and creative people burdened with these crazy-making tropes? In ancient Greece and Rome, “genius” referred to the divine entity that visited artists—not the artist themselves.
Gilbert challenges us to reframe the narrative around creativity—putting less of the burden on the individual and moreso on the energetic creative spirit that exists in all of us.
...
2023-11-0926 min
Presentation Thinking™#93. Supporting startup stories at 1871 with Jenna BlaszczykiewiczStartup hubs are an amazing place for community, innovation and inspiration.
Few know this better than Jenna Blaszczykiewicz, the Senior Director of Marketing for global innovation hub based in Chicago, 1871. Jenna started her career in architecture design, shifted to the tech space and now merges all of that with marketing.
Jenna is brilliant at identifying new opportunities for narrative strategy and offering that to both 1871 and many of the startups that come through its doors.
In this conversation, we chat about the Jobs to be Done framework, the intersection of tech & design and st...
2023-11-0246 min
Presentation Thinking™#92. Day-in-the-life: On-site presentation design with Tamara Jarvi15 slide decks, 2 designers and a couple of days—What is it like to work on-site as a presentation designer??
GhostRanch designer Tamara Jarvi is here to share her experience with us! Tamara recently joined a GhostRanch client at an amazing event to help pull off over a dozen decks she and her team worked on.
From last-minute edits and additions to fonts breaking down from PC to Macs, we discuss what she learned and why this kind of in-person experience is beneficial to any designer.
This is an episode for: presentation designers or a...
2023-10-2629 min
Presentation Thinking™#91. Rebranding and lessons in shifting a storyFrom Abercrombie & Fitch to Twitter, companies around the globe have rebranded again and again—for better or worse.
Mikey & Molly dive into the good, the bad and the ugly of rebrands to understand WHY a company might rebrand and analyze the opportunities for shifting a brand story.
While a simple logo change might be the perfect design update to keep up with the times, swapping a little blue bird recognized around the globe with a black ‘X’ could lose billions in brand recognition. (Not that we’re calling anyone out…) This is an episode for: Brand me...
2023-10-1928 min
Presentation Thinking™#90. Breaking down the best of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2023Every year, TechCrunch brings out some of the most impressive innovators to their “Startup Battlefield”—a competition for startups to win up to $100,000 and serious clout.
Lucky for us, the 6 finalists (out of over 200+ startups!) are filmed and available online for us to hyper-analyze their pitch decks—so that’s exactly what Mikey and Molly did.
We get particularly into Biotics AI, which (spoiler alert) became the WINNER and is doing amazing things with AI to detect abnormalities in ultrasounds during pregnancies.
Startup competitions are always a great place to get inspired, motivated and challenge...
2023-10-1237 min
Presentation Thinking™#89. TED Talkin’: Ancient cave signs & the dawn of visual communicationPaleoanthropologist Genevieve von Petzinger is entranced by the engraved signs and symbols found in caves all over the world. She has spent years researching this ancient visual communication and in her 2015 TED Talk, Why are these 32 symbols found in ancient caves all over Europe?, von Petzinger shares what she’s learned.
Her research catalogs the first ever collection of 32 signs and, stunningly, tracks the same symbols across countries throughout a 30,000 year period starting with the ice age.
Mikey and Molly analyze Genevieve’s presentation and reflect on the evolution of what “Presentation Thinking” is all about—visu...
2023-10-0628 min
Presentation Thinking™#88. TED Talkin’: The power of Brené Brown’s “Power of vulnerability”Description
If you know the name “Brené Brown”, chances are you associate the word “vulnerability” with it.
Brené’s 2010 TED Talk, “The Power of vulnerability”, became one of the most-viewed TED Talks ever—and it launched her into a higher level of recognition in her career.
A self-titled “storyteller researcher” with a social work background, Brené studies human connection and what commonalities exist for all of us. When her discoveries around vulnerability expose her own issues with being vulnerable, it changes the trajectory of her studies forever.
Mikey & Molly sift through the details of what it is...
