Presentation Thinking™
By GhostRanch Communications
Brought to you by www.GhostRanch.com — b2b marketers' partners in Presentation Excellence
AND
www.StoryCamp.com — A soft skills symposium in Park City, July 23-24, 2025
#173. Presentation Party Time: Scott Hull and the importance of human-made stories
You’re Invited…to Presentation Party Time!
Presentation Party Time is a deep-dive type episode dedicated to a specific project so that we can understand the inception, development and execution of the presentation process.
For this episode, it’s a sales deck GhostRanch worked on with Scott Hull + Associates—an artist agency helping get creatives hired. And in an age of GenAI, this is a super interesting and complex space to tell a story.
Scott joins Mikey, along with copywriter Colin Dullaghan who worked on the story, to discuss the skeleton, the story mining and the creation of the deck’s look and feel (with the help of talented illustrator, Penelope Dullaghan).
AI is here to stay but does generic art kill brand credibility? What’s unique about human storytelling and how we can work with AI as creatives?
This is an episode for: creatives, storytellers and anyone that builds decks with (or without) AI.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Learn more about Scott’s work on his site
Team PowerPoint or Google Slides?
Scott - I would say PowerPoint but it’s dependant on who I have supporting me
Colin - PowerPoint
Walkout songs?
#172. Mikey's Resource Roundup: May 2025
Mikey’s Resource Roundup: AI for presentations, Better comms for managers & a Brad Pitt throwback.
In this short n sweet episode, Mikey clues us in to the Presentation Thinking beat with an article he just read, a course he just took and—naturally—one of his favorite movie clips of all time.
This is a Spice Cabinet-esque episode that’s chock-full of goodies on how AI can best help to create powerful presentations, professional education greatness from West Kao and a throwback movie clip on the importance of the process via 1992’s favorite Brad Pitt film, A River Runs Through It.
“In order to be clear in our communication or clear in our writing, you must be clear in your thinking.” —Wes Kao
This is an episode for: anyone that designs presentations, folks looking to integrate AI, managers looking to improve comms and 90s films fans.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Article by Nancy Duarte
Follow Nancy Duarte for more
Course that I just took
Wes Kao’s Executive Communication and Influence for Senior ICs and Managers
Check out more of Wes Kao’s work here
One of Mikey’s favorite movie clips
You know the scene where Norman gets his paper edited further and further down to a quarter of its original length by his dad? Mikey says: “ To me, it highlights that importance of process and skill and craft and brevity, you know, and clarity. This stuff doesn't just happen.”
Want to improve your storytelling skills on a holistic level?
- Join us at Story Camp July 23-24 in Park City, Utah!
#171. TED Talkin’: Hayley Langsdorf on the power of doodling during meetings
Hayley Langsdorf is an artist that uses Sharpies to illustrate big ideas from board rooms and beyond. She is a self-described “live scribe” for events, meetings and conferences.
Hayley’s 2019 TED Talk, “Drawing out our collective intelligence", draws out—literally—the power of the pen. As humans, we’re all moved by story; and when visuals are added, it’s extra memorable.
Even simple figures and shapes—doodles during meetings to help illustrate what was talked about can create a more powerful record than a list of bullets.
Hayley’s talk reminds us that simple visual storytelling can help support day-to-day communications. She argues that drawing out ideas to get on the same page could help reduce over-used jargon, excess emails and even combat stifling office environments.
Business communicators, consider this your cue to get the colored pack of Sharpies.
This is an episode for: doodlers, communicators of all kinds and self described “non creatives”.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch Hayley’s talk for yourself:
Find more of Hayley’s work
This TED talk reminded us of…
The “Marketoonist” extraordinaire, Tom Fishburne - author of Your Ad Ignored Here
Tim Pollard’s work- author of The Compelling Communicator
Wes Kao’s work on keeping people engaged
Hayley’s dream talk (according to us)
Venue? - Something hosted by Bic or Micron or Sharpie??
Walkout song? Beautiful World by Colin Hay
#170. 3 truths about AI and design with expert Mike Parkinson
If you are interested in presentation design, you might already know Mike Parkinson—founder of Billion Dollar Graphics, speaker, trainer and self-described “visualization and graphics geek”.
Mike joins Mikey to chat about how he got into such a niche business, his “M&M” approach, visual storytelling through data and, of course, how AI is shaping the design landscape.
In Mike’s realization that AI isn’t going anywhere and his feeling that designers should embrace that fact, he’s developed 3 truths around this:
Designers or creatives who embrace AI will thrive
AI might always be part of the process—but it won’t be the product
As designers, we want to be able to learn to use the right tool the right way. Use your tools accordingly!
This is an episode for: designers of all kinds, data viz nerds and anyone curious how to work with AI, rather than against it.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Where to find Mike’s work:
He may or may not be working on a new book…stay tuned!
Rapid fire round:
Google Slides or PowerPoint: [no hesitation] PowerPoint!!!
Fave color? Blue - apparently the most universally appealing color
Dream presentation place? Croatia
Go-to walkout song?
#169. Establishing “rules” of Visual Storytelling to avoid Death by PowerPoint
After exploring WHAT Visual Storytelling is with Creative Director Allie Wilson in Episode #166, we thought it’d be useful to establish exactly HOW to achieve successful Visual Storytelling. What are the “rules” to implement in each of your slides?
In this episode, Molly sources data directly from presentation designers of GhostRanch to inform several clear “rules” for visual storytelling—keeping ONE idea per slide, establishing a clear hierarchy of information, being intentional with content and keeping your style consistent. While these may seem like simple concepts, breaking out of the typical Header + Bullets style can go a long way.
In our continuous journey for Presentation Excellence, we talk about avoiding the dreaded “Death by PowerPoint” a lot. By establishing these clear parameters, Molly also gives context and a 2025 update to that constant corporate phrase.
This is an episode for: non-designers, visual storytellers and anyone that creates presentations.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch David JP Phillips’ OG TED Talk:
Listen to Mikey and Molly discuss it in Episode #67
Want to dig into DEFINING what Visual Storytelling is?
Queue up Episode #166 with Creative Director Allie Wilson
Need help establishing the type of slide you’re working with to get started?
Prezent has a great blog - “10 powerful visual storytelling examples for successful presentations”
Want to improve your storytelling skills on a holistic level?
Join us at Story Camp July 23-24 in Park City, Utah!
#168. Aristotle’s “Poetics”: Presentation Thinking Book Club
We finally got around to talking about who some refer to as the “father of storytelling”—and the 3 Act Structure—the one and only Aristotle.
In this “Book Club”-esque episode, Mikey and Molly read “Poetics”—an exploration of genre and the elements that make a great story all that it is.
Film buffs and students of storytelling have been examining it for years and we’re here to make our own Presentation Thinking connections.
From the “tragic beats” in a plot, to character arc, to the “cherry on top” that is song and spectacle—Aristotle’s early mappings of storytelling still resonate strongly today.
This is an episode for: film buffs, story nerds and Aristotle fan-girls.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Read Aristotle's “Poetics” for yourself. Note that quotes and experience will vary slightly depending on the translation you read
Buy the book (from a local bookstore!)
Some helpful extras summarizing “Poetics”
How did we get into this again?
Aristotle’s rules of storytelling come highly recommended by award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin his Masterclass
Want to improve your storytelling skills?
Join us at Story Camp July 23-24 in Park City, Utah!
Aristotle’s walkout song?
- Molly says that country music is full of good storytelling so—Goodbye Earl by The Chicks
#167. TED Talkin’: Christopher Cummings on assessing risk and creating dark magic with communication
Social scientist Christopher Cummings takes the TED stage with his talk “The dark magic of communication: how we manipulate others” to show us that communication is like magic—and magic can be used for good or evil. (Dun dun dunnnnnn!)
What kind of “dark magic” could we be talking about? As a social scientist and health/risk communicator, part of Christopher’s job is assessing risk and just how dangerous or risky something actually is. We all know there’s a difference between perceived risk and actual risk but how does that get determined?
Christopher walks us through synesthetic ideation, the risk algorithm, how ‘affect’ and ‘fear’ both play a role in communicating risk and why it’s important to be critical of headlines and overly hyped media.
