Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:45 — 32.3MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS | More
Boris Hristov is the Founder of presentation agency 356labs and a PowerPoint MVP. Boris has years of experience as a trainer, mentor and consultant and he and his team are working with companies like Deutsche Telekom, KPMG, Renault, VMWARE, adidas and a many more to help them write, design and deliver truly effective tech talks and presentations. His agency is also the only presentation agency in the world speaking at Microsoft Ignite – the biggest yearly event of Microsoft, and this year they are the company behind the industry-leading presentation skills conference – Present to Succeed.
From an IT Person to a Presentation guru
Boris started his journey very young by attending presentations in the tech industry. But soon his curiosity and passion for presentations lead him to analyze and replicate the techniques he saw on stage and to develop and improve his own methodology for creating presentations. Shortly after that he started making workshops for groups of people and that lead to the next step by creating his own business: the presentation agency 356Labs.
How to improve your Tech talks
Boris’ top piece of advice to improve your tech talks is: Develop and build outstanding Presentation Design skills. Besides all the rehearsals an preparations about delivering the talk one of the lowest points is still the design of the slides. To take time to create a great design for your slides makes the difference between an average and an outstanding talk. One of the most important senses of human beings is the visual sense. Use it on your favor!
Challenges of presenting virtually. How to deal with it.
Presenting virtually and presenting in person is very different. And doing it virtually is more difficult, believe it or not. The first thing you have to do is improve your hardware. Invest in the best microphone or camera for using in presentations. The way you look and the way you sound is your first impression. Second, you have to improve the engagement. As you cannot see your audience, getting feedback is really hard. In a Tech Talk prepare your delivery for making questions, ask for reactions via chat, ask people to raise hands and share their opinion. You have to plan the right way to incorporate all this to your presentation in a natural form. Third, take care of the design, your slides have to be able to fit many different formats, from a big screen to a mobile phone. You have to be prepared for that and got it covered.
Present to Succeed
It’s a conference that will be held in April 2021, as the largest premium presentation skills event for the business person in the world. The top storytellers, top public speakers and top presentation designers of the world are invited to share their knowledge with the attendees. For Boris “Present to Succeed” is the realization of a long term dream finally come true.
Related: The Type of Feedback That Really Helps
Favorite quotation
“Do what you love is for amateurs. Love what you do is the mantra for professionals.” — Seth Godin
Recommended book
Story Proof: The science behind the startling power of story by Kendall F. Haven
Story Smart: Using the science of story to persuade, influence, inspire, and teach by Kendall F. Haven
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover
Routine to Shine
Be curious about the world, explore the industry and the people. Expose yourself to the knowledge. The more exposed you are the better you become in everything you do.
Links
Present to Succeed Conference, on 15 — 17 April 2021 | Online
P.S. If you liked this episode, you might enjoy subscribing to our mailing list. Also, I’d appreciate if you write a review in iTunes or Stitcher. Your reviews will encourage me and will help other people to find the podcast. Thank you!
Leave a Reply