You will never see PowerPoint the same way again

Maria Bock

I had the pleasure of seeing John present in early December and have since noticed how applicable the principles he teaches are to everyday life, both in my work and in my personal life – for one, he applied some of his principles to common PowerPoint presentation mistakes and let me tell you, you will never look at a PowerPoint presentation the same.

“John, I've got a great interactive presentation, charts and graphs with lots of valuable information, and an excellent explainer video. But, they still don’t seem to engage.

What can I do when technology has eroded attention spans to that of a goldfish?

My professional reputation is on the line. I haven't slept all weekend.

How do I make my presentations stick?"

~ Corporate Trainer

I get it. I've been where you are. It’s not your fault.

From your first day in school you walked into a room — desks facing forward.  You were told to sit quietly while the person in the front talked . . . and talked and talked.  

Your high school teacher told you to turn an outline into bullet points and then add some pictures. This was your first presentation. 

You went to college and every lecture was identical: Sage on the Stage stabbing at the screen with a remote while reading, and reading, and reading . . . bullet points. 

All you have ever seen is the exact same presentation.

How could you do anything different? 

But how can we change?

Death by Bullet Point . . . No More! (Foundations)

  • You will be introduced to your audience . . . the real audience . . . the brain.

  • You will learn about the foundations of knowledge acquisition so that you can master knowledge transfer.

  • You will learn about the crucial requirements of working memory.

  • You will discover how the brain calculates the ROI of every new piece of information and how to inspire the brain to use the required energy to move those ideas into long term memory.

  • You will learn the single most important secret about Cognitive Load and why it makes your introduction/credentials slide virtually useless.

  • You will gain insights on the Novice to Expert Spectrum and how this spectrum directly impacts what should and should not be in a presentation

But we have only scratched the surface.

  • You will learn why your information rich graphs and charts are putting people to sleep.

  • You will learn crucial differences between corporate kindergarten story time, informed discussions, presentations, lectures and training: And the limitations and purpose of each.

  • You will get invaluable pre-presentation strategies that will prime your audience for maximum engagement.

  • You will acquire high performer facilitation skills and techniques that will draw the audience in and keep their focus and energy.

What's Inside!

  • 1

    And Action!

  • 2

    Module 1: The Root of Presentations

  • 3

    Module 2: Meet your Audience . . . the Brain

    • What do you know about Memory? (Self Assessment: Optional)

    • Breaking the Camel's Brain Intro

    • What if the Straw Broke the Camel's Brain? (Quiz)

    • What if the Straw Broke the Camel's Brain? (Results!)

    • What if the Straw Broke the Camel's Brain? (Debrief)

    • John Sweller and Cognitive Load (Foundation Concept)

    • Cognitive Load in your Life?

    • Cognitive Load in your Life?

    • Homework: Mercy on Old Eyes

    • QUICK HIT: Charts and Graphs

    • QUICK HIT: Lunch and Learn

    • Appendix (NTK)
  • 4

    Module 3: Brain Principles

    • Metacognition (Thought Provoking)

    • Metacognition (See what others have said)

    • What does your Concept Map Look Like Now?

    • Show off your Updated Mind Map

    • Cognitive Load and the Modality Principle (Part 1)

    • Cognitive Load and the Modality Principle (Part 2)

    • Cognitive Load and the Modality Principle (Part 3)

    • Cognitive Load: Reading Comprehension

    • Cognitive Load: Reading Comprehension (2 Minute Quiz)

    • Cognitive Load: Reading Comprehension (Results)

    • Modality Principle: Split Attention

    • Cognitive Load: Intrinsic and Germane

    • Quick Hit: Weeding Charts and Graphs

    • Quick Hit: That Pesky Questions Slide

    • QUICK HIT: Your Audience and the Call to Action
  • 5

    Module 4: Meet your Audience . . . the Learner

    • Novice to Expert Quiz (5 Minutes)

    • Novice to Expert (Results)

    • Novice to Expert

    • Homework (Purge Expert Content)

    • Homework (Build Your Own Spectrum)

    • Homework: Post your Novice to Expert Spectrum

    • Quick Hit: Novice to Expert Pruning

    • Novice to Expert Tip Sheet

      FREE PREVIEW
  • 6

    Module 5: Strategies and Tactics

    • Strategy and Tactics Intro

    • Credentials Slide Explained

    • Housekeeping Slide Explained

    • Questions Slide Explained

    • How to Kill Audience Engagement with Questions

      FREE PREVIEW

    • How to Kill Audience Engagement . . . Metacognition Practice

    • Kill Audience Engagement. Post Exercise Debrief

    • Let your Brain Simmer

    • Corporate Kindergarten Story Time

    • Self Organizing Presentations

    • Presentations do NOT = Training

    • Maybe you can Fly but You Should NOT Wing it!

    • The Motor Mouth Cure (Maybe)

    • Metacogntion: Your Last Concept Map
  • 7

    Tell Your Class Mates About Your Success!

    • As I Took the Course I was Most Surprised By . . .

    • During this Course this is the Coolest Thing I did!