2023-09-2835 min
Presentation Thinking™#87. All About Apple: How Apple’s presentations create an iconic storyApple has long-since stood out in the tech world in its product announcements and presentations. Steve Jobs’ keynotes created a genuine “you had to be there” atmosphere and set the bar high for the brand story that Apple was to embody.
The loss of Steve Jobs and arrival of COVID forced them into a more produced, pre-recorded format, one such event premiering in September of this year.
Mikey and Molly dig into what makes people follow Apple presentations more than any other brand, the pros of pre-cording and what was SO good and once-in-a-lifetime about Steve’s...
2023-09-2134 min
Presentation Thinking™#82. Kerry Feuerman on the value of a great presenterKerry Feuerman is a presentation professional.
Having worked in advertising and presented creative work for a majority of his career, he’s well-suited to give presentations on, well, GIVING presentations.
After receiving an amazing workshop at GhostRanch Story Camp in July of 2023, we knew we needed to learn more from Kerry’s experience. We discuss the power that a presenter has, what’s at stake and how everyone can implement some easy tactics to win over the next room (or Zoom) you present in.
We also chat about his book, The 5 Deadly Sins of Prese...
2023-08-1748 min
Presentation Thinking™#80. Tips on Presenting LIVE (from Story Camp)As a remote agency, the GhostRanch “Rancheros” rarely give presentations in-person. But at this year’s Story Camp in Boulder, Colorado, all of that changed.
On Day 1, we brought in Presentation Skills training specialist Kerry Feuerman to give his incredible workshop on “The 5 Deadly Sins of Presenting Creative Work”. And on Day 2, we practiced presenting in front of him. (Eeep!)
Creative Director Allie Wilson, Designer Asha Alaji-Sharif & Director of Account Management and Growth Kelsey Jones join Molly to discuss how Kerry’s advice helped them through this process.
We go through each of Kerry’s 5 Dea...
2023-08-0328 min
Presentation Thinking™#76. Problems, Solutions and Slides—Oh My!If you’re a product marketer you know that Problem Slides and Solution Slides are important.
You have to clearly convey what the problem is in your industry, the pain points and then have your product or service swoop in as the magical “Good Witch” to solve all those issues.
It’s A LOT to convey in just two slides—but they’re also two of the most important opportunities for you to tell a memorable story.
Creative Directors Jeff Carter & Lindsay Hadley from GhostRanch join the pod to discuss their expertise in these areas, as...
2023-07-0643 min
Presentation Thinking™#74. PIXAR’s “22 Rules of Storytelling” and How To Use ThemIt’s no secret that we love a good PIXAR story on this podcast.
PIXAR’s “22 Rules of Storytelling” adds yet another piece to the list of incredible storytelling strategies and resources that PIXAR provides us.
First put together by a former PIXAR writer, Emma Coats, these snippets of storytelling strategy are chock full of important life lessons, creative process advice and—obviously!—presentation applications.
We brought GhostRanch Designers Emily Pantoja and Asha Alaji-Sharif, our resident “Disney adults”, to really connect all 22 dots to the Presentation Thinking world. This is an episode for: Disney & PIXAR...
2023-06-2255 min
Presentation Thinking™#73. What’s in a workshop? The making of “Presentation Design for the NON Designer”Last month, GhostRanch Technical Director Steve Sheets put on an amazing workshop called “Presentation Design for the NON Designer.”
So we brought Steve on the ‘cast to discuss the making of a workshop and his behind-the-scenes building process.
“Presentation Design for the NON Designer” is a 2.5 hour collaborative “class” where people who work in presentations but want to level-up their design & PowerPoint skills can come off mute to ask questions and learn together. (We’re hoping to do this workshop quarterly!)
From the massive amount of sticky notes overtaking his desk to the day-of presentatio...
2023-06-1535 min
Presentation Thinking™#55. Presentation Forecast for 2023What’s the forecast say for presentations in 2023? Rainy with a sprinkle of G Slides?
