Presentation Designer's Toolkit
Creativity Walkabout
What is it? A creativity walkabout is a creative brainstorming technique that involves physically changing your environment and taking a walk to stimulate new ideas and inspiration. This approach is often used to break free from mental blocks, spark creativity, and encourage fresh perspectives. If you've ever found yourself stuck in a loop, endlessly searching for new ideas only to feel like you're encountering the same things over and over, a creativity walkabout can offer a much needed change. By immersing yourself in different settings—parks, museums, shopping districts, markets—you'll encounter unique visuals, sounds, and experiences that can trigger fresh ideas and perspectives. When to use it When you're feeling stuck or experiencing a lack of inspiration, and traditional brainstorming methods are not yielding the desired results. If your design ideas or concepts are becoming repetitive or limited, it may indicate a need to broaden your sources of inspiration. Remember to Choose a variety of environments that offer different sensory experiences and have the potential to inspire you. Approach the walkabout with a curious and open mindset. Allow yourself to be fully present and receptive to the stimuli around you. Step-by-step 1 Plan your route Select a series of diverse locations to visit during your walkabout. Choose environments that align with your design goals and offer varied stimuli. Consider urban areas, parks, museums, downtowns, markets, or any other settings that inspire you. 2 Get your tools together Equip yourself with a notebook, sketchpad, camera, or any other tools you prefer for documenting your observations. Make sure you have a way to capture visuals, take notes, and record your thoughts during the walkabout. 3 Start the walkabout Begin your journey by immersing yourself in the first location on your list. Allow yourself to explore and experience the surroundings with an open mind. Engage all your senses and pay attention to details, colors, sounds, textures, and any other elements that catch your attention. 4 Observe and document As you explore each location, actively observe and document your observations. Take notes on interesting ideas, concepts, or inspirations that arise. Sketch or take photographs of visuals that inspire you. Record any relevant thoughts or insights that emerge during the walkabout. 5 Reflect and synthesize Take breaks during the walkabout to reflect on your experiences. Sit down, review your notes, sketches, and photographs. Look for patterns, connections, or themes that emerge across the different locations. Consider how these insights can be applied to your development and design challenge. Guide coming soon
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Content audit template
What is it? A content audit template is a tool that helps you organize and analyze existing presentation content. It provides a step-by-step process to evaluate content and identify gaps, redundancies, and areas that need improvement. This includes aspects like the structure, flow, message clarity, and alignment with objectives. When undertaking content overhauls or updates, utilizing a spreadsheet allows for easy visibility and understanding of the content landscape. It enables the team to "see" the entirety of the content, which can be challenging in a traditional slide show format. Tracking and documenting changes is easier and any modifications or updates can be accurately recorded, ensuring transparency, accountability, and effective project management. You can also use it if you’re building a template system for a client. It enables you to gain a deep understanding of their content landscape, identify common elements or patterns that can be incorporated into the template system, and uncover gaps or areas where the templates can be optimized. This ensures that the template system meets the client's needs, makes content creation easier, and improves the overall consistency and effectiveness of their presentation development process. When to use it Comprehensive content overhauls and updates: When you need to make significant changes to your content and want to keep track of those changes in an organized manner. When you need a bird's-eye view: If you want to see all your content at once, understand its overall structure, and identify any gaps or areas that need improvement. Remember to Customize the spreadsheet: You can modify the layout, formatting, and styling of the template to make it more readable and user-friendly according to project scope and preferences. Ensure that the spreadsheet is easily accessible to all team members involved in the content audit. Step-by-step 1 Set-up the spreadsheet Open a new spreadsheet in your preferred spreadsheet software (e.g., Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel). Create separate tabs or sheets for each section of the content audit, such as "Project Details," "Existing Content and Analysis," "Gap Analysis," "Updated Presentation," and "Summary and Conclusion." 2 Project details (Tab 1) In the "Project Details" tab, include sections to capture key project information, including the presentation title, summary, and objectives. Use columns labeled "Existing," "Analysis," and "Recommended Update" to document your review of these details. 3 Existing content analysis (Tab 2) Within the "Existing Content" tab, set up columns reflecting the presentation's structure, such as sections, slide titles, content summary, time, resources, and notes. Document and review the existing content, analyze its structure, flow, and alignment with objectives. 4 Gap analysis (Tab 3) Create a "Gap Analysis" tab to document any identified gaps or missing content elements that need attention. Plan out sections for documenting these gaps, ensuring consistency in your documentation. 5 Updated content (Tab 4) Duplicate the "Existing Content Analysis" tab into the "Updated Content" tab to make changes and updates. Consider using a color key to visually distinguish the extent of changes made, such as different colors for minor edits, substantial revisions, or new content. 6 Summary and conclusion (Tab 5) In the "Summary and Conclusion" tab, include sections to summarize your findings, highlight key takeaways from the content audit, and provide recommended actions based on your analysis. Template coming soon
