Tag Archives: Powerpoint

May 14 2016
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News

Slide-free

Senior business leaders at Simeon Corp have astounded onlookers by making a significant strategic decision without the use of Powerpoint.

“I am not sure quite how it came about really. We discussed the problem at hand, and the range of possible solutions, then came to a decision,” said COO Mark Markson. “Somehow we managed all that without anyone putting a range of charts on a white background, and without a single Exec Summary.”

There was some prior communication, with the salient information shared in a concise email before the board meeting. “I kept clicking download all attachments,” said Advisor Jane Jamesen, “ready to trawl through the usual 50-slide monster. It was embarrassingly long before I realised that there was no deck attached!”

All involved cannot get over a faint sense of uneasiness with the whole process. “I know we have done the right thing for our customers, our shareholders and our employees but it just feels so naughty.”

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Nov 06 2014
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News

CEO upset by PowerPoint Presentation

The CEO of a major FMCG company has been left underwhelmed by the end result of a 6-month long consulting project. Hastings Products hired Asco Partners to carry out an analysis on their product portfolio, and to make recommendations for growth. The project culminated on Friday in a 3 hour long Powerpoint presentation and discussion.

“It just wasn’t up to scratch, to be honest,” explains CEO Henry Fick. “I was mainly disappointed that they couldn’t do a more professional job.”

The source of Fick’s angst is quite specific. “I have absolutely no problem with the analysis done, and actually found the recommendations very insightful,” he relates. “My problem was more with the PowerPoint presentation. I am no slideshow expert, but it was just so boring. The font was just the default setting, Arial. Even I know how to do Papyrus, and I’d even have been ok with Comic Sans. It’s like they weren’t even trying!”

He continues: “It was just so bland, chart this and chart that. Where’s the Clip Art? Where’s the ‘underwater’ background? And even my 11-year-old can do that spinny animation thing when you click. What was I even paying for?”

The slides in question were made in Powerpoint by analyst Jane Williams, who insists that they were “in line with Asco standard presentation.” However Mr Fick is not convinced. “When you’re spending $1M on a consulting project, you want more than the standard, you want premium. And I won’t be satisfied until the Hastings logo bounces across the screen unexpectedly.”

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Jun 28 2014
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Business is Awesome

Business is Awesome: Slides

Business is Awesome.  You know it, I know it.  This series is where I write about it.

I was talking to an old classmate of mine the other day, who works at a strategy consulting firm.  We were catching up on the usual topics, when we started talking about his job, and what he does on a day to day basis. Now I thought consulting was a desk job, but I was amazed to discover he actually spends his entire time making slides.

Imagine that! We didn’t have time to get into the details (I’m not sure if it’s water slides, or just regular adventure playground slides), but that sounds great to me. I’ve always been a big fan of slides of all shapes and sizes, particularly the ones that drop immediately down, or “death slides”, as we used to called them. I was always terrified beforehand, but glad when I did them, you know?

Anyway, apparently they make slides using a “Power-Point” machine, and ultimately it all goes into Slide Shows in the end.  I’ve never been to a Slide Show before, but they sound like a lot of fun. I’ll be sure to go to one, but not before I’ve applied to join a consulting firm. Spending all day making slides? Business is awesome.

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