Powerpoint Parties & Pitch Karaoke

Welcome to this week’s edition of IAW (Improv @ Work)

Today we’re talking about hosting a PowerPoint Party (aka Pitch Karaoke) — The game where you confidently pitch a slide deck you have never seen before.

Goals

• Improve public speaking skills

• Bring a group of people closer together

What

The game has one rule:

• The audience and the presenter are BOTH seeing the slides for the very first time as the pitch commences.

Tips for Success

• Your first thought is the right thought

  • There is no right or wrong. If your slide has a picture of a clown, and you tell the audience you’re building an ERP for Clowns — that was the correct choice. Never go back on your word.

• Rationalize (think on your feet)

  • Improv is all about rationalization. If your slide says ‘shoes are the worst’ you have to tell the audience why you believe shoes are the worst (maybe your shoes have been stealing scissors and cutting up the t-shirts in your closet? Could be anything. You’re the expert)

• Be vulnerable

  • There’s no way to prepare for this. Just take the slides one by one and go with the flow. Everyone is on the edge of their seat seeing how you handle it. The best part? They are rooting for you!

Where do I get the slides?

This is the fun part! Invite all the participants to create their own slide deck leading up to the event. You can set rules like: 8-slide max, not too wordy, no NSFW images.

Trust me, Todd from accounting is going to LOVE having the chance to make you present his silly made up slides full of Pokemon card screenshots.

NOW ANNOUNCING: my new referral program below. If you refer 10 people to this newsletter, I’ll personally make you the nicest hoodie in the world with your name on it.

Enjoy your Friday,

Tyler