Mikey and Molly have seen their fair share of neuroscience-backed communication TED Talks but this was a fun (and important) new spin.
This is an episode for: neuroscience nerds (Christopher makes it digestible!!), journalists and communicators or presenters that relay important or sensitive information.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch Christopher Cummings’ 2017 TED Talk
Who did Christopher remind us of?
(What we think) Christopher’s walkout song is?
Have a fave TED Talk we haven’t talked about yet? Send it our way!
molly@ghostranch.com
#166. What is Visual Storytelling? With Creative Director Allie Wilson
B2B folks everywhere:
You’ve probably heard of “visual storytelling” and how important it can be for your brand and for your presentations.
However, like many a buzzword, we’ve seen the phrase thrown around so much, we fear its true meaning is often confused with a focus on style, rather than substance. Visual storytelling goes beyond decoration, embellishment and off-brand AI imagery. True visual storytelling helps marketers achieve clarity in their communications—it helps to bring the core of our messages to life with meaning and memorability.
To join us in this Visual Storytelling deep dive, we invited Creative Director of GhostRanch Communications, Allie Wilson, to unpack its definition, how it works, why it matters now and the immense value of investing in it at all.
Because Allie presented on the same subject at the PMA Summit in NYC in March, we also get into her own Visual Storytelling methods, design red flags and how she put together her presentation.
This is an episode for: brand strategists, graphic designers and anyone that has to put together presentations.
#165. The evolution of soft skills, presentations & product management with April Thomas
experience of all varieties (we’re talking Oracle, Q2 and more).
The throughline of her work? Communication is everything—and she joins the pod to share her perspective on how these soft skills (like presentations!) have evolved and shifted with the growth of product management in general.
From establishing clear and consistent messaging to selling a vision, April doles out many a word of wisdom. (Ahem, expert alert!!)
This is an episode for: product marketers, managers, presenters & communication nerds.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Find April and connect!
Via the Women in Product Group
PowerPoint or Google Slides?
PowerPoint
Product Marketing leader to learn from?
Marty Cagan of the Silicon Valley Product Group - “he’s kinda like the Godfather of product”
Check out his books and more here
April’s walkout song?
Final words of wisdom for Presentation Nation?
One thing I always tell everybody that's ever worked for me when you're presenting: nobody probably knows more about this than you. So don't stop. Like when you mess up, nobody knows. You know?
...The soft skills, the presentation—it's the future. You know, it's one of the core things I look for and I know a lot of the other leaders I work alongside and have worked alongside with, look for. You can be the smartest person in the room, but if you cannot articulate what you're doing, that is a problem.
#164. TED Talkin’: Will Storr’s take on the science of storytelling and everyone’s search for “Eudaemonic happiness”
At this point in our storytelling journey, Mikey and Molly have learned a lot about the “science” of storytelling and why our brains click so well with remembering (and being moved by) narrative.
However, journalist, author and teacher Will Storr’s 2018 TED Talk “The Science of Storytelling” presents something we haven’t heard yet.
From understanding how our eyes are constantly evaluating for change with movements called “saccades” to understanding all stories as gossip—a means for survival and sharing of information—Will’s 6 elements of the science behind storytelling are truly unique.
Will helps to understand that through our personal “hero’s journeys”, living with purpose and applying purpose to any story is the thing that brings resolve and a “eudaemonic happiness.” In other words, the pursuit of happiness in life is part of the reason that stories can resonate so well.
This is an episode for: Brand managers, big thinkers and story nerds.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Listen to Will’s TEDxManchester yourself
Find more of Will’s work
- On Instagram
- His newest book released February 2025 is called A Story is a Deal: How to use the science of storytelling to lead, motivate and persuade
#163. What Aaron Sorkin’s screenwriting Masterclass teaches us about storytelling everywhere
The one where Mikey and Molly embody their role as “students of storytelling” by taking Aaron Sorkin’s Masterclass on screenwriting.
Aaron’s writing is literally award-winning—think A Few Good Men, The Social Network, The West Wing—so this online class seemed like a more affordable option than film school.
We dig into Aaron’s teaching style, his reverence for Aristotle and what can be gleaned in our presentation and marketing world from screenwriting tips.
From story sequencing to letting the audience in on the secret to the importance of research (hello, win-loss interviews!)—Aaron’s advice is applicable to a broad range of mediums.
This is an episode for: storytellers of all kinds, writers and of course—film nerds.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Don’t just take our word for it!
Aaron’s an Aristotle fan and so are we
Check out the classic Poetics
Aaron’s walkout song? (He said it himself in class!)
Join GhostRanch at Story Camp this summer and practice your presentation skills!
- Learn more here
#162. Soft Skills Pay Bills: You’re Invited to Story Camp this summer!
COMING THIS SUMMER to Park City, Utah—GhostRanch’s Story Camp retreat is now open to the public!!
What is it? Story Camp is a small but mighty micro retreat this July 22-24th, 2025. No huge hotel crowds, we’re talking 40-50 people.
Who is it for? It’s for anyone that wants to level up their presentation, storytelling and soft skills.
In fact, soft skills pay bills is part of the hypothesis that brought Story Camp into existence!
Molly interviews Mikey about where this idea came from and how with the rapid growth of remote work, technology and AI, we’re in a soft skills gap. The ability to tell stories, to speak in front of people and simply communicate well are all part of our everyday work and life that maintain both relationships and opportunities.
After a chill hike, some socializing by the pool, getting to practice presentation skills in your own “Lightning talk” and receiving feedback from peers, you’ll also get to hear from some incredible headliners:
Former White House speechwriter Terry Szuplat
Design scientist and visual communication expert Dr. Steven Franconeri
Dr. Amy Cuddy—speaker and social psychologist who termed the phrase, “power poses”
These expert Presentation Thinkers will be spitting their A-game for you and with a group this intimate, you’ll have 1:1 access to them!
Find out more at StoryCamp.com or reach out to Mikey (mikey@ghostranch.com) and Molly (molly@ghostranch.com) with any Qs.
See you up there, at “Presentation Excellence” altitude.
#161. Elliott Rayner and the Science of Storytelling
Elliott Rayner is a story nerd, just like us.
Elliott’s “Hero’s Journey” begins in sports marketing, pivots into product marketing and lands himself as the current CMO for OWOW, a creative marketing agency. Along the way, he’s accrued a variety of storytelling skills and honed in on the science behind why storytelling clicks so well in our human brains.
This science and the elements required to make it work are all part of Elliott’s talk which he now gives at marketing conferences (and even wrote an eBook on!).
Elliott walks us through his favorite frameworks, how he prepares for a talk and his admiration of one of the Greek greats—you guessed it, Aristotle.
This is an episode for: speakers, marketers, story scientists and Aristotle nerds.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Where to find Elliott?
Elliott’s recommended reading?
Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari (he wrote Sapiens!)
What does Presentation Thinking mean to Elliott?
”Presentation Thinking the way when I read it is like a type of mindset that a person has where you're thinking about how it's going to end up at the end.
So, if you're thinking of building a product, the way I always think about things is like, ‘How am I going to talk about this on stage?’ Or ‘How is this going to look as the final campaign?’ And so I've always got what I would call my Presentation Thinking hat is that when we're building a feature roadmap, I'm like, move that feature up because that's the one I want to present.
So that's the kind of way I thought about it.”
What’s Elliott’s walkout song?
#160. TED Talkin’: Drag queen Pattie Gonia is bringing joy to climate action (and presentations)
Drag queen Pattie Gonia hits the TED stage to let us know that joy is a useful and tangible way to take action against climate change.
Mikey and Molly analyze the stage, screen and story elements of Pattie’s TED Talk and are thoroughly impressed with the sparse but strategic visuals (her dress is enough to look at!) and the measured pace with which Pattie delivers.
Pattie walks through perfect examples of personal storytelling framed against a bigger story of queer history and climate change. Through finding her joy in drag, she found her niche in the climate movement. How can we apply that to our own lives and work?
As a drag queen, she’s a pro at keeping the audience involved and making them an active participant of the talk. It’s a joyful and inspiring 9 minutes for both climate action and presentation skills.
