Do you feel like you’re wasting time on PowerPoint presentations? A busy person like you shouldn’t be wasting time on anything, but don’t worry, we know what you need.
Take a look at your to-do list. At a guess, you’ve got things on there like planning your campaign strategy, proofing and signing off copy and artwork, catching up with the team and checking your analytics.
But wait, there’s one more: “making a presentation”. Ugh. Did you feel that? That was your stomach lurching, your heart sinking, maybe even your soul dying.
You’ve had that on your list for a while now, and it keeps getting bumped further and further from the top. It’s not exactly hard, but you know it will take a lot of time and effort. Frankly, you’ve got more important tasks to complete, right?
We’re not trying to make you feel guilty: we get it: you have better things to do than make a PowerPoint deck. With all the formatting and the templates and animations that never seem to work quite right. Maybe you’re thinking about delegating it. Shifting it off your to-do list, and onto someone else’s. Except… well, except you don’t really want anyone else on your team spending time on this either, because they also have important tasks to do.
And hang on a minute, shouldn’t this actually BE someone’s job? Because it sure as hell isn’t your job – or anyone on your team’s job – to fiddle with slides all day, wasting time on PowerPoint.
OK. Deep breath. Wow, that got triggering pretty fast.
The reassuring fact is, you’re far from alone.
We’re all living in a presentation world
When Rokoko surveyed 8,500 professionals, the major takeaway was that far too many people were spending far too much time making presentations. And this was happening at every level of the corporate ladder.
Let’s start at the top: 28.7% of the average company’s leadership team spend five hours or more each week making PowerPoint slides. That’s nearly a full day. Every week. And, as you’d expect, the majority of these said they actively disliked doing it. Across employees in general, over 10% of their time is spent in PowerPoint. Has your team got 10% of its time to spare making slides?
Our own survey found that just 18% of workers had received any training on making a presentation. When was the last time you had some training on PowerPoint? All the latest updates and new features? You know, the stuff that could really make your presentations spectacular and easier to build?
We’d guess never. Are we right?
Not only do you have to do it, but you’re also going in blind, with no functional support on how to do a good job? That sounds extraordinarily unfair. No wonder you feel as though PowerPoint is a waste of time.
What’s the ROI?
Have you ever worked out how much your time is worth? How much your hourly rate is? Is making a presentation the smartest use of that time? All of a sudden, making that presentation seems like a pretty expensive piece of work. But, if you spent that time and money on a specialist agency instead, which would result in the best return on investment?
Really makes you think…
Delegation’s what you need
When you don’t live and breathe presentations all day, PowerPoint slides are annoying and time consuming to make. You can’t be expected to know all the tips and tricks, as well as your own job. Of course, you’re wasting your time on PowerPoint, because your time is needed elsewhere.
So, if your time is better spent doing your actual job, then who should be responsible?
If you have a graphic designer in house, then they might be your first thought. They’re trained in data visualisation and eye-catching design, so surely they can do it for you, right? Probably not. Chances are, they will be skilled in software like Photoshop and XD, and not in PowerPoint. So, if anything, they’ll find the experience frustrating, unenjoyable, and maybe even belittling. As far as they’re concerned, it would be like asking Lewis Hamilton to drive a minibus. Plus, as we’ve mentioned, they have their own job to do already.
Maybe you don’t have access to a graphic designer or they’ve just flat-out refused. Who then? For most companies, this presentation requirement would fall firmly under Marketing’s remit. It doesn’t sound right, does it? As a marketer, are you expected to design and build the company website? Of course not, and while very few organisations would ask their Marketing team to make a new website, many expect them to build their presentations. Which lead us on to our next point. The importance of presentations.
Communication is everything
While you might be wasting your time on PowerPoint, PowerPoint is not a waste of time. A presentation can land you your dream deal. Persuasive slides can get the board to double your marketing budget. A presentation can persuade investors to back your new ideas.
Of the employees we spoke to, 26% said that their company had lost a potential customer because they delivered a poor presentation, and 39% of those individuals admitted that it had happened more than once. It goes even more downhill from here. 25% had seen an existing customer cut ties with their organisation because of a problem with a presentation, and 44% of these respondents said that this had happened on multiple occasions.
Let’s get this straight: you don’t want to make a presentation, you don’t enjoy making a presentation, you haven’t been trained on making a presentation, you haven’t got the time to make a presentation, AND ON TOP OF ALL THIS, you could lose a client if you make a bad presentation? Wildly unfair, if you ask us.
Is this really the type of thing you want to leave at the bottom of your to-do list, leave until the last minute, then delegate to someone who doesn’t want the job? Sounds like a waste of time and opportunity to us.
Stop wasting your time on PowerPoint
Let’s cut to the chase: if you, or anyone in your team, want help making presentations, then we have a tonne of great tips and guides. But if you want to free up your time, focus on the things that matter most, and get the experts to take care of your presentations, then get in touch.
