Shows / Presentation Thinking
Presentation Thinking
Mikey and Molly have been beckoned by the gods to become legendary storytellers — a call impossible to refuse. Join our heroes as they dive deep down the rabbit hole, documenting their findings as they scour all industries and disciplines in search of outside insights, inside outlooks, and, well, anything and everything there is to know about the making (and delivery) of better presentations. This is Presentation Thinking™ Brought to you by www.GhostRanch.com — b2b marketers' partners in…
Episodes
Presentation Thinking#163. What Aaron Sorkin’s screenwriting Masterclass teaches us about storytelling everywhere
The one where Mikey and Molly embody their role as “students of storytelling” by taking Aaron Sorkin’s Masterclass on screenwriting. Aaron’s writing is…
Presentation Thinking#162. Soft Skills Pay Bills: You’re Invited to Story Camp this summer!
COMING THIS SUMMER to Park City, Utah—GhostRanch’s Story Camp retreat is now open to the public!! What is it? Story Camp is a small but mighty micro retreat…
Presentation Thinking#161. Elliott Rayner and the Science of Storytelling
Elliott Rayner is a story nerd, just like us. Elliott’s “Hero’s Journey” begins in sports marketing, pivots into product marketing and lands himself as the…
Presentation Thinking#160. TED Talkin’: Drag queen Pattie Gonia is bringing joy to climate action (and presentations)
Drag queen Pattie Gonia hits the TED stage to let us know that joy is a useful and tangible way to take action against climate change. Mikey and Molly analyze…
Presentation Thinking#159. Delta CES Keynote: Taking presentations to new heights
This episode was recorded before the Delta crash in Toronto on February 17th, 2025. We are extremely grateful that everyone is okay. Delta made a surprising…
Presentation Thinking#158. How to beat Imposter Syndrome (and more!) from PMM expert and career coach Collette Ramage
Collette Ramage is a PMM expert and career coach with some seasoned presentation chops. Molly met Collette as her teacher for a Product Marketing Alliance…
Presentation Thinking#157. Making messaging PUNCHY with Emma Stratton
Messaging expert Emma Stratton joins the ‘cast to discuss her book,Make it Punchy,her POV on strategic messaging and how you can stop dreading writing it. As…
Presentation Thinking#156. Understand the value of Product Marketing with Hattie the PMM
Hattie the PMM took tech layoffs seriously and then made herself irreplaceable. Now, she’s on a mission to support other product marketers to do the same…
Presentation Thinking#155. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang adds innovation to presentation
Nvidia has long since been an inspirer of innovation with software and hardware that serves as a starting point for tech and gaming communities around the…
Presentation Thinking#154. “Act like a shepherd”: The importance of messaging buy-in with Steve Earl
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…
Presentation Thinking#153. TED Talkin’: Maintain motivation and get your goals done with Ayelet Fishbach
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…
Presentation Thinking#152. 2024 Wrapped: A Year-in-Review of Stories Beyond the Slides
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#151. Presentations actually are all around: Post PMA-Summit presentation style breakdown
Mikey and Molly return from visiting London for the Product Marketing Alliance (PMA) Summit and discuss the MYRIAD of amazing presentation formats they…
Presentation Thinking#150. How to be a better presenter—with Presentation Coach, Andrea Pacini
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…
Presentation Thinking#149. Tom Fishburne on marketing & storytelling through cartoons
Tom Fishburne has never stopped drawing. From doodling as a kid to creating comics throughout Harvard Business School, Tom knows the power of visual…
Presentation Thinking#148. PrezTHANKING: What we’re thankful for in the presentation community
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…
Presentation Thinking#147. Connecting our Left & Right Brain for holistic presenting
We’ve all heard the idea that being a “left brain” person means you’re logical and a “right brain” person means you’re creative—but did you know that’s a bit…
Presentation Thinking#146. TED Talkin’: Malcolm Gladwell shares what he got wrong with The Tipping Point
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…
Presentation Thinking#145. What GhostRanch learned from Presentation Summit
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…
Presentation Thinking#144. Onsite event experience in Nashville with Sr. Designer Collin Herko
Senior Presentation Designer Collin Herko AKA “Herk” joins the ‘cast to discuss his recent onsite event experience in Nashville for one of our favorite…
Presentation Thinking#143. TED Talkin’: DK gives the public speaking lesson you never had
DK is a creative director and presentation coach and is on the TED stage to give us the lesson in public speaking that none of us ever received. We love a…
Presentation Thinking#142. TED turns 40. How founder Richard Saul Wurman’s “horizontal” learning perspective helped it become what it is today.
