Dell Inc. workshop

On Wednesday I ran a full day workshop for the brand research team at Dell Inc., in Austin, Tx. It was a very high energy group, and we covered lots of ground. We refined the approach for sequencing evidence, so that, by asking "what is the strongest objection that the audience could come up with at this point?" you can identify the "complication." Then you look for evidence that resolves this complication, and then repeat until you've addressed all objections.

The ideal presentation length is...

... 1 page long. It's not always possible to reach this ideal, but shorter is always better than longer. Nothing wrong with having a fat appendix, into which you can put all your backup analysis, and those charts you worked so long on but don't quite fit the storyline. But the actual presentation should be short - 1 page if possible.

Why? Some reasons that came up in yesterday's workshop:

• If you're only preparing a few pages, you can spend the time to make sure that each one is perfect.
• A short presentation reduces the probability that your audience will be reading ahead on page 17, while you're still presenting page 5.
• No-one has ever complained that "gee, that presentation was too short - I wish it were longer."

JP Morgan Chase workshop

Yesterday I ran a full day workshop with researchers at JP Morgan Chase. Very intensive day, and very productive. Strongly positive feedback for the systematic method for integrating the five dimensions. Some good discussion about the ideal length of a presentation (see next post).

The Ethics of Extreme Presentation

Recently I was asked whether market researchers should focus on presenting the truth or on what is politically expedient. I made the point that the answer should always be both. Without the truth you will lose your credibility, but without a keen sense of political expedience your presentations will come across as naive and impractical. I made this point again earlier this afternoon as a panel member at the US Federal Government Interagency Resource Management Conference. That is why an Extreme Presentation contains Logic, Rhetoric and Politics, to integrate ethics and effectiveness, inseparably.