This is an episode for: climate activists, folks in a creative rut and anyone that has a hard time slowing down while speaking.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch Pattie’s talk for yourself
Follow Pattie online and catch her singing on tour!
Pattie Gonia website - there’s merch too!
Are you free July 23-24 and want to improve your own Story, Stage and Screen skills? Come join us for Story Camp!
- Find out more about the Park City retreat here
#159. Delta CES Keynote: Taking presentations to new heights
This episode was recorded before the Delta crash in Toronto on February 17th, 2025. We are extremely grateful that everyone is okay.
Delta made a surprising appearance at CES 2025 (Consumer Technology Show)—a tradeshow typically showcasing explicitly tech brands and the latest consumer innovation.
With The Sphere in Las Vegas as its setting, Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian delivered a memorable pep rally centered around celebrating Delta’s 100 years in business and a myriad of tech product/partnership announcements.
GhostRanch Creative Director Allie Wilson joins Mikey and Molly to analyze the stage, screen and story elements of this ambitious talk. From the epic visuals to the 4D components, we can’t help but wonder if Delta’s Sphere appearance is raising the bar for product presentations everywhere.
This is an episode for: product/tech launch nerds, presenters and anyone racking up those Delta SkyMiles.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
See the Delta CES keynote for yourself:
What do we think Ed should walk out to? (That is, if Lenny Kravitz isn’t there next time)
Interested in practicing presentations with incredible and inspiring people?
- Check out StoryCamp, July 23-24, 2025
#158. How to beat Imposter Syndrome (and more!) from PMM expert and career coach Collette Ramage
Collette Ramage is a PMM expert and career coach with some seasoned presentation chops. Molly met Collette as her teacher for a Product Marketing Alliance certification course and knew we had to ask her aboard the ‘cast.
Every Product Marketer’s journey is different but not many begin in biomedical science! Interested in the technical aspects of business, Collette found her way to a marketing track and eventually product marketing as the career itself was being developed.
Collette shares her perspective on the unique pressures that PMMs face, how to get buy-in with the sales teams and why you might (but shouldn’t!) feel Imposter Syndrome as a PMM.
Oh, and of course the importance of storytelling in the product marketing and presentation world.
This is an episode for: product marketers, coaches/teachers or anyone who might need a bit of career advice.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Where to find Collette:
Collette’s recommended resources?
I listen to a lot of behavioral psychology and consumer psychology because I’m very much competitive in sales enablement so I want to understand how to play to people and I want to think about that.
Check out their leadership series!
Anything byClayton E. Christensen on HBR
Wildcard advice
Collette signed up for a screenwriting class! -I did a small one years ago and that was very transformational.
Favorite speaking inspo
Any TED Talk!
Collette’s walkout song?
Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger (she’s obsessed with Rocky)
#157. Making messaging PUNCHY with Emma Stratton
Messaging expert Emma Stratton joins the ‘cast to discuss her book,Make it Punchy,her POV on strategic messaging and how you can stop dreading writing it.
As an English major that started in editing and later B2C copywriting, Emma arrived in the B2B tech space wondering where all the creativity had gone. (And how all this jargon showed up!)
Make it Punchyserves as a humorous workbook with frameworks to employ and clear case studies to learn from. Mikey and Molly go through some of our favorites with Emma such as “Value-Benefits-Feature” (VBF) that is dang-near-guaranteed to make both marketing and sales teams happy.
We also dive into how Emma feels about presentations, how she preps and creates them!
Emma is now the founder of Punchy—a consulting and training firm for positioning—and speaks all the time on the subject. Check out where to follow her work below.
This is an episode for: brand strategists, B2B copywriters and all strategic messaging folks.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Buy Emma’s book!
Check out more of Emma’s work:
Emma’s recommended reading?
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
AnythingApril Dunford
You Are A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero
Emma’s walkout song?
#156. Understand the value of Product Marketing with Hattie the PMM
Hattie the PMM took tech layoffs seriously and then made herself irreplaceable. Now, she’s on a mission to support other product marketers to do the same thing.
Helping demystify and prove massive value to the often misunderstood “product marketing” space, Hattie has successfully branded herself on LinkedIn as “Hattie the PMM”—talk about a genius use of keywords!
Hattie was kind enough to join us and share her experiences, her perspectives and some hot takes she’s been posting on LinkedIn for the last year. She views product marketing as “the best way of solving a jigsaw puzzle within tech and software.”
Hattie is kicking off a community for product marketers and the founders members launch closes SOON be sure to sign up and follow along for support in your own journey.
This is an episode for: product marketers, folks in need of an online community and anyone starting their own business.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Find Hattie (and all of her genius insights)
Join her Product Marketers community—founders members launch closes SOON so sign-up ASAP!
A few of Hattie’s favorite PMM things (and people):
A book on creating more compassion…for yourself. Good for you and soft skills! Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
We’re Not Marketers podcast
Eric, Zach and Gab from this podcast are great PMM inspo!
Hattie’s walkout song?
(the song from Karate Kid!)
#155. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang adds innovation to presentation
Nvidia has long since been an inspirer of innovation with software and hardware that serves as a starting point for tech and gaming communities around the world.
Of course, they’ve been pioneers in AI as well.
CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote address at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) was called to our attention as an outstanding presentation and start-of-the-year launch for various new Nvidia products.
And dang—from Jensen’s lowkey delivery to the high-end visuals, we were impressed. Jensen’s visuals help convey the processes of densely technical products while his goofiness makes everything that is typically slick and futuristic—very approachable.
GhostRanch Technical Director, Steve Sheets, joins Mikey and Molly to ogle at the sheer screen size and how they might’ve made the magic happen.
This is an episode for: tech nerds, AI enthusiasts and anyone that has to present on complicated subjects.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch Jensen’s CES Keynote for yourself
Explore Nvidia’s fancy new offerings
On their site!
Jensen joins the guys at Acquired
Watch the interview here
Steve’s favorite use of AI so far?
Sketching with Midjourney
What do we think Jensen’s walkout song?
#154. “Act like a shepherd”: The importance of messaging buy-in with Steve Earl
Throughout 2025, we’ll be exploring the path towards Presentation Excellence. One of the first steps to achieving such rare air is getting messaging buy-in. Without it, messaging adaption can never happen and it will have a huge impact on presentations throughout your organization.
Steve Earl, Executive Director of GhostRanch, has a rich enterprise tech background which afforded him the experience of “selling” messaging buy-in first-hand.
He shares 3 vital tips if you have also found yourself in these shoes, wondering how best to walk: 1) Think like a sales person 2) Communicate like it’s a high-stakes presentation (it is) and 3) Act like a shepherd.
You are the wise messaging wizard and it’s up to you to bring stakeholders along the journey.
This is an episode for: product marketers, stakeholders and anyone that’s had to create or sell messaging.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Tune into Steve’s other appearances on the ‘cast:
Advice for dialing in messaging?
I get most of my refinement from working with salespeople… I'm not a salesperson, I'm a marketer. But I felt that what really advanced the way I did messaging was by talking to the best salespeople and what was important to them And that helped get rid of the fluff, right?
We mention Emma Stratton a few times
Her new book, Make it Punchy, is the most fun book you’ll find on strategic messaging
Steve is a fan of behavioral science + marketing
Corporate Visions’ work and content does this especially well
Steve’s walkout song?
#153. TED Talkin’: Maintain motivation and get your goals done with Ayelet Fishbach
Motivation researcher Ayelet Fishbach’s TED Talk, How to set the right goals and stay motivated, is the perfect TED Talk to kickoff your 2025 and hold fast to your resolutions.
With over a decade of experience in the “motivational psychology” space, Fishbach makes a compelling case for motivation not being a muscle you can exercise, but rather a series of factors that can be customized to help keep you going.
Firstly, you have to identify the right goals, then you strip out the ego and be ready with a buddy or a “balanced goal” to help achieve what you want. Setting up an environment for success is what can keep you motivated, rather than trudging through sheer will.
Ayelet is a skilled presenter and there’s a lot to learn from both her content and delivery in this TED Talk.