GhostRanch Creative Director Allie Wilson and Kelsey Jones, Director of Account Management, join Presentation Thinking to get their presentation meteorology skills on!
They’re experts in what they highlight as the “Three C’s” to look out for: Cohesion, Composability & Continued Learning.
Tune in for some fresh ideas to bring to your team and how to keep up in the rapidly evolving presentation and visual storytelling space.
This is an episode for: team leaders, presentation experts and folks...
2023-02-0949 min
Presentation Thinking™#53. Expert presentation advice - LIVE from Palm SpringsEver wonder if there’s ONE thing you need to be doing to improve your presentations? The Rancheros have answers.
When GhostRanch retreated to Palm Springs for a “Winter Workation” last week, we did hot-seat style interviews!
From art director to designer to technical director, we got advice that people (like you!) can easily implement to level-up their presentations. And for good measure, we asked a bunch of silly random stuff too.
Similar to our “What GhostRanch Learned at StoryCamp” (#32) episode, this is an episode for: Presentation designers, aspiring or current speakers and friends of...
2023-01-2621 min
Presentation Thinking™#32. What GhostRanch learned at StoryCamp (and where we think it can go)This summer, a particularly special gathering for the remotely-dispersed GhostRanch team called “StoryCamp” was created to level up our collective presentation storytelling.
There was minimal structure but maximum learning with workshops, deep dives and, obviously, karaoke.
It provided both much needed in-person time (hugs!) AND a reminder for GhostRanch’s values & mission.
It’s something we’re hoping to duplicate for clients so first, we’re putting it out on the pod.
This episode brings on three “Rancheros” to rave about our shenanigans and share how this type of retreat could work for you.
2022-09-0148 min
Presentation Thinking™#28. "Overcoming the Monster" - 7 Basic Plots (Presentation Book Club)Can all stories be categorized into 7 different plots?
That’s what English journalist & writer Christopher Booker spent 34 years researching for his mega-book, The 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. In honor of GhostRanch’s 7th birthday (August 2nd!), we’re excited to dive into the first plot of this 7-part series, “Overcoming the Monster.”
In a Disney context, an “Overcoming the Monster” story is the threat of perpetual winter taking over in Frozen. In our PrezThinking world, this might be “Death By PowerPoint” or bullet points.
How can these story arcs work for us? And what can w...
2022-08-0432 min
Presentation Thinking™#23. Founder Series: Zuri Fertility’s pitch to help couples everywhereZuri Fertility founders Blair Matthews and Giuliana Zaccardelli are on a mission to help couples everywhere who are struggling with infertility.
Voted the “Audience Favorite” of the VentureCat 2022 Startup competition, they join the 'cast to chat about how they met, mistakes they’ve made & the real-life experiences that have fueled their real-life solution—an app that helps people connect with clinics and navigate the tricky journey that is infertility.
GhostRanch designer Emily Pantoja joins as well to discuss how this project translated into a deck.
It’s a personal journey, going through infertility. In making...
2022-06-3048 min
Presentation Thinking™#22. Founder Series: Inside InfernoGuard's Winning PitchInside InfernoGuard’s winning pitch and one founder’s plan to prevent wildfires.
Kevin Kaspar joins Presentation Thinking to discuss his founder journey for InfernoGuard—a device that detects and reports wildfire conditions to first responders and land-owners before they get out of control.
We are lucky enough to be connected to the Northwestern University startup competition called VentureCat—even luckier that one of GhostRanch’s designers (Lola Lopez) helped to create the WINNING pitch for InfernoGuard.
We talk all things pitching (and bombing) and what the plan is for such an important device to...
2022-06-1637 min
Presentation Thinking™#21. Georgia O’Keeffe’s Storytelling through art and lifeGeorgia O’Keeffe was a badass artist and desert legend. Dare we say…the Shakespeare of the Southwest?!
Writers aren’t the only ones that tell stories — there is much to be learned from the art world and Georgia’s impact on it.
In our Presentation Thinking journey, we want to understand & learn from storytellers of ALL varieties to better understand what about their work and the way they presented it is so memorable and important.
