Lee Featherby

Lee Featherby grew up on the beaches of Western Australia where, at the age of 12, his father tricked him into learning ballroom dancing.  Obviously his father saw something because when he gave it up 4 years later he had acquired 9 State titles across a range of disciplines as we well as runner up in the national titles 5 times.

Graduating from Curtin University in 1980, Lee was awarded the Myer Award for Marketing, an elite award given to the student who produced the best results in the marketing curriculum throughout their degree.

Recognising that the best marketing opportunities existed on the other side of the country, he moved to Melbourne where he worked for Cadbury Schweppes. After cutting his teeth there, Lee travelled the world before returning to Perth and joining Peters (WA) Ltd as Product Manager of the Dairy division, Brownes Dairy. Here, amongst other things, he revolutionised the dairy industry world-wide by putting flavoured milk in plastic bottles. This approach saw market share jump from 25% to 45% in 3 months and doubling profitability from this product group.

At 26, Lee was appointed the National Marketing Manager of Red Rooster Foods before joining his family company as initially Marketing Manager, then moving to Managing Director.  Whilst there, he turned the company around from a loss making situation to one where it was eventually sold to the Bob Jane Group in 1999... the only competitor they have every bought.

He moved to Sydney that same year and began lecturing at UTS and the University of Canberra in marketing and management. Whilst lecturing he noticed that students were not being effectively taught using, or taught how to use, PowerPoint effectively.

This led Lee to research what makes an effective presentation and found (apart from little academic research in the area) that there is the mistaken belief that knowing how to use the software and the development of a 'template' leads to effective presentations. He often uses the analogy that "Businesses need to distinguish between the software and the skills required to create an effective presentation. Just because you know Word you wouldn't expect it to make you an effective writer... just because someone knows PowerPoint doesn't mean you understand what makes an effective presentation".

Lee developed an interest in presentations when he worked for Cadbury Schweppes where was involved in presentation that used 9 slide projectors driven by a reel to reel tape player. He has been an active user of PowerPoint in business presentations since its inception in 1988. Lee believes that presentations are the new frontier of competitive advantage for organisations and those that don't understand its changing role in the business landscape risk being left behind.

PowerfulPoints was founded by Lee in 2004 to meet this challenge and he now works with some of Australia's leading companies in the development and delivery of effective presentations. His client list includes Commonwealth Bank, Wesfarmers, Downer EDI, McDonalds, Lion Nathan, NSW Health and Pfizer just to name a few, along with a range of SME's.  His background of business and education, plus being a public speaker himself gives him a unique understanding of the role of PowerPoint in business.

Lee is committed to improving the standard of presentations delivered by Australian industry at all levels. Since starting his company, Lee has become a passionate advocate for the elimination of "Death by PowerPoint".

SPEAKING TOPICS

Present or Perish: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Presentations
In the past 20 years the world has turned multimedia and as Gen Y (a generation that has grown up with the internet) move into decision making positions, effective presentations are going to become essential.  In this keynote presentation, we examine the growth of multimedia and special effects in all areas except company presentations, which have stayed doggedly low key.  Smart companies are realising that what used to work 10 years ago just doesn't cut it anymore and understand they can gain a significant advantage over their competition by reviewing the role presentations have in gaining new business, motivating staff and creating change.  This is a presentation that is essential for any organisation engaged in communicating to groups of people.

Firing Up your PowerPoint: 10 Immutable Laws for Effective Business Presentations
Many people want to create good presentations, they simply don't know how.  In this presentation we look at the 10 key areas that, if followed, will dramatically improve the effectiveness of any presentation.  The motivating style of this presentation opens up new possibilities for audience members and leaves them enthused and optimistic about ways to improve their presentations.

Winning Presentations: What your Customers Won't Tell You
What makes a presentation win in a competitive situation and one fail?  In the session we look at where most companies go wrong when they put together their sales presentations, whether it be a sales pitch or a simple credentials presentation.  During this presentation we review how to gain clarity about the message you hope to deliver and how to present that so it stands out from the competition and speaks to their audience.  Attendees who attend this presentation find powerful new ways deliver their sales message.

The "3S" Approach to Great Presentations
There are only three things to worry about when preparing presentations: Structure, Story and Slides.  In this presentation we look at how to develop each of these aspects to craft a highly effective presentation for any audience.  Starting off with the classic 'Death by PowerPoint' style, it quickly moves to a highly interactive presentation that generates active involvement from the audience.

Do it! Presenting to Create Action
Most presentations don't result in their intended outcome or create the action that was hoped for prior to commencing.  Creating a presentation that requires action; either in closing a deal or changing behaviour often isn't structured correctly to create an outcome that leads to action.  In this presentation we show how to create a story that creates a presentation that generates buy-in and action by participants.

The Facts of Life: Presenting Complex Information
Many presentations involve the delivery of complex information either as a table, a chart or a sophisticated info-gram.  It is these that can make or break a presentation's effectiveness and it is these that most inexperienced presenters trip up.  In this presentation we lead the audience through the power of crystallising and isolating the key information then rebuilding it to create and amazing level of clarity to their audience.

Presentations that Persuade

Presentations are a strategic battleground.  How you use that battleground can have a significant impact on the revenue companies generate or the change they need to create internally.  As multimedia savvy Gen X and Gen Y's move into decision-making roles, successful organisations are changing how they present and position themselves. How can you ensure that your message is heard, understood, remembered and actioned?

What You Will Learn:

• Why most presentations fail to connect with the audience
• How to select the right presentation tool (slides, butchers paper, white boards, props)
• How to structure presentations that drive action
• How to get greater impact from fewer slides
• Ways to create better slides in less time
• Create a presentation that truly embraces your brand and message
• How to create a presentation that stands out!

This presentation will take participants through the altered landscape of the presentation environment, how intelligent organisations have altered their approach to creating presentations by clever attention to the message and its delivery. This is not only about PowerPoint: it?s about creating presentations that engage the theatre of the mind so the audience will remember your message well after the presentation and, most importantly, buy into your idea.