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Audience Insights Map
What is it? An audience insights map is a variation of empathy mapping, tailored more towards understanding broader audience characteristics and behaviors. It allows you to tailor content, design, and delivery to meet the specific needs, interests, and preferences of a specific audience, which can significantly enhance engagement and effectiveness. It's essentially a visual tool, much like a chart or diagram, that organizes complex information about audience demographics, preferences, and behaviors into a structured format. For instance, when preparing for a workshop or a pitch, you'd structure the map to include sections like audience knowledge levels, their professional backgrounds, key interests, and perhaps even challenges they face in their roles. This setup helps you understand not just who the audience is, but what they need to learn or hear from the speaker. By organizing this information visually, an audience insights map provides a clear overview that helps you tailor presentation content precisely. You can determine the right language, tone, and level of detail to use, and decide which topics will resonate most. When to use it When you need to go beyond surface-level data and uncover insights that can shape content in a more human-centered way. Remember to Approach it as a guide rather than a rigid template. Customize categories to suit your specific audience and objectives. Don't get too caught up in the specifics of where each piece of information belongs on the empathy map—focus on connecting with the the target audience. Step-by-step 1 Get materials together You'll need a whiteboard or large sheet of paper to create the audience insights map framework. You'll also need sticky notes, markers, and highlighters. 2 Define the purpose of the mapping exercise Review the goals and desired outcomes of the presentation and think about the actions or responses you hope to inspire from the audience. For example, if you're developing internal training presentations for a large company, the goals may include enhancing employee knowledge, improving skills, fostering teamwork, or driving behavior change. The purpose of audience insight mapping in this scenario would be to gain deep insights into the needs, perspectives, and experiences of the employees who will be attending the training. 3 Define personas Choose specific user personas or audience segments you want to understand better. These could be a hypothetical or real users. It's often beneficial to create multiple personas when you have a diverse audience with distinct characteristics and needs 4 Gather relevant research To create a solid foundation for your map, you need to gather relevant research that provides insights into your target audience. Here are two common approaches: Qualitative research: Gather all the qualitative research you have conducted, such as interview transcripts, notes, audio recordings, or any other relevant documentation. Organize them in a way that allows easy access and reference during the empathy mapping activity. Internet research and secondary sources: Alternatively, you can leverage online sources such as articles, reports, forums, and social media platforms as a valuable resource. Explore user-generated content, discussions, comments, and reviews to gain additional insights into your audience's preferences, challenges, and behaviors. Internet research provides a broader context and can supplement or serve as a substitute for qualitative research 5 Draw the map(s) Audience insight maps can vary in their format, but they all share common core elements. For each persona, construct a separate map. On a sheet of paper or a whiteboard, divide the area into sections. For example: Knowledge level - What does the audience already know about the topic? Professional background - What are their industries and roles? Interests and goals - What do they aim to gain from your presentation? Challenges and needs - What problems do they face that your presentation can help solve? Fill in the map(s) Begin populating the sections of your audience insight map with relevant data and insights for each key audience segment. Using sticky notes or markers can be helpful for this process, as it allows for flexibility and adjustments as more information becomes available. 6 Analyze and identify patterns Step back and analyze the maps for each persona. Look for commonalities, patterns, and recurring themes across the personas. Identify shared needs, pain points, motivations, and opportunities for improvement. 7 Translate insights Based on the patterns and insights derived from the mapping exercise, identify responses that align with the goals and desired outcomes of the presentation. Determine how you can address the needs, pain points, and motivations of your audience. Use the audience insights maps as a guide to develop content, activities, or strategies that resonate with the personas and inspire the desired reactions or behaviors. Template coming soon
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Research Plan