Join us in our obsession with this icon that inspired GhostRanch.
2022-06-0935 min
Presentation Thinking™#20. Finding our niche in the world of webinarsLook Ma, we did a webinar!
We dipped our toes into the world of webinars a few weeks ago and, thanks to the creative and strategic genius of GhostRanch Creative Director Dave Sheets, it went even better than we imagined!
We zero-ed in on a hyper-specific topic—Cover Slides. What to put on them, how to cater to your audience and why it matters more than you think.
None of us had any experience in producing a webinar, so in sharing our own process of piecing this project together, we hope to help th...
2022-06-0243 min
Presentation Thinking™#13. On-site Event Presentation Design: Notes from the roadBreece Justice is one of our top-notch Presentation Designers on the GhostRanch Communications team.
When a client recently entrusted her with the task of traveling to an in-person conference to ensure their high stakes keynotes went according to plan, we couldn’t wait to hear the #PresentationThinking deets.
Taking slides from a virtual setting to the stage comes with its own set of design and storytelling challenges.
From a post-COVID perspective to tactical on-site tips, “Breezy” joins the pod to share how it all went down as the “Wizard behind the curtain.”
Full sho...
2022-04-1427 min
Presentation Thinking™#12. Prez Olympics - How to prep for your presentation like an athleteWhat’re the Olympics for Presentation Design?
It wasn’t in Beijing, but the TechPoint Mira Awards in Indianapolis are what Mikey calls “a rite of passage for Indy tech people.”
We’re super proud to share that Mikey’s beloved presentation agency/brainchild, GhostRanch Communications (GRC), was a nominee for the 2022 Mira Awards’ “Service Partner of the Year.”
We don’t know if he won a medal (YET!) but in this episode, we’ll get into how GRC got nominated, what he did to prepare—and how he heavily relied on a “Presentation Taper” strate...
2022-04-0739 min
Presentation Thinking™#11. TED Talkin': You Are Contagious—now what to do about it?In her 2017 viral TED Talk, “You Are Contagious”, Vanessa Van Edwards teaches us that our emotions and feelings are contagious—and what to do about it.
A human communication expert and renowned public speaker, Edwards takes us through the verbal, non-verbal and even EMOTIONAL ways that we can spread ideas, thoughts and feelings. (And, of course, we get into the structure of her talk).
So. How can we use the power of these micro-communications in our presentations? Our work in general? Our LIFE!?
As you can see, we’re excited. We’ll let Vanessa’s...
2022-03-3124 min
Presentation Thinking™#10. Presentation Book Club: "The Tipping Point," revisited.Fresh off the PrezThinking Reading List!
You’ve probably seen it on your philosopher college friend’s bookshelf—Malcom Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
We wanted to revisit why this book that was written in the year 2000 caused such a scene—and what we can still takeaway from it today.
Though we do think Gladwell’s breakthrough book would be wildly different if it took into account all of the social media and influencer-esque changes of present, his core ingredients that lead to a cultural “tipping point”...
2022-03-2445 min
Presentation Thinking™#9. Founder Series: Spirit Sox USA's Lisa RiggsFor this episode, we’re kicking off a series called Founder Stories where we get to talk with founders directly. The folks that are putting pen to paper, their idea in motion, or practicing their pitch in the mirror.
To kick us off, Mikey got connected to Lisa Riggs of Spirit Sox USA.
From getting laughed at and told “no” to Trade show experiences to getting connected to the ROYAL FAMILY through a non-profit, Lisa is rocking her biz and navigating the ups and downs and continued learning.
Let’s get into it!
Sp...
2022-03-1732 minPresentation Thinking™#8. The Artist's Way; A Presenter's ToolboxPublished in 1992, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron has withstood the test of time. Groups around the world still actively participate in her 12 week “Creative Recovery” journey, including Molly - who shares her experience of the process with us on the pod.
Modeled after 12 step recovery programs, Julia’s setup of the book, its various journal prompts and group ethos is a Presentation Thinking lesson in of itself.
