Why do we bother with an agenda slide? I’ve sat through hundreds of presentations and there’s almost always an agenda slide. Nobody cares. Most meeting participants view the agenda slide as a minor irritant to endure before the main event – sort of like having to view an anti-piracy warning before a great movie.
The best word to describe the whole agenda slide thing is perfunctory, defined as “performed merely as a routine duty, lacking interest, care or enthusiasm”.
How would meetings be better if, instead of the traditional agenda slide, the first slide looked more like this?…..
Or this?
In many ways, the powerpoint presentation has been passed by the video world. There was a time when it was a novelty. Now, fresh thinking is required. Spice it up. Give them something to remember you by.
Next time you use your company template to create a customer presentation and see the obligatory agenda slide at the beginning, stop and ask yourself if you can deliver a great agenda slide with passion. If so, then by all means, go for it.
But if you feel like you’re being perfunctory, consider a different approach.
Good luck!
P.S. For more on powerpoint and presentation skills, go here and here. Or use the search box in the upper-right corner.
I am a business leader in the tech industry and write about leadership, innovation, and personal effectiveness. 