The New Articulate Executive: Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader, 2nd Edition

Exceptions to the Rules

Exception to the rule that says you begin and end with just you talking: Sometimes for dramatic effect you might want to run (perhaps with music) a group of slides together before you even begin—a fast-moving cluster, say, of new products flashing across the screen, or snapshots of the new corporate headquarters, or images that suggest a new theme (such as sailboats racing against the wind or skydivers and climbers conquering the heavens and the mountains).

Or you might want to forget about slides and try a brief video with music for even greater impact. One of my clients opened an annual meeting of large corporate sales and marketing divisions by showing a Ferrari—engine screaming—rushing straight at the audience, then ...