And the takeaways for anyone—creatives, founders, marketers, or any combo of those things—go DEEP.
Find out about the benefits (and the annoyance) of Morning Pa...
2022-03-1032 minPresentation Thinking™#7. Presentation Skills in Non-Profit PlacesYou ever take a career tangent that feels like a full 180 turn until you realize all the skills you learned up until that point are the reason you got there??
Such was the case for friend of the 'cast Molly Geoghegan upon jumping from marketing to the human rights and non-profit space—and flexing her “Presentation Thinking skills” all along the way.
In this episode, Molly returns to The Ranch (GhostRanch) to let us know what she’s been doing since the Come Sell Away podcast docked its humble ship a few years ago.
And whe...
2022-03-0331 minPresentation Thinking™#6. TED Talkin': Matt Abrahams tells us about "Speaking Up Without Freaking Out"Mikey and Bethany watched Matt Abrahams's, and then talk about it. Seriously, go watch his Ted Talk, the guy is a brilliant communicator, and gives a bunch of tactical tips on how to manage your public speaking anxieties.
The talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIXvKKEQQJo
2022-02-1026 min
Presentation Thinking™#5. We Break Down Canva's How I Built This EpisodeI know, it would be cooler if we had actually interviewed Canva co-founder and CEO, Melanie Perkins, for this episode. But for now, we're just going to listen to someone else's interview and talk about it. Besides, Guy Raz is pretty decent at what he does. So, this is where we are in our storytelling rabbit hole so far, we are taking in a whole ton of content and trying to figure out what it all means. This week, we listened to an amazing episode of How I Built This featuring Melanie Perkins, from back in 2019, who paints a...
2022-01-2030 min
Presentation Thinking™#4. Mini Masterclass: Daniel Pink on Sales & PersuasionMikey and Bethany watch Daniel Pink's Masterclass on Sales and Persuasion, and then talk about it.
2022-01-1326 minPresentation Thinking™#3. The André with a Thousand FacesFriend of the program, André Fernandes, Director of Strategy at GhostRanch Communications, joins the show to discuss the most recent book he's pulled off of his massive stack of storytelling reads. This week, Andre gives us a Cliffs Notes view of the "granddaddy of storytelling," Joseph Campbell's 1949, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces."
Big thanks to Andre for being our proxy and digging into beasts like Campbell so can do other stuff.
Deeper down the storytelling rabbit hole we go.
Enjoy!
2021-12-2322 min
Presentation Thinking™#2. Mini Masterclass: Judd Apatow's take on pitching comedyMikey and Bethany watch Judd Apatow's Masterclass teaching comedy. Well, not even the whole thing, just the chapter on pitching. It's a 13 minute chapter, and we somehow talk about it for like double that. Dig!
2021-12-0226 min
Presentation Thinking™#1. Down the Storytelling Rabbit Hole We GoMikey introduces what is to come with Presentation Thinking, aka Adventures in Storytelling, aka Pitchin' Ain't Easy. It's a cool ten minutes and change, quickly setting up the what and why of this flavorful podcast. Let's start pulling some storytelling threads and get into this goodness!
2021-11-3010 min
Presentation Thinking™#002 - Lessons from first year presentation designer Breece JusticeComing from a background in Illustration, Breece Justice has soared as a full-time presentation designer for GhostRanch Communications. We wanted to interview Breezy to see what she's picked up in this first year, and to see what advice she might have for those considering a career in visual storytelling.
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2020-07-0142 min
Presentation Thinking™#001 - Ashley Pemberton: PowerPoint Blackbelt and Founder/CEO of Overnight.Design#presentationpros | Black belt PowerPoint designer, turned creative agency owner and coach, Ash Pemberton is the Founder and CEO of Overnight.Design. His firm has designed nearly a million slides helping hundreds of clients avoid high stakes presentation meltdowns with their 24/7 overnight powerpoint design services, and Mikey sits down to hear how Ash got started, and what he sees for the future of our medium.
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2020-06-1855 min