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?

We mention Emma Stratton a few times

Steve is a fan of behavioral science + marketing

Steve’s walkout song?

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:

Come join GhostRanch for STORYCAMP this July 30-31, 2025

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:

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:

2024 Episodes to revisit for DELIVERY:

2024 Episodes to revisit for PERSONAL NARRATIVE:

Walkout song of 2024?

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:

Mikey & Molly’s fave Indian eats (what’d we miss?)

Our walkout songs for future London presentations? 

Mikey - Oasis “Wonderwall”

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:

Where to find and follow Andrea? (He’s a killer LinkedIn follow)

(A few of) Andrea’s favorite people/resources for presentation inspiration? 

Any trends in the Presentation Coaching landscape?

Advice for anyone thinking they want to write a book?

Andrea’s walkout song? 

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:

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:

Books & resources that Tom goes to for inspiration? 

Advice for someone who’s looking to get more creative?

Tom’s walkout song? 

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: 

An animation breakthrough: 

PPT Mentors / sharing in general: 

My wife! 

From Molly…

Fave tool for transcription and re-listening to meetings? 

Some fave people on the pod this year:

A newsletter

A framework

An “Aww” moment

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

Want more Presentation Thinking in your inbox? 

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

Malcolm’s podcast, Revisionist History, also revisits this subject

An amazing org cleaning up vacant buildings

For the first time ever…

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? 

Everyone’s walkout song?