What is it? A research plan is a structured document that outlines the approach and methods for conducting research to better understand user/audience needs, behaviors, and preferences. A well-structured plan helps ensure that the research process is systematic and effective in providing insights that guide the content development and design process. It also helps in keeping the research focused and aligned with the project's goals and objectives. A research plan can be used independently or in conjunction with a needs assessment. After conducting a needs assessment, you may find that the initial data and insights are insufficient to fully address the identified needs. A research plan is then developed as a more focused and detailed approach to gather additional information and insights. This plan outlines the research methods, objectives, and questions, and it provides a framework for collecting data. When to use it When the project demands a thorough understanding of the target audience beyond basic demographics When the target audience comprises diverse segments with unique characteristics Remember to Ensure an adequate sample size and diversity in your research participants to obtain representative and meaningful data Step-by-step: How to create a research plan 1 Define research objectives and questions Clearly articulate the problem or challenge that the research aims to address. What do you want to learn or achieve through this research? What questions need to be answered? What insights or information is needed to effectively develop the presentation? 2 Choose the research method(s) Select the appropriate research methods based on objectives and the nature of the information you seek. Consider both quantitative and qualitative methods, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or data analysis. Choose methods that will provide the most relevant and valuable insights. 3 Recruit participants Determine the criteria for selecting participants who will provide meaningful insights for your research. Ensure an adequate sample size and diversity to obtain representative data. Use appropriate recruitment channels and methods to reach your target audience. 4 Create data collection tools Develop the tools or instruments needed to collect data. For surveys, create questionnaires; for interviews, prepare interview guides with open-ended questions; for observations, establish data collection procedures and checklists. 5 Establish the timeline Create a timeline that outlines the key milestones and deadlines for your research. Consider factors such as data collection, analysis, and reporting. The timeline helps you stay on track and ensures that you allocate sufficient time for each research activity. 6 Formalize the research plan Based on the defined objectives, chosen research methods, participant criteria, and timeline, formalize your research plan. This plan should outline the key components of your research, including the objectives, methodologies, timeline, participant recruitment, and any other relevant details necessary to guide the research process. Guide coming soon
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Kick-Off Meeting
What is it? A kick-off meeting, also known as a kickoff workshop or kickoff session, is a collaborative and often interactive gathering of team members, stakeholders, and project participants held at the beginning of a project. The primary purpose of a kickoff workshop is to set the project tone, define the goals, clarify expectations, and align everyone involved with the project's objectives and direction. Kick-off meetings differ from other meetings in a few distinct ways. First, they bring everyone together, even those stakeholders with decision-making power who may not be regularly involved in reviews. This creates an opportunity to build rapport, and nurtures confidence and trust among the team. Additionally, they help uncover potential challenges before the project starts—everyone can talk openly about anticipated issues and obstacles and come up with solutions together. Lastly, they create an exciting and purposeful atmosphere. This shared sense of enthusiasm generates positive momentum, reinforces commitment and dedication, and increases the chances of project success. When to use it Undertaking a complex project that involves multiple deliverables, deadlines, or dependencies. Managing 2 or more teammates, freelancers, or subcontractors. Working with cross-functional teams or departments collaborating on the project. Involving multiple stakeholders in the project. Remember to Prepare—make sure you have a clear understanding of the project, familiarize yourself with the team, and create a detailed agenda to share with everyone two days prior to the workshop. Allocate time for team-building activities. When individuals establish personal connections projects run more seamlessly, and challenges are resolved with greater ease. Step-by-step: How to develop a project kick-off meeting agenda 1 Define the objectives Begin by clearly articulating the objectives of the kick-off meeting. What do you aim to accomplish? Consider aspects such as project scope, timelines, deliverables, and the responsibilities of each stakeholder involved. 2 Identify the key topics Pinpoint the key topics that should be covered during kick-off. These might include project goals, requirements, content and design preferences, constraints, expectations, as well as any specific challenges or considerations. 3 Determine the agenda structure Decide on the structure of the agenda. Break down the workshop into logical sections or time blocks. Allocate sufficient time for each topic to ensure thorough discussion and participation from all stakeholders. 4 Create an introduction segment Start the meeting with an introduction segment to set the tone and provide an overview of the project. This can include introductions of team members, a brief background of the project, and an outline of the workshop objectives and agenda. 5 Plan out team building activities Consider activities such as icebreaker games, group exercises, or team-building challenges that encourage active participation and interaction. Tailor the activities to the specific needs and culture of the team. 6 Share the project's purpose, scope, and plan You don’t need to go over every little detail of the project plan—focus on key information like the project timeline, important milestones, or key deliverables. 