【正文】 is example, we don39。t need to bother creating all the pyramids that build downward, but you will want to do this for your entire presentation. Organize all the information that you might want to include. You will then have a pyramid that enpasses everything you need to convey. Now, play with it. Look at the big picture. See what39。s most important. Take out things that, while you might think they39。re important, just won39。t resonate with or be understood by your audience. Move things around. Add or delete, but keep the anizing structure intact. Once you have a pyramid that seems to represent your theme and the various points you need to get across, you39。re ready to start creating the materials you will actually show people: bullet points, charts, graphs. Instead of anizing onthefly, you39。ve anized first. Congratulations: you now have a clear picture literally of what information is relevant to your presentation, what points it supports, and where it should go. Unfortunately, many people don39。t bother to begin with this formal, structured approach. Although you haven39。t even created your first slide, the most critical (and often botched) work in creating your presentation is plete. If this all seems too plodding, too restrictive and structured, don39。t worry: it isn39。t. By the time you have a presentation ready to show, the underlying anization will fade from view, leaving behind merely a framework that helps your audience focus more easily on your message, and enhances your own mastery of the material, since you understand thoroughly how it all fits together. Now, let39。s take your graphical, pyramid outline and prepare a presentation. Fallen Pyramids Some people find it helpful to use a pyramid on its side, with the topic in the leftmost box, and building the pyramid out to the right, instead of below it. If you use this method, you39。ll notice that the pyramid more closely resembles a classic outline structure. Unlike an outline, however, the relative equality of the boxes make it much easier to restructure and reorder your presentation and establish new relationships to item without altering the entire anization, as often occurs when creating an outline. Where to begin Visual elements such as graphs, charts, and text can enhance your ability to municate, helping your audience follow your message and quickly understand various types of information. Used thoughtfully, they can be valuable tools. Used indiscriminately, or constructed poorly, however, they can actually detract from your message. They can clutter your presentation and confuse your audience. This template will facilitate the preparation of your presentation and will help to continue establishing you as one of the best expressions of the IBM brand. ? It reflects IBM39。s corporate design style, which also influences our advertising and marketing materials. It is straightforward, clean, and simple. ? It39。s flexible enough to acmodate a variety of uses. Some may use it with little or no graphic elements, while others might need to convey far more plicated data. ? It39。s simple to use. Although munications specialists and graphic designers have worked to create this template, anyone in IBM should be able to use it without any special skills or software beyond what is already available. Don39。t automatically assume you need to use presentation software to make your presentation! Some of the most effective sales jobs are done just by speaking directly, sincerely and informatively about the subject, without hiding behind charts. In Say It With Presentations, noted presentation designer Gene Zelazny gives three basic types of media you should consider if you need visuals to help convey your message: Lap visuals, so called because each member of the audience receives his or her own copy of the materials at the start of the meeting, if not before. Best for small groups, their use can open up discussion and help everyone participate as equal partners. The downside is that they may read ahead and start asking questions you would prefer to deal with later in the discussion. And you can also miss opportunities for eye contact if everyone is looking down reading. Easels or white boards. Great for increasing interactivity among 15 or fewer people, since you39。re recording the audience39。s ideas as they e up. Downsides: Avoid spending all your time with your back to the audience。 perhaps deputize a member of the meeting to help write down points so you can concentrate on their ments and reactions to you and each other. Onscreen presentations. While less personable than the other two methods, this is by far the most polished and suitable for large audiences. Since this is also the medium with the greatest pitfalls, this is the type of presentation we39。ll be working on in this section. Title screen By using a standard title chart and following the style consistently, we will add a professional touch not only to our individual presentations but collectively to all of IBM39。s facetoface munications. The title slide is a straightforward element, and generally requires only that you include your name, IBM anization, and speaking topic in the places provided. However, the template allows for other elements that might be required, and it39。s important to follow the guidelines if you will be using these. More text (if you must) The template also provides a format for longer blocks of text. You should use blocks of text very sparingly. Yes, once in a while there might be a longer passage that is relevant, and valuable. For instance, you might have a quote from an analyst or customer that is particularly striking: If you a