You ever wonder about the origin story of TED talks? As TED turned 40 this year, TED founder Richard Saul Wurman and current head of TED Chris Anderson sat…
Presentation Thinking#141. Best of Product Marketing (so far) on Presentation Thinking
Whenever we talk to a product marketer, we know they’re going to relate to the “Presentation Thinking” project. Product Marketers tend to be “Big Picture”…
Presentation Thinking#140. How to work for (and trust) yourself with Nick Lafferty
Nick Lafferty says early on in our conversation he was a “terrible student” in school but he’s taught and challenged himself with so many skills, it’s hard to…
Presentation Thinking#139. Reflecting on 22 years of Presentation Summit with Rick Altman, Dr. Carmen Simon and Mike Parkinson
Rick Altman has been hosting the Presentation Summit for 22 years and this October will be his last— “at least in THIS format!”, he emphasizes. It’s a…
Presentation Thinking#138. Presentation Thinking ties the knot: How to officiate a wedding
“We do” believe that presentations are all around us—and Molly’s recent experience being an officiant for her brother’s wedding emphasized this. From creating…
Presentation Thinking#137. TED Talkin’: Why simple messaging is stronger, with Niro Sivanathan
Niro Sivanathan is an organizational psychologist that wants to help your messaging convert clearer, faster and stronger. With his 2019 TED Talk, The…
Presentation Thinking#136. Enhancing events through video production—in conversation with Phil Platt of First Sight Media
Video production and livestreaming are essential parts of any modern event these days—be it a marketing conference, promotional event or university graduation…
Presentation Thinking#135. Lightning Talk Stories from GhostRanch’s StoryCamp 2024
GhostRanch hosted its third annual StoryCamp this past July, reaching new heights in Park City, Utah. StoryCamp is our annual in-person gathering where we hear…
Presentation Thinking#134. Short-form storytelling with filmmaker Asha Alaji-Sharif
Asha Alaji-Sharif is a designer by day and filmmaker by night—or dawn, if she’s getting up early to get a sunrise drone shot. With several film projects…
Presentation Thinking#133. Andrea Tomingas and the art of “information organization”
Andrea Tomingas has a talent for telling one story, many different ways. From being a presentation designer at Hulu to co-founding a business, Andrea offers a…
Presentation Thinking#132. Rad ads, storytelling & the evolution of visual communication: In conversation with Art Novak
Art Novak is a copywriter, ad guy, author, teacher and an overall presentation design pioneer. We feel lucky to know Art via his teaching days at Savannah…
Presentation Thinking#131. TED Talkin’: Tom Fishburne and the power of humor at work
Tom Fishburne didn’t go to Harvard Business School to become a comic. But his ability to transform his life experiences into relatable illustrated comics was…
Presentation Thinking#130. Leveraging your voice as presentation power with vocal coach, Michelle Siracusa
Michelle Siracusa puts new meaning to the phrase “your voice is your power”. Michelle is a performer and vocal coach blending psychology with performance…
Presentation Thinking#129. TED Talkin’: The tool Phil Waknell uses to make presentation magic
Phil Waknell from Ideas on Stage is a brilliant presenter. In his 2020 TED Talk “The 3 Magic Ingredients of Amazing Presentations” he shares his insider…
Presentation Thinking#128. From the stage to startups—Lorenzo Thione knows how to tell a story
Lorenzo Thione is a serial entrepreneur. Having founded a handful of companies, he’s now a Co-Founder and Investor at Gaingels, a Venture Capital firm that’s…
Presentation Thinking#127. Jessica Malnik on remote work, presenting and starting your own business
Jessica Malnik is a marketer on-the-go. With a background in journalism, Jessica harnessed her writing skills to start her own business copywriting and has…
Presentation Thinking#126. TED Talkin’: Karen Eber balances storytelling and data to improve leadership skills
Do you know what your brain looks like on storytelling? Karen Eber does! A leadership consultant on a mission to help others effectively tell their stories…
Presentation Thinking#125. Mac Conwell on perfecting your personal story and pitch
McKeever “Mac” Conwell II was meant for the (pitching) stage! While his career began in coding (“before it was cool” he says), Mac has started multiple…
Presentation Thinking#124. Finding authenticity in visual storytelling with Mohamed Danawi
Mohamed Danawi is many things—an artist, Founder and Director of IlloZoo, professor at SCAD—but if you were to ask one of his current students, they’d say he’s…