7 Establish project roles and responsibilities Clearly define, communicate, and document the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in the project. This step helps establish accountability and ensures that everyone understands their specific contributions and areas of expertise. 8 Share where you’ll track project data and real-time updates Review how and where project-related information will be stored, accessed, and updated. Emphasize the importance of utilizing the designated platform to maintain transparency and facilitate effective collaboration among team members. 9 Make time for questions Set aside sufficient time at the end of the meeting to address any questions the project team may have such as the project's scope or specific task expectations. 10 Next steps, action items, & wrap-up Conclude by summarizing discussions, decisions, and action items. This wrap-up segment is crucial to ensure everyone is aligned on the outcomes and next steps. Get the Kick-off Meeting Agenda Notion Template Grab Your Freebie
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Needs Assessment
What is it? A needs assessment involves understanding and identifying the specific needs, problems, and challenges of the target users or stakeholders for whom you are designing a solution. The main goal is to grasp the present situation, identify the desired future outcome, and then find ways to close the gap between them. In the context of creating engaging and customized presentation content, a needs assessment is crucial, especially for presentations like workshops and courses. It helps identify the specific knowledge gaps or skills that participants or the target audience need to learn or develop. By assessing their current knowledge and finding out where they need further learning or practical training, you can shape your content accordingly. This ensures that your material effectively addresses their needs and provides them with a valuable learning experience. Similarly, needs assessments play a crucial role in sales and marketing presentations. They uncover valuable insights into a target audience's preferences, pain points, and motivations. By understanding their unique needs, challenges, and what they look for in a product or service, you can create content that directly addresses those needs. The content can then emphasize the benefits and solutions the product or service offers, effectively communicating its value in a persuasive and easy-to-understand way. When to use it To uncover preferences, pain points, and motivations in order to persuasively communicate the value proposition of a product or service. To create tailored educational content that addresses the unique needs of your target audience. Remember to When choosing your data collection methods, take into account the characteristics of your target audience, such as their demographics, preferences, and accessibility. Seek input from a diverse range of individuals or groups to capture a comprehensive understanding of needs and preferences. Step-by-step: How to conduct a needs assessment 1 Clarify project objectives Clearly define the objectives and goals of the project. For example, if you're working on content for diversity and inclusion training, examples might include fostering a culture of inclusivity, raising awareness about unconscious biases, and promoting equitable practices within the organization. Identify the specific knowledge, skills, or behaviors that need to be addressed, such as understanding diversity dimensions, promoting respectful communication, or mitigating bias in decision-making. This clarity will guide the entire needs assessment process and help ensure that the content development aligns with the desired outcomes of the training. 2 Gather background information Dive deep into relevant background information. Research what competitors are doing, analyze the industry, and understand your organization's context. This step helps you see the big picture, so you can collect data effectively. 3 Choose your data collection methods Decide how you'll collect data. Options include surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, document analysis, or testing. Evaluate each method's strengths and weaknesses and pick the ones that fit your project best. If your needs assessment calls for formal research methods to gather deeper insights, you can use the Research Plan to create a roadmap for effective research. 4 Collect and analyze data Use your chosen methods to gather data from stakeholders. This might involve surveys, interviews, observations, document analysis, or prototypes for testing. Organize and analyze the data systematically to find meaningful insights and patterns. 5 Identify gaps and areas for improvement Based on your data analysis, spot gaps or areas that need improvement. Look for recurring issues, challenges, or opportunities. This could involve knowledge gaps, skill shortages, process inefficiencies, or misaligned practices. 6 Prioritize needs Once you've found gaps and areas for improvement, prioritize them based on their importance and impact on your project's goals. Decide which needs must be addressed immediately and which can be tackled later. This helps you allocate resources wisely. 7 Develop an action plan In the final step, create a detailed action plan. Define clear objectives, break them down into doable steps, assign responsibilities, and set timelines. This plan guides you in addressing the identified needs and ensures your content development aligns with your goals and audience's needs. Guide coming soon
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Interview Guide
A comprehensive step-by-step process for developing an interview guide, including sample interviews tailored for two different target audiences: high-profile keynote presentation focus groups and target audiences for corporate training sessions.
