Presentation Thinking

This summer, a particularly special gathering for the remotely-dispersed GhostRanch team called “StoryCamp” was created to level up our collective presentation storytelling.

There was minimal structure but maximum learning with workshops, deep dives and, obviously, karaoke.

It provided both much needed in-person time (hugs!) AND a reminder for GhostRanch’s values & mission.

It’s something we’re hoping to duplicate for clients so first, we’re putting it out on the pod.

This episode brings on three “Rancheros” to rave about our shenanigans and share how this type of retreat could work for you.

When your presentation client’s content is detail-heavy and your design is full of different animations, fonts, etc.—it can be a lot to keep track of.

After many years in the biz getting decks “client-ready”, there’s one Quality Assurance (QA) framework that Mikey and team have found provides consistent and dependable results…and that’s MTN FACES.

What’s this, you ask? An acronym, of course!

MTN FACES is for making your list, checking it twice and getting a flawless review from the client.

A design-forward episode.

Richard Goring has long-since been a #PrezThinking icon of ours.

Director (and co-founder) of BrightCarbon, a trailblazing company in the Presentation design space, he’s passionate about animations, eLearning tools, webinars & consuming other podcasts and presentation paraphernalia (just like us!).

But we’ll let the prolific presenter speak for himself. A fun conversation with tips for presenting, creating online tools & the future of presentation design.

Proof that meeting your heroes is, indeed, inspiring.

#2 of Christopher Booker’s The 7 Basic Plots is the tried and true Story Shape: "Rags To Riches."

From Cinderella to The Sandlot, we love cheering for the underdog moving up in the world.

But WHY and HOW is this Story Shape so effective? How can we channel Remy the Ratatouille rat in your own life??

Mikey and Molly discuss all this Bippity Boppity Boo.

Can all stories be categorized into 7 different plots?

That’s what English journalist & writer Christopher Booker spent 34 years researching for his mega-book, The 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. In honor of GhostRanch’s 7th birthday (August 2nd!), we’re excited to dive into the first plot of this 7-part series, “Overcoming the Monster.”

In a Disney context, an “Overcoming the Monster” story is the threat of perpetual winter taking over in Frozen. In our PrezThinking world, this might be “Death By PowerPoint” or bullet points.

How can these story arcs work for us? And what can we learn from applying them to work?

Let’s find out.

Phil Charron, Executive Vice President of Think Company, is a presentation pioneer.

From helping put on PowerPoint presentations when physical slides still had to be switched manually to joining the UX design world as it was being invented, Phil truly has a holistic view of the evolution of presentations and design.

What was it like to see PowerPoint change the landscape of presentations? What’s his perspective, having been both the line-level producer AND the client? And how, exactly, did he get electrocuted helping with a presentation??

A true storyteller, Phil is chock-full of hilarious anecdotes.

Tune in for an insightful conversation on the past, present and future of the world of Presentation Thinking.

Full show notes HERE.

Andy Raskin is a strategic storytelling evangelist.

For Mikey and Molly, his work was a gateway into the thriving ecosystem that is Presentation Thinking. From his in-person appearances to an online article gone viral, he emphasizes that your story IS your strategy—and it’s important to leverage it.

Learn along with us how to use your story and invite people to join in your journey.

For our 25th “Quarter Century” episode, we brought in the reason our Presentation Thinking pod has stayed consistent—our brilliant editor, Will Kommor.

Will is an audio and editing guru, and has a lot to share about what he’s learned from Presentation Thinking, the podcasting process, and being a media editor in general. We also think that improv and podcasting might be more alike than you think…tune in for serious laughs!

Wadsworth Williams and the Nspire team are leading the charge in developing more efficient and comfortable nasal cannulas (tubes that help deliver oxygen) for babies.

A low-cost commodity with potential for huge impact, Wadsworth has so much to say about innovation in the pediatric space, how to focus a pitch per audience while also sticking to their core mission—putting the patient first.

Receiving first prize in the Life Science & Medical Innovation Category at the VentureCat competition, designer Grace Morris also joins us to discuss how this blend of science and emotion translated into a winning deck.

Zuri Fertility founders Blair Matthews and Giuliana Zaccardelli are on a mission to help couples everywhere who are struggling with infertility.

Voted the “Audience Favorite” of the VentureCat 2022 Startup competition, they join the 'cast to chat about how they met, mistakes they’ve made & the real-life experiences that have fueled their real-life solution—an app that helps people connect with clinics and navigate the tricky journey that is infertility.

GhostRanch designer Emily Pantoja joins as well to discuss how this project translated into a deck.

It’s a personal journey, going through infertility. In making it public, Blair and Giuliana are going to help couples everywhere.

An installment of our “Founder Series” guaranteed to inspire.