Presentation Thinking#123. TED Talkin’: Porter Gale wants you to always be networking
Porter Gale has a couple of TED Talks and they’re both about looking at everyday human connection as a form of networking. As Head of Marketing for Virgin…
Presentation Thinking#122. Mike Raab on startups, storytelling and manufacturing serendipity
Mike Raab is good at starting things. Executive Director of Northwestern University’s “The Garage”, an entrepreneurial community and startup hub, Mike is known…
Presentation Thinking#121. Presentation Preferred RE-RELEASE: PIXAR’s “22 Rules of Storytelling” and How To Use Them
What with Inside Out 2 around the corner (June 14th!), we wanted to bring back a “Presentation Preferred” crowd favorite and RE RELEASE this gem of an episode…
Presentation Thinking#120. Pitch (deck) perfect: a conversation with VC expert Tom Fowler
Tom Fowler—CEO, Venture Capitalist expert and startup mentor—is the person you want in your corner. Tom spoke to us about the VC & startup world, creating…
Presentation Thinking#119. What’s new in the event industry? Notes from ETL Vegas 2024
What happens in Vegas…gets directly recorded onto our podcast! Mikey’s back from Las Vegas to spill the beans on all things Event Tech Live, an annual event…
Presentation Thinking#118. In conversation with Julie Terberg—presentation design expert and makeover maven
Julie Terberg, Presentation Design expert and the woman who co-wrote THE book on PowerPoint templates (among others), joins the pod! With a background in…
Presentation Thinking#117. Paul Graham’s “Do things that don’t scale”—a presentation POV
Paul Graham’s blog post, “Do things that don’t scale”, has largely been heralded as the best advice given for startups—maybe ever? But what can we takeaway…
Presentation Thinking#116. Does Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule still stand? (Micro episode!)
Guy Kawasaki is an amazing marketer, creator and thinker. (If you don’t follow him already, do it here!) His 2005 blog post, The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint…
Presentation Thinking#115. TED Talkin’: Alicia Syrett knows why investors say ‘no’
If you couldn’t already tell from some of our Shark Tank episodes, we love the startup and Venture Capital world. There’s truly no passion that matches that of…
Presentation Thinking#114. Tamara Grominsky of PMM Camp on personal positioning
What we’ll hear about: How Tamara’s MA and start in publishing set her up to be a standout storyteller and award-winning Product Marketing leader. Tamara’s…
Presentation Thinking#113. TJ Schaid on becoming a trauma surgeon and presenter
We know that presentations are used across all kinds of industries but did you know they’re important in the medical world as well?? General surgery resident…
Presentation Thinking#112. Get Comfortable with Grief: Marisa Renee Lee on speaking publicly about the personal
Marisa Renee Lee is a speaker, an entrepreneur, an author and “grief advocate.” Having lost her mom to breast cancer and struggled with infertility, Lee has…
Presentation Thinking#111. Marcus Andrews on crafting a new category through Narrative Design
Marcus Andrews knows how to craft a good narrative. In fact, we’d argue he heavily contributed to developing the concept of Narrative Design when working in…
Presentation Thinking#110. Yeehaw! Mikey’s Road to the TED Talk continues in Austin
Presentation Nation, by our 110th episode, you may well be aware that we worship at the stage of presentations. And as Mikey Mioduski, co-host of the pod and…
Presentation Thinking#109. Women Talk Design’s CEO Danielle Barnes wants you to present yourself
If you’re a presenter, you might have noticed that the conference speaker circuit is a male-dominated space. With Women Talk Design, founders Danielle Barnes…
Presentation Thinking#108. Harvey Lee on leveraging personal experiences for professional growth
Personal experiences can power professional growth. No one may know this better than Harvey Lee, a product marketer, speaker, former Rock n Roll roadie and now…
Presentation Thinking#107. How New Belgium Brewery raised the craft brew bar and created new categories
Many Coloradans are familiar with the New Belgium Brewery founding story—where Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan return from a life-changing bike trip across Belgium…
Presentation Thinking#106. Lessons in web design (and more) with Hype Legal Co-founder Micah Kohne
Micah Kohne has some of the most well-rounded marketing skills around. A web designer extraordinaire with a graphic design background, Micah has also dabbled…
Presentation Thinking#105. TED Talkin': Yara Shahidi wