Gary Etheridge
Director, Corporate Accounts at Quidel Corp
Greater San Diego Area
Before power point slide decks – there were story boards. Is anyone Linked In old enough to remember when story boards represented thequintessential method of presenting information to small groups of people? Does anyone Linked In still prefer story boards over power point?
I for one, do. Not because I was raised that way or trained that way or profess a particular hatred for power point but because they represent athrowback to a more simple, personal and creative time. To get a good idea of what I mean, check out the movie “Nothing In Common” starringTom Hanks and Jackie Gleason. Hanks plays a playboy advertising executive trying to land a big airline account. As his creative team comes together, they toss around the standard offerings of how to ”pitch” the airline executives. It’s a big account, an important account but their preliminary ideas always lead them back to the same stale formats of presentation – until someone mentions the possibility of presenting their story line “live”…the “pitch” is fantastic and well, the results, predictable (its Hollywood).
But wouldn’t it be nice to go back to the story boards? To collaborate with the creative thinkers, the artisans and storytellers? To add thatpersonal touch to your concept or idea that says this relationship, this partnership belongs to me? To our team?
As I write, my team is preparing a very important story board and I can’t wait to present it and to see the reaction from our audience – my guess is that they’ll love it and will try it themselves one day soon.