"I’d like to think I’m good. My people skills are top notch, so I can tell when my sales presentations seem to overwhelm. I seem to make up the difference as the engagement continues but I still find the decision makers didn’t get some major details. I spend a lot of time in follow up. Something is missing but I can’t tell what."

~ Corporate Sales Rep

Yes, something is missing.

Brainformative loves working with people who are great at their profession. 

However the answer to your question . . . your real audience is missing. The Brain. 

The need for ongoing followup is tied to the brains capacity to manage the number of ideas in working memory.

Sales cycles require decision makers to understand complex ideas however, the solution is not to fill your presentation with information . . . and more information . . . lots more information. 

This fire hose strategy is self defeating. 

And there is more . . .

  • You will acquire high performer facilitation skills and techniques that will draw the audience in and keep their focus and energy.

  • Step by step instructions on how to revise your presentation.

  • Participate in exercises that will guide your discovery of how to craft the most “sticky” presentations.

  • You will receive the feedback of peers and instructors and have the opportunity to contribute your expertise in a dedicated course community.

  • Learn about the goldfish attention span myth and why it is so detrimental to your use of multimedia software.

  • What no one ever told you about the requirements for basic visual processing and how to increase the power of your graphics.

“We expect our organizational leadership to set the standard and come to meetings prepared. We spent a lot of money on our slide deck template and our in house graphics design group just to make our presentations more engaging.

But if I am honest, they come to meetings and pay more attention to their phone and laptops than the presenter or the presentation and I can tell so many of them would rather be anywhere else but in those meetings.”

~ CEO

Your High Performers ARE performing the model!

Your observation is true: they would rather be somewhere, anywhere else.  


Branding and flashy multimedia is only marginally effective at inspiring "engagement." 

The reality is, as professionals, every presentation they have ever seen (and given) follows the ironclad, formula: Introduction/credentials page, followed by a pithy quote, followed by housekeeping, followed by slide after slide of bullet points, that finally - mercifully - closes with the ubiquitous: “Questions?”

If anyone presents outside the box the clergy of corporate branding heaps penance upon their head.

It is professionally safer to do exactly what has always been done. And who cares if it is boring, everyone gets the slide deck in an email to read later, so why pay attention? 

Besides as high performers they are master multitaskers so working while listening maximizes their time, right? 

Better corporate presentations requires a cultural shift. And a cultural shift starts with new ideas. 


Revolutionary Leader

John Immel

  • Your brain is an amazing learning machine, unfortunately most training is designed to kill it.
  • Wasting people's brains is a moral crisis.
  • In the western world we are losing our ability to think.

These three intersecting realities do not bode well for the future.

So I'm setting out to fix the problem. I am your revolutionary leader whose mission is to bring learning back to the people and thinking back to the individual.

For those of you taking my courses . . . welcome to the revolution.

John Immel

What People are saying

A definite mindshift...this course is a must for every pr...

Claire Dean

Anyone who is a presenter should take this course! I learned information that is critical about what makes information stick which is not what I had previou...

Read More

Anyone who is a presenter should take this course! I learned information that is critical about what makes information stick which is not what I had previously understood. Eye-opening and concise information was given, and I especially enjoyed the creativity of the presenter. The exercises were also beneficial even though I did not want to apply a lot of effort in the activities. But I am glad I did! This course reformatted my understanding of how we learn....there was a lot of new brain formation going on :)! Thanks to Brainformative I now have significant tools to be a much more effective (and maybe even an expert) presenter!

Read Less

Essential Info for All Speakers

Margaret Romney

I am a public speaking and communications coach and this course has enlightened me immeasurably about how to craft talks and trainings in order to increase a...

Read More

I am a public speaking and communications coach and this course has enlightened me immeasurably about how to craft talks and trainings in order to increase audience connection, interest, and retention. Some of these principles I instinctively knew (like why to speak to advanced beginners in a room instead of experts). Now as I see and understand more deeply the way the brain works to learn new things, I feel I can shape talks, presentations, and trainings in a way so that knowledge transfer (speaking) has a much greater chance of becoming actual knowledge acquisition (learning and remembering). What an exciting change an organization would experience if meetings weren't dreaded and presentations were engaging as the speakers shape their material to match what their audience's brains need. Excited to see what comes next, and definitely signing up for Brainformative's offerings!

Read Less

This course is for you if:

  • You are a high performer who wants a real edge in career development.

  • You have mastered your stage presence and nerves, and want to take your game to the next level.

  • You want professional habits-of-mind around the crucial foundations of memory.

  • You like thinking deeply to improve your professional skills.

This course is NOT for you if:

  • You have limited speaking skills or fear of public speaking. (Contact us. We have some recommendations)

  • You are comfortable with your presentation skills and your multimedia is good enough.

  • You are looking for a magic bullet and don't have time to refine your craft.

Cancellation Policy:

  • So what happens if this course isn’t for you?

    No problemo!

    As you will learn in the course Brainformative encourages adults to guard their intellectual energies with ruthless determination. If after 7 days the course doesn’t connect with your objectives we will gladly give your money back.