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Scavenger Hunt
What is it? A design scavenger hunt is a creative exercise where participants are tasked with finding or collecting a specific set of items, ideas, or elements related to a design project or creative challenge. It is a fun and engaging way to encourage creative thinking, gather inspiration, and generate new ideas. Observing and analyzing design elements used in different contexts can help you find new ways to tell stories, write copy, layout slides, and visually organize information. For example, if we explore packaging design at a specialty or boutique food store, we can learn how to organize information effectively and create visually appealing layouts. We can also discover persuasive writing techniques that resonate with specific target audiences. By studying how key selling points are presented in clear and visually appealing ways, and how everything works together to grab attention and inspire action, we can develop our own unique approach to storytelling and messaging. You can use the scavenger hunt activity at any stage of the presentation design process, from brainstorming to final polishing. It's a great way to break out of creative ruts and discover new approaches to verbal and visual communication. When to use it 1. When you're feeling stuck or uninspired in your writing or design process. 2. As a way to generate fresh and unique solutions to common challenges. 3. As a team building activity to kick-off a new project and encourage creative thinking. Remember to: 1. Take notes and photos of found design elements. 2. Set clear boundaries for the scavenger hunt, including the time limit, areas to be explored, and elements to look for. For a less structured inspiration gathering activity, see the Creativity Walkabout. How it works 1 Define the objective: Determine the purpose of the scavenger hunt and what you hope to achieve by doing it. Are you looking to spark creativity, build teamwork, or improve communication skills? Identifying the objective will help guide the rest of the planning process. 2 Choose a location: Select a location that offers a diverse range of design elements to explore. This could be a city center, a museum, a shopping district, or any other location with an abundance of design inspiration. 3 Create a list of items: Define a set number of items that can be found within the allotted time. These items should be diverse in nature and can include anything from advertisements and signage to architecture and nature. 4 Set a time limit: Determine the amount of time allotted for the scavenger hunt. This can range from a few hours to a full day, depending on the complexity of the items and the location. 5 Gather tools: Get what you need to document findings, such as cameras, notebooks, post-its, and pens. 6 Divide into teams: Divide participants into teams of two or more, depending on the size of the group. Encourage participants to work together and share their insights and ideas. 7 Review and share At the end of the scavenger hunt, gather everyone together to review the findings and share insights. This is a great opportunity for participants to learn from each other and discover new ideas. Remember that this activity can be done solo as well, just adapt to suit your individual goals and interests. It's also a great opportunity to partner with other designers in your area for a team-building and/or networking activity. Activity guide coming soon
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The Mash-Up Method
What is it? The "mash-up" method in brainstorming involves combining unrelated or seemingly disparate ideas, concepts, or elements to generate new and innovative solutions or insights. It encourages the blending or fusion of diverse perspectives, domains, or fields to create something unique and original. The primary goal of using the mash-up method is to break away from conventional thinking patterns and stimulate creativity by forcing connections between unrelated ideas. By merging different concepts or elements, you can uncover fresh perspectives, identify novel solutions, and foster innovative thinking. When to use it When you need to get past obvious solutions, explore new possibilities, and break through mental barriers Remember to: Select two categories or concepts that are unrelated and not typically associated with the problem you are trying to solve Focus on quantity over quality Let loose and have fun Step-by-step 1 Define the challenge you're facing Clearly articulate the specific challenge or problem you are trying to address. For example, if you're working on visuals for a sustainability-focused keynote and need a fresh way to approach a visual metaphor for uncertainty, you might write down: "How could I visually represent uncertainty in a way that is unexpected, thought-provoking, and aligns with the theme of sustainability?" 2 Choose two unrelated categories Select one category that relates to your challenge, such as "Sustainability" in this case. For the unrelated category, think of an area or field that could provide interesting elements to explore, like "Outer Space" or "Team dynamics" 3 Create columns for each category and define a high number of outputs Divide your workspace into two columns, one for each category. Aim to generate a substantial number of ideas, like 20 for each column. The quantity of ideas is important at this stage to increase the likelihood of uncovering unique and creative concepts. 4 Generate ideas within each category Set a timer for a short period, such as 2 or 5 minutes, and brainstorm as many elements or ideas as you can within each category. For the "Sustainability" column, you might list concepts like "renewable energy," "nature," "ecosystems," or "sustainable practices." In the unrelated category column, you could write down items like "galaxies," "rocket ships," or "planets." 5 Combine elements from each category Review the lists you've created and start combining elements from the two columns. Don't hesitate to experiment with seemingly unrelated or even silly combinations. For instance, you might combine "uncertainty" from the sustainability category with "galaxies" from the unrelated category to create a visual representation of uncertain paths among infinite possibilities in the universe. Embrace the unexpected connections, as they can lead to highly creative and innovative solutions. Guide coming soon
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