This is an episode for: anyone interested in goals, resolutions or who is wanting to get motivated going into the New Year!
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch Ayelet Fishbach’s TED Talk:
Learn more about Ayelet’s work, including her books:
Here!
Come join GhostRanch for STORYCAMP this July 30-31, 2025
- Find out details here!
#152. 2024 Wrapped: A Year-in-Review of Stories Beyond the Slides
Like any good end-of-year episode, this is our 2024 “Wrapped”.
Mikey and Molly share the common themes that emerged this year in their journey with Presentation Thinking and what’s in store for 2025.
Some foot-notes:
Pitchin’ Ain’t Easy: We took a deep dive into the, ahem, “Shark Tank” of the startup/venture capital world and learned about pitching.
Delivery Matters! We talked to a vocal coach about tone, inflection and stage presence. AND got more practical in how to practice presenting.
Personal narrative can go a long way. From personal experiences to narrative design, implementing narrative in a natural way can impact your project or presentation.
Our diversity of guests presented new insights into age-old truths about storytelling—presentations can still be found everywhere and they’re not going anywhere.
This is an episode for: presenters, speakers and anyone just starting out with the PrezThinking pod!
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Our most-listened to episode this year:
Our top episode EVER:
2024 Episodes to revisit for VC/STARTUP:
120 - Pitch (Deck) Perfect: A Conversation with VC Expert, Tom Fowler
125 - Mac Conwell on perfecting your personal story and pitch
2024 Episodes to revisit for DELIVERY:
2024 Episodes to revisit for PERSONAL NARRATIVE:
108 - Harvey Lee on Leveraging Personal Experiences for Professional Growth
111 - Marcus Andrews on Crafting a New Category through Narrative Design
Walkout song of 2024?
Defying Gravity from Wicked - too cliche??
#151. Presentations actually are all around: Post PMA-Summit presentation style breakdown
Mikey and Molly return from visiting London for the Product Marketing Alliance (PMA) Summit and discuss the MYRIAD of amazing presentation formats they encountered.
From an all day training course to breakout sessions to a reel for the GhostRanch booth, presentations were everywhere and it’s clear this preferred B2B medium isn’t going anywhere.
As presentation creators, it’s helpful to keep tabs on these formats and see how they evolve, what’s working and what factors are important to keep in mind when designing. We share what we learned and the highlights for each style.
“If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that presentations actually are all around.”
Learn about the PMA and find an event near you:
Here!
Don’t forget to check out their Core Certified Courses!
Mikey & Molly’s fave Indian eats (what’d we miss?)
Our walkout songs for future London presentations?
Molly - Galway Girl
Mikey - Oasis “Wonderwall”
#150. How to be a better presenter—with Presentation Coach, Andrea Pacini
When we last spoke to Andrea Pacini in Episode #77, he had just published his book, Confident Presenter (which you can get a free copy of through the link in the Spice Cabinet!).
Now, Andrea has been awarded “Best Virtual Speaker” from the Speaker Awards 2024 and “Best Presentation Skills Training Specialist in the UK”—to name just a few of the accolades.
Andrea returns to the ‘cast to dig deeper into core communication fundamentals, the difference between practicing and rehearsing and frameworks that work for him. As a presentation coach, we love hearing Andrea’s perspective on everyday challenges that his clients face and how to conquer them with confidence.
Andrea is adept at making presentations accessible to everyone.
This is an episode for: Keynoters, speakers and anyone looking to improve their public speaking—in-person or virtual.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Get a free copy of Andrea’s book, Confident Presenter:
Here!
To make the most of the book, take the Confident Presenter Scorecard to assess your presentation skills in < 3 minutes
Where to find and follow Andrea? (He’s a killer LinkedIn follow)
Attend the next Ideas on Stage web class here!
(A few of) Andrea’s favorite people/resources for presentation inspiration?
Chip and Dan Heath’s book - Made to Stick
Benjamin Zander - “ He combines speaking and playing the transformative power of classical music.”
John Pollack - Shortcut: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas
A former speechwriter for Bill Clinton
Any trends in the Presentation Coaching landscape?
“I can’t not mention Artificial Intelligence… a couple of years ago, we didn't have ChatGPT and all these other tools. And these things will change. That's inevitable but what will never change are the fundamental principles of communication.”
Advice for anyone thinking they want to write a book?
”When it comes to presenting, just do it. Practice, practice, practice. Public speaking is a skill that requires knowledge and technique. It's a bit like learning how to play a new musical instrument or learning how to play a new sport. We need knowledge and technique.”
“ When it comes to writing a book, I've just finished reading On Writing by Stephen King, the book on writing. And he says that the advice he has for aspiring writers is, he sometimes is asked, ‘How do you write your books? How do you write maybe like 90,000 words for a book?’ And he says, ‘One word at a time. Just write one word at a time.’ So it's a practical level.”
Block time in your calendar to build time for a writing routine!
Andrea’s walkout song?
#149. Tom Fishburne on marketing & storytelling through cartoons
Tom Fishburne has never stopped drawing. From doodling as a kid to creating comics throughout Harvard Business School, Tom knows the power of visual communication and humor.
Now, with years of marketing experience and as the creator of Marketoonist, Tom’s entire company vision is to help businesses communicate better through visual storytelling and a bit of comedic relief.
Mikey and Molly chat with Tom about the intersection of marketing and visual communication and how he’s struck a chord with marketers around the world with his simple and effective cartoons.
We examine how to keep creativity alive within the marketing process and ask Tom about his own presentation preparation and experience giving a TED Talk.
This is an episode for: Marketers of all kinds and people that doodle in meetings.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Where to find Tom:
Marketoonist - hire him to keynote!
Shoot him a message on LinkedIn
For the marketing colleagues in your life, Tom’s book is a perfect Christmas gift:
If you want to see (or have seen) Tom’s TED Talk, tune into Mikey and I’s breakdown of it:
Episode 131 on Presentation Thinking here
And Tom’s TED Talk, The power of laughing at ourselves at work, is here!
Books & resources that Tom goes to for inspiration?
Russell Davies - author of Everything I Know About Life I Learned from PowerPoint
Jean-Jaques Sempé - French cartoonist known for New Yorker covers
Hilary Price - creator of “Rhymes with Orange”
Advice for someone who’s looking to get more creative?
“Don’t be afraid to draw…even stick figures, sometimes, can be more compelling than a dense PowerPoint slide…If you want to communicate an idea, do a 'back of the envelope' sketch and share that with somebody before you have a fully baked PowerPoint presentation that looks like it's final.”
Tom’s walkout song?
#148. PrezTHANKING: What we’re thankful for in the presentation community
It’s that time of year again (Thanksgiving in the United States) where Mikey and Molly gather the most epic Spice Cabinet and stuff it full of things they’re thankful for in the presentation community.
And we’re not just talking about nutmeg or pumpkin spice!
From inspirational people to PowerPoint tools to our trusty editor, Will Kommor, this is a short episode with a tall list of resources.
Tune in, turkeys!
This is an episode for: presentation designers, speakers and friends and fans of the pod.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet? (What are we thankful for?)
From Mikey…
A feature:
Selection pane. I think it wasn’t around until maybe like 2016, 2017? I really don’t know.
An animation breakthrough:
Morph transition (really thanks to Apple Keynote for magic move and for PPT trying to catch up. Google Slides, come on man)
PPT Mentors / sharing in general:
Glen Abrahams for showing me how to nudge objects granularly in PPT back in like 2014 – it felt so clunky before, was like 10px at a time. But he was like, “dude just hold control and then do it.”
My wife!
Megan has really let me pursue this passion, there’s no GhostRanch without her. She’s doing amazing stuff for Women for Riley, a children’s hospital in Indiana - check it out!
From Molly…
Fave tool for transcription and re-listening to meetings?
Some fave people on the pod this year:
Michelle Siracusa - voice coach extraordinaire!
Rick Altman - creator of Presentation Summit!
A newsletter
Punchline Copy’s Lianna Patch
A framework
The GhostRanch Pitch Planner
An “Aww” moment
Thankful for a company like GhostRanch that encourages you to ask questions!
#147. Connecting our Left & Right Brain for holistic presenting
We’ve all heard the idea that being a “left brain” person means you’re logical and a “right brain” person means you’re creative—but did you know that’s a bit of a myth?
Like most myths, it’s based in some truth:
The left side of our brain processes more analytical information while the right side tends to hold emotions and nuance. However, a study in 2017 at Duke University confirmed that the number of neural pathways that connect the two sides contributes to someone being more creatively capable.
In other words, the more we can connect and holistically bring together our Right & Left Brains, the better our creativity and communication can be.
Mikey and Molly, on their journey to be better presenters, apply this to the foundations of visual storytelling and how best to communicate within a slide platform.
This is an episode for: Neuroscience nerds, presenters and anyone that wants to be a better communicator.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Check the science
On the GhostRanch blog
Neuroscience walkout song
Mikey’s take: Alright Guy - Todd Snider
Molly’s take: The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
Want more Presentation Thinking in your inbox?
- You can subscribe to our newsletter here!!
#146. TED Talkin’: Malcolm Gladwell shares what he got wrong with The Tipping Point
Malcom Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, was a bestseller—a popular book that discussed the elements of virality well before things “went viral” online. The sub-title reads “How little things can make a big difference” and explores how and why trends in fashion, culture and life come and go.
With Gladwell’s new book on the horizon, Revenge of the Tipping Point, he revisits topics from his original book. And Malcolm is now publicly addressing a controversial theory he credited towards reducing crime in NYC called “Broken Windows Theory”.
“Broken windows is the theory that Small crimes are invitations for large crimes – if you let people get away with little things then you are signaling that it’s okay to cross the line into bigger things. So what do you do? You don’t let people get away with the little things.”
NYPD’s harsh interpretation of this theory in the 90s and 00s led to harmful “stop and frisk” policies that largely affected communities of color.
While Malcom never explicitly mentions “stop and frisk”, his direct linking of “Broken Windows” to the reduction of crime in the 90s and early 00s led many to false conclusions—that would later be disproved in a landmark case in 2013.
He returns to the TED stage to apologize and take accountability.
This is an episode for: anyone that needs to give an apology presentation and fans of Malcolm Gladwell (& haters!)
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch the TED Talk
Tune into our TENTH ever episode for a Tipping Point book review
Listen here!
Malcolm’s podcast, Revisionist History, also revisits this subject
Listen here
An amazing org cleaning up vacant buildings
For the first time ever…
We don’t think a walkout song is appropriate for an apology presentation.
#145. What GhostRanch learned from Presentation Summit
It’s no secret that we’re fans of Presentation Summit—the first conference in the world dedicated to presentations, storytelling and PowerPoint. We’ve chatted with its founder, Rick Altman, previously in episodes 139 & 71.
2024 is the final year of “PreSum”, as it’s lovingly called, and several folks from GhostRanch attended for its Last Hurrah.
Creative Directors Jeff Carter, Allie Wilson, Sr. Designer Laura Waskovich and Technical Director Steve Sheets all join the pod to let us know everything they learned at the summit and who you should be following for presentation inspiration.
From technical PowerPoint tricks to learning from storytelling leaders to the camaraderie of the presentation community, this episode is chock-full of resources and a dish-all after the final PreSum party.
This is an episode for: anyone who wants to make and give better presentations and friends and family of PreSum.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Learn more about Presentation Summit and what’s next for the community
Inspiring Presentation People to follow?
- Richard Goring - Director of BrightCarbon, an amazing presentation agency.
- Julie Terberg - Featured on our ‘cast Episode #118
- Sally Zimney - Author of Speaking Story
- Nolan Haims’ podcast, The Presentation Podcast
- Taylor Krunquist’s Nuts and Bolts Speed Training
Everyone’s walkout song?
- Jeff Carter - Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball
- Steve Sheets - Greta Van Fleet’s Highway Tune
- Allie Wilson - ELO’s Evil Woman
- Laura Waskovich - Travis Scott ft. Beyonce’s DELRESTO
- Molly - Donna Summer’s Bad Girls
#144. Onsite event experience in Nashville with Sr. Designer Collin Herko
Senior Presentation Designer Collin Herko AKA “Herk” joins the ‘cast to discuss his recent onsite event experience in Nashville for one of our favorite clients.
This included everything from live site edits to how a big conference process goes down with AV design, teleprompters and more.
With the event being in Nashville and Collin being a former Nashvillian, we also talked about the history and influence of “Hatch Show Print” style that the client specifically wanted to incorporate into this project.
As Collin emphasizes, it’s one thing to design a beautiful slide on your 15 inch desktop—it’s a whole different experience to see it on the big screen at an event helping bring the story to life.
This is an episode for: presentation designers, anyone that works events and Music City lovers.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Check out the OG Hatch Print Style
- It’s a real print shop in Nashville!
- Collin’s fave: Johnny Cash
- Country Music Hall of Fame Hatch Show Experience
Collin’s design inspo?
- Storm Thorgerson, inspired by the recent film Taken By Storm
- Aaron Draplin
Tools to try out?
- Collin’s a big Figma enthusiast so if you’re in need of a freebie new tool to mess with, look no further.
Nashville Reccos?
- Black Dynasty Ramen - Herk’s cousin opened it!
- Layla’s or Robert’s - classic honky tonks amid the craze of Broadway
Collin’s walkout song?
- Mess Around by Ray Charles (in Planes Trains and Automobiles!)
#143. TED Talkin’: DK gives the public speaking lesson you never had
DK is a creative director and presentation coach and is on the TED stage to give us the lesson in public speaking that none of us ever received.
We love a simple framework and accessible advice to enhance presentation skills and DK really delivers. Sharing his journey growing up with speech impediment to becoming a speaker coach builds a brilliant rapport with the audience as he leads up to his “jedi mind trick” that can help anyone transform their nerves into confidence onstage.
DK also moves (literally) through common body language pitfalls that we should avoid and offers up his own “soft rockstar pose” to help plant a firm foundation for your body in any presentation capacity.
This is an episode for: anyone that has to public speak, beginner keynoters and people that like studying body language.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch DK’s TED Talk, The public speaking lesson you never had
Learn more about DK’s work…
His website with the clever URL (just a ‘D’ and a ‘K’.com)
His book, Speaking with Purpose
Need help getting started on your next presentation
Download GhostRanch’s FREE Pitch Planner
Need someone to MAKE your next presentation?
Email us. :)
Presentation Thinking’s “tips n tricks” playlist
Episode 130: Leveraging your voice as presentation power with vocal coach, Michelle Siracusa
Episode 86: TED Talkin’ - Catherine Molloy & (Sub)Conscious communication
Episode 79: TED Talkin’ - Amy Cuddy’s “Power Poses” and the impact of body language
Episode 77: Presentation Coach Andrea Pacini on presenting, confidently
DK’s walkout song?
According to Molly - Star Wars theme song OR More Than a Feeling by Boston
According to Mikey - Metallica’s Enter Sandman
#142. TED turns 40. How founder Richard Saul Wurman’s “horizontal” learning perspective helped it become what it is today.
You ever wonder about the origin story of TED talks?
As TED turned 40 this year, TED founder Richard Saul Wurman and current head of TED Chris Anderson sat down together to commemorate and reflect on the iconic event that promotes very simply: ideas change everything.
It was no surprise that Richard is a fascinating fellow with countless “TED moments” to share (did you ever hear about the time when he cut off a speaker’s tie onstage?).
An architect turned data designer turned author turned conference curator—Richard’s done a bit of everything. And that “horizontal learning” perspective really informs the uniquely un-sponsored TED conferences. With no agenda and nothing to sell, Richard proves that we can all learn from technology, entertainment and design—anything well outside of our own crafts.
Mikey and Molly tune into this conversation and found many parallels to our own Presentation Thinking project. Just as Richard pulled together technology, entertainment and design, there’s no “single” industry or space for storytelling and presenting—they really are all around us.
This is an episode for: Speakers and keynoters, anyone in need of inspiration and TED fans of all ages.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Listen to the interview with TED founder Richard Saul Wurman and Head of TED Chris Anderson
Tune in here.
Learn more about Richard
- He’s got books on books on interviews…
- Archinect interview: What is truly good about AI, nobody has probably thought of yet
Attend a TEDx event!
What do Mikey and Molly think Richard’s walkout song might be?
- Mikey - Rikki Don’t Lose that Number by Steely Dan
- Molly - Le Freak by CHIC
#141. Best of Product Marketing (so far) on Presentation Thinking
#140. How to work for (and trust) yourself with Nick Lafferty
Nick Lafferty says early on in our conversation he was a “terrible student” in school but he’s taught and challenged himself with so many skills, it’s hard to believe.
Founder of Early Exit Club—a network and newsletter for people that want to work for themselves—Nick’s experience in product marketing to paid ads has provided a unique perspective on the importance of soft skills, go-to-market strategy and simply trusting yourself.
Starting at a radio job in Texas, finding affiliate marketing and following software development along the way, Nick has an incredible journey to the place where he’s now able to run his own consulting company optimizing ads AND writes regularly for Early Exit Club, giving (free!) advice for freelancers.
We talk go-to-market strategy for freelancers, personal positioning and nerd out on some software (shoutout Loom!).
This is an episode for: software nerds, product marketers and anyone that wants to work for themselves.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Get in on Nick’s Early Exit Club
Where to find Nick?
He’s a killer follow on LinkedIn
Inspiring people to follow?
Tamara Grominsky’s PMM Camp & Newsletter (she’s got the positioning framework Nick references)
Arthur Brooks - “The Science of Happiness”
Elena Verna’s “Growth Scoop”
Loom resources?
How Nick recharges his personal batteries
Small groups and 1:1s
Video games - Nick is a GUILD MASTER in World of Warcraft!
Nick just moved to NYC and can’t wait to walk everywhere
Walkout song?
#139. Reflecting on 22 years of Presentation Summit with Rick Altman, Dr. Carmen Simon and Mike Parkinson
Rick Altman has been hosting the Presentation Summit for 22 years and this October will be his last— “at least in THIS format!”, he emphasizes.
It’s a party—eh, I mean conference—for PowerPoint enthusiasts and presentation nerds like the conference veterans Dr. Carmen Simon (Corporate Visions) and Mike Parkinson (Billion Dollar Graphics), who join us for this episode.
All presentation experts in their own right, Rick, Carmen and Mike found their way to Presentation Summit through unique work in software, data, design and neuroscience.
While we talked to Rick back in Episode #71 about his journey with this annual event, he invites Carmen and Mike to share their experiences, their nostalgia, what they’ve learned and how the presentation community has grown with Presentation Summit.
It’s like summer camp for anyone interested in presentation and storytelling—and it’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join this October 20th-23rd.
This is an episode for: presentation designers, speakers and ANYONE curious about finding a presentation/storytelling community!
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Just do it.
Attend the (final!) Presentation Summit in person on October 20-23!
Virtual option is November 3-6!
Check out Dr. Carmen Simon’s work…
Her new book, Made You Look: How to use brain science to attract attention and persuade others is out now!
Check out Mike Parkinson’s work…
Incredibly helpful Graphics Cheat Sheet here!
Some reccos from this talented crew?
Books:
Rick’s OG book, Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck and How You Can Make them Better
Carmen’s books, of course
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
Stephy Hogan’s soon-to-be-released A Designer’s Field Guide to PowerPoint
People to Follow:
Richard Goring from Bright Carbon
Podcasts:
What’s everyone’s walkout song?
- Rick Altman: Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits
- Dr. Carmen Simon: Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar by Bodo Wartke ft. Marti Fischer
- Mike Parkinson: Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia
#138. Presentation Thinking ties the knot: How to officiate a wedding
“We do” believe that presentations are all around us—and Molly’s recent experience being an officiant for her brother’s wedding emphasized this.
From creating a throughline with the ceremony story, catering to the audience and keeping the delivery well-paced, the foundations of good presenting all came up throughout this process in helping two people get married.
Ceremonies of matrimony have taken place as long as storytelling itself so it was interesting to dive into this idea of a wedding “presentation” and building it specifically to fit with the bride and groom’s story.
Molly shares some tips that helped her, logistical recommendations and what went well (and wrong!).
This is an episode for: presenters, motivational speakers and anybody that’s been asked to officiate or give a wedding speech.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Unique/Non-traditional wedding ceremony ideas/starting points
Top tips
Plan ahead: Collaborate ahead of time with the couple to capture the style, tone and stories they’d like shared.
Consider the audience + the setting: Think about the setting and speak to what and who is surrounding you to set the context and importance of the scene.
Make the logistics easy: Print out your finalized ceremony flow to fit into a nice looking notebook or journal. Tape or glue it in so that you can write in the margins, make notes on where/when to pause, etc.
Molly’s top wedding movies (RomComs)?
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
She’s the Man (2006)
Runaway Bride (1999)
Mikey loves Wedding Crashers (2005) and Palm Springs (2020)
Walkout song?
The groom - Lost in the Dream by War on Drugs
The bride - Holocene by Bon Iver
Molly - Make it Easy by Sylvan Esso (*Molly incorrectly calls this “It’s Playing Now”)
Mikey - Flash Gordon by Queen OR The Ludlows from Legends of the Fall by James Horner
#137. TED Talkin’: Why simple messaging is stronger, with Niro Sivanathan
Niro Sivanathan is an organizational psychologist that wants to help your messaging convert clearer, faster and stronger.
With his 2019 TED Talk, The Counterintuitive way to be more persuasive, Niro goes through several exercises that demonstrate how the “dilution effect” shows up in decision-making and risk-assessment across several types of scenarios. Mikey and Molly dive into his well-paced delivery, less-is-more approach and scientific studies to back it all up.
For product marketers or anyone wanting to convince someone of something, it’s a useful messaging strategy to put to the test.
This is an episode for: product marketers, sales folk and anyone that wants to tell more effective messages.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Watch Niro’s TED Talk, The Counterintuitive way to be more persuasive
Learn more about Niro’s work
Niro’s walkout song? (according to Mikey & Molly)
Do you have a fav TED Talk you’d like to hear broken down?
Email us!! molly@ghostranch.com
#136. Enhancing events through video production—in conversation with Phil Platt of First Sight Media
Video production and livestreaming are essential parts of any modern event these days—be it a marketing conference, promotional event or university graduation.
Phil Platt is a Business Development Manager at UK-based production company First Sight Media and he’s a jack of all trades in the digital production world. With a background in film and cinema technology, Phil is a creative visual storyteller.
Phil talks to Mikey and Molly about the various ways in which video and digital media can enhance the “story” of any of any event or presentation. Whether it’s a conference, an online webinar or a full video shoot, video and digital media can capture content, expand the event to digital audiences or engage with people. For online presentations especially, this digital engagement can really bring a human element that makes the talk more memorable.
Having seen countless presentations (and worked on TEDx events!), Phil shares his hot takes and tips for how to integrate digital media and video production into your presentation or event.
This is an episode for: event industry pros, video production nerds and visual storytellers of all kinds.
What's in the Spice Cabinet?
Favorite speakers, presenters or TED Talk?
Alan Crickmore - How storytelling helps parents in prison stay connected to their kids
Brian Cox - Why we need the explorers
Where to find Phil?
LinkedIn
Check out First Sight Media!
Event industry and networking reccos?
The event industry’s most engaged and positive community
For networking - check out trade associations like ABPCO
Funny presentation stories?
When a rockstar reaaaalllly wanted his audio to be as loud as possible and it was…over-the-top.
“The biggest horror stories happen when people try and skip out on a little practice session beforehand.”
Phil Platt recent film faves?
Midsommar (2019)
The Running Man (1987)
Phil’s walkout song?
- Anything by Kublai Khan TX
#135. Lightning Talk Stories from GhostRanch’s StoryCamp 2024
GhostRanch hosted its third annual StoryCamp this past July, reaching new heights in Park City, Utah. StoryCamp is our annual in-person gathering where we hear from experts, learn from each other to level-up our storytelling skills and just spend nice quality time together.
This year’s theme was “More than just a pretty slide”—referring to the idea that presentation design encompasses so much more than simply “pitch polish”. We contribute to clients’ stories and strategic messaging on a regular basis.
With this concept in mind, we invited the Rancheros to give their own “Lightning Talks”, 4-8 minute presentations about whatever came to mind for them with this theme.
The Ranch’s Technical Director Steve Sheets and Senior Designers Tamara Jarvi and Breece Justice join Molly and Mikey to talk about their experience creating and presenting these talks.
For designers who are typically behind the slide, it’s such a useful exercise and brings us closer, as always, to “Presentation Excellence”.
This is an episode for: Strategic messaging nerds, fans of the Ranch and anyone that’s afraid of presenting/public speaking.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Listen to previous StoryCamp episodes!
2023 StoryCamp Boulder, we talked about the art of presenting to clients with Kerry Feuerman
2022 StoryCamp Chicago - our inaugural StoryCamp started in Chicago with talks from Tamsen Webster & Todd Henry
Need a presentation planning tool?
Download our Pitch Planner, it’s FREEEEEEE
The Slide Zero framework is also very helpful
Park City Reccos??
Tamara says eat at Grappa
Molly says eat at Chimayo
Hike to Bloods Lake and take a quick cold dip!
Drink at the oldest distillery in Utah, High West Distillery
We all enjoyed the Michael Franti & Spearhead concert at Deer Valley Amphitheater, #Togetherness
What were the crew’s Walkout Songs for their Lightning Talks?
- Breece: Soup by Remi Wolf
- Tamara: Disco Snails by Vulfmon
- Steve: Seasons (Waiting on You) by Future Islands or Highway Tune by Greta Van Fleet
#134. Short-form storytelling with filmmaker Asha Alaji-Sharif
Asha Alaji-Sharif is a designer by day and filmmaker by night—or dawn, if she’s getting up early to get a sunrise drone shot.
With several film projects already under her belt, the Atlanta-based creative’s latest is The Four Noble Truths, a film about her brother-in-law, Maeta, with sziocphrenia. It premiered at Voices with Impact Film Festival, a festival focused on mental health and lifting up causes to raise awareness.
Mikey and Molly reunite with Asha (a former Ranchero & friend of the ‘cast) to discuss her creative process, storyboarding and how in the heck one can edit such a rich story in the span of only five minutes.
Asha’s project proves that short films can be a masterclass in concise storytelling, messaging and skillfully conveying stigmatized topics.
This is an episode for: people that have to say a lot in a short amount of time, presenters, filmmakers and creatives of all kinds.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Check out more about the Voices with Impact Film Festival!
The film Asha lifts up from this year isn’t publicly available yet but it’s called Brotherly.
Asha’s film, The Four Noble Truths, will also be available soon. :)
Other filmmakers that inspire Asha?
The Last Black Man in San Francisco - “That film is just stunning.”
All-time faves?
Trey Edward Shults - fave director
Waves, It Comes At Night
Where can people find & follow Asha?
What’s your walkout song?
#133. Andrea Tomingas and the art of “information organization”
Andrea Tomingas has a talent for telling one story, many different ways. From being a presentation designer at Hulu to co-founding a business, Andrea offers a unique perspective on presentations.
Having co-founded Duck Brigade over ten years ago, Andrea knows the importance of communicating a company story well, in a short amount of time.
Duck Brigade specializes in UX design, landing pages, logos and pitch decks—all various forms of “information organization” as they call it.
As Andrea walks us through what’s in/out in pitch decks, their ideal pitch deck flow and creating a UX wireframe, we realize that a UX design and pitch deck creation have a lot of useful foundations in common.
This is an episode for: designers of all kinds and anyone that has to pitch.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Where to find Andrea?
Discover their work on Duck Brigade!
Favorite speakers & presenters?
“Anyone with a good musicality to their voice”
Tig Notaro
Comedians!
Improv scene in LA
Design inspo?
Stenberg Brothers - poster design team from Russia
Emory Douglass - designer for the Black Panthers
Protest ephemera
Fave films?
Some recent visually inspiring ones…
Denver inspo?
Steven J Yazzie at the Denver Art museum
He built a tricycle low the ground, got in the tricycle, filmed what he was looking at and biked around landmarks in downtown Denver while sketching the landmarks.
Andrea’s walkout song??
#132. Rad ads, storytelling & the evolution of visual communication: In conversation with Art Novak
Art Novak is a copywriter, ad guy, author, teacher and an overall presentation design pioneer.
We feel lucky to know Art via his teaching days at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) because both Mikey and Allie Wilson, Creative Director at GhostRanch, had the privilege of being in his classroom.
Before recording, Art claimed he had a “problematic background” starting most of his presentations in the past with words rather than visuals—he was a copywriter, after all! But learning to evolve his process as technology and different forms of illustration emerged put him at the forefront of creative visual storytelling and he became a true pioneer in leveraging PowerPoint.
In this episode we explore the common foundations of advertising, presentations and visual storytelling in general. Art shares some amazing and iconic ad stories that he contributed to and how they would later integrate into the way he taught students in the classroom.
This is an episode for: design nerds, ad & copywriting enthusiasts and visual storytellers of all kinds.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Find more of Art
Read Art’s books!
Favorite assignment Art would give students?
When students would have to create a presentation and play the part of a famous advertising character (ie: Pillsbury dough boy, etc.)
Art’s fave places to find inspiration?
AdForum.com - links to all agencies and ads throughout the world! Think of it as an advertising directory
Tune into major award shows like the ADDYs!
Hang around inspiring people 🙂
How did Art win an Emmy??
Helping create a public service ad to raise awareness for wearing seatbelts. Of course.
Art’s walkout song?
Parting words for Presentation Nation?
I’d encourage everybody that’s thinking about what they want to do with their life to consider copywriting and advertising because I think advertising—you know, it’s gotten a bad rap from some people—but I think it has the potential to really change the world in a better way.
If advertisers start to realize that by promoting worthwhile causes in their advertising, not only are they doing something for humanity but they can distinguish their products from their competition.
#131. TED Talkin’: Tom Fishburne and the power of humor at work
Tom Fishburne didn’t go to Harvard Business School to become a comic. But his ability to transform his life experiences into relatable illustrated comics was something that both helped him through college and later his marketing career.
In his 2018 TED Talk, Tom shares his experiences and highlights the power of laughing at ourselves—especially at work. Importantly, he says that comedy and humor have the power to “disarm” us and make it easier to talk about hard things.
Tom left his marketing job over ten years ago to create Marketoonist, a cartoon studio helping businesses with their communications through humor. Turns out, there’s a lot for the marketing world to learn and leverage through humor in our communication and storytelling.
This is an episode for: marketers, comic/comedy fans, visual thinkers and anyone trying not to take work too seriously.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
Watch Tom’s TED Talk, “The Power of Laughing at Ourselves at Work”
Here!
Subscribe to Tom’s newsletter:
Want to dig in more about how humor helps us at work?
Read Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aaker & Naomi Bagdonas
We also podcasted about it in Episode #34
What do we think Tom’s walkout song is?
- Roses are Free by Ween (Mikey’s pick)
#130. Leveraging your voice as presentation power with vocal coach, Michelle Siracusa
Michelle Siracusa puts new meaning to the phrase “your voice is your power”.
Michelle is a performer and vocal coach blending psychology with performance fundamentals to help folks be their most compelling when they speak.
From finessing tone, creating emphasis and adapting emotion per the audience you’re speaking to, vocal delivery can truly transform a presentation or talk.
Mikey and Molly work through several exercises live with Michelle to put into practice the small-but-mighty shifts in tone and emphasis that you can implement into your own work.
Being able to use your voice in the most effective way is not only great for performers but anyone in business as well. Whether you’re a keynote speaker or stepping into a leadership role where you’ll have to start giving more presentations, Michelle’s work can help you.
This is an episode for: performers, speakers, voiceover geeks & leaders of all kinds.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Where to find more Michelle
Reccos for vocal/presentation/performance improvement?
Take an improv class!
Look up intentional verbs and their uses!
Find characters or people that you love and really look at what you like about how they speak/present
Read some children’s books to see how you naturally emphasize and delivery animated stories
Fave director/movie/etc.?
Watch the things that make you feel alive that really excite you and try to absorb as much as possible.
Walkout song?
Parting words for Presentation Nation?
Follow your heart and follow the ideas and concepts that you’re most passionate about and the things that excite you. I think that’s the best way to come into who you want to be or who you should be and really find your power when we show up in that positivity and with that excitement, I feel like it’s so catching.
#129. TED Talkin’: The tool Phil Waknell uses to make presentation magic
Phil Waknell from Ideas on Stage is a brilliant presenter.
In his 2020 TED Talk “The 3 Magic Ingredients of Amazing Presentations” he shares his insider process into making presentations more than just information dumps. Phil actually illustrates how to make presentation “magic”!
Many presenters tote their “Top 5 tricks” or “3 Things you MUST do before presenting…” but Phil Waknell takes his concept a step further. He presents a brilliant tool, “The Audience Transformation Roadmap”, wherein the basic 3 ingredients he offers early in the talk are alchemized into a flow-chart that helps to map out which content goes where.
Better still, the example he uses is the very talk that he’s giving in real time on the TED stage.
It’s very meta—a presentation about presentations. But Mikey and Molly are seriously impressed and excited to use this new tool (you will be too!).
This is an episode for: presenters of all kinds. Don’t miss it.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Where to find more of Phil’s work
His book! Business Presentation Revolution
We loved this bio about Phil
Check out Episode #77 with Ideas on Stage Presentation Coach, Andrea Pacini
Listen here!
What do we think Phil’s walkout song is?
- Do you believe in magic? - The Lovin’ Spoonful (Molly’s pick)
- Three is a magic number - Bob Dorough (Mikey’s pick)
#128. From the stage to startups—Lorenzo Thione knows how to tell a story
Lorenzo Thione is a serial entrepreneur. Having founded a handful of companies, he’s now a Co-Founder and Investor at Gaingels, a Venture Capital firm that’s focused on showing that representation and diversity in Venture Capital leads to world class returns.
He estimates he’s seen thousands of pitches in his lifetime and has (more than) a thing or two to share about the structure, the storytelling and the presentation strategy of a pitch deck.
In addition to this skillset, Lorenzo is a Tony-award winning producer and advocate for theater arts. As anyone in the pitching/startup space will tell you, presenting is a performance and Lorenzo has blended and balanced these two worlds beautifully throughout his career.
This is an episode for: founders, theater enthusiasts and anyone that needs help pitching.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet??
Find more Lorenzo and follow his work!
Allegiance - Lorenzo’s first produced work!
Favorite speakers? Presenters? Thinkers?
Sam Harris from the Making Sense podcast
Favorite musical or play?
The Last 5 Years (for the score)
The Inheritance (fave play)
The Lion King (just a general favorite) “Quintessentially everything that’s right about theater”
Hadestown (fave to be moved by)
What’s your walkout song?
Final piece of advice for Presentation Nation?
“I think the single most important piece of any endeavor has always been my network. And so I tell people: tend to your network. Tend to it as if it were a garden. Find out how you can be of help and support what is it that they need. Just like your plants will need something. And then, you know, it'll be able to kind of bloom and fruit and give you the fruits of it.”
#127. Jessica Malnik on remote work, presenting and starting your own business
Jessica Malnik is a marketer on-the-go.
With a background in journalism, Jessica harnessed her writing skills to start her own business copywriting and has established herself as a thought leader in the marketing and content strategy space—all while working remotely.
Jessica also produces her own podcast about leading a team remotely, is a regular on the conference circuit and is starting to speak on panels!
Jessica and Molly met at a conference in Austin but she already knew Mikey from a LinkedIn group which just goes to show how involved in her communities she is. If you’re in need of some fresh content strategy or inspiration to start your own business, tune in ASAP.
This is an episode for: founders, writers, content marketers and anyone wanting to or working remotely.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Where to find more Jessica?
Jessica’s favorite speakers, presenters & TED Talks:
Jesse Cole - Owner of the Savannah Bananas!
Ann Handley - Author of Everybody Writes
Tim Urban - Wait but Why?
Brene Brown’s The Power of Vulnerability
Preferred pods & media resources:
What’s her walkout song?
#126. TED Talkin’: Karen Eber balances storytelling and data to improve leadership skills
Do you know what your brain looks like on storytelling?
Karen Eber does! A leadership consultant on a mission to help others effectively tell their stories, Eber’s 2020 TED Talk, “How your brain responds to stories—and why they’re crucial for leaders”, dives into the neuroscience behind storytelling.
Karen proves that when used well, data can help emphasize and illustrate your points—not overshadow them.
Having studied the “shape” and patterns that make a good story GREAT, this talk was particularly satisfying for Mikey and Molly to dissect—not to mention, Karen’s A+ presentation skills. There’s something in here for everyone.
This is an episode for: the neuroscience + storytelling niche, TED nerds and leaders of all kinds.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Find more Karen!
Downloadables
Karen’s brilliant Lead with Story Guide
We can’t wait to read Karen’s book!
Molly’s take on Karen’s walkout song? (inspired by Legally Blonde)
#125. Mac Conwell on perfecting your personal story and pitch
McKeever “Mac” Conwell II was meant for the (pitching) stage!
While his career began in coding (“before it was cool” he says), Mac has started multiple businesses and helped shape the Maryland Social Impact Fund—the first fund for women and minorities in the country.
Now, as the Founder of RareBreed Ventures, Mac’s perfected the art of storytelling and is passionate about helping others do the same. He and Mikey discuss Mac’s journey to where he is now, his secret formula for what to include (and what to leave out) of a pitch and how anyone can improve their pitching skills.
Spoiler alert—it has to do with storytelling.
This is an episode for: startup nerds, anyone that has to pitch and storytellers of all kinds.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Want more of Mac?
Follow him on LinkedIn
Checkout RareBreed Ventures!
Mac’s walkout song??
What’s cool in Baltimore?
Good food? Black Swan
Good tea? TeaVolve
Crabs n seafood? Captain James Landing OR Mama’s on the Half Shell
Parting advice for people that pitch?
When you're doing presentations like this—whether it's for sales or for investment—it's still a numbers game.
So get comfortable in rejection. It's not the end of the world.
I'm not going to say it's never—but it's almost never personal. These are business interactions. So when somebody gives you a no, it's not a referendum of you as a human. It's a referendum on business, but not on you as a human. And the sooner you can realize that and manage that, the better you'll be throughout a process like that.
#124. Finding authenticity in visual storytelling with Mohamed Danawi
Mohamed Danawi is many things—an artist, Founder and Director of IlloZoo, professor at SCAD—but if you were to ask one of his current students, they’d say he’s just “Mo.”
SCAD alumni and GhostRanch Creative Director Allie Wilson joins the ‘cast with Mikey and Mohamed for an amazing conversation around art, visual storytelling, design trends and how to be authentic in your art.
Mohamed’s experience teaching over the years has given him a unique perspective with how the arts department has evolved, the growth of illustration and the challenges “teaching” creative mediums. Visual communication is powerful—it can both take away from and enhance a story. So we especially loved how he typically requires students to “present” their projects in class.
This is an episode for: art & design students, storytellers of all kinds and SCAD fans.
What's in the Spice Cabinet??
Find more Mo!
Any favorite books Mo recommends for visual thinkers?
His latest book is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson
“I don’t read about visual communication to be able to tell you—I read about other things and I think that’s what you need.”
Mo’s walkout song??
Parting words?
What’s important is maybe just expand, you guys have the opportunity to expand your platform.
Most people do the visual storytelling, all that for commercial reasons. But I feel like you have also a very good chance of doing what you do using art that is more humanistic in nature, because like you were saying, people might be tired of the graphic stuff, or at least start a new department or a new division where you're focusing on humanistic things—society, culture, making things better. Because people now—especially the new generation—care more about making life better than selling.
So maybe shifting focus and/or maybe adding to your focus into more storytelling for humanity, for society, for making life better, basically. That's my words of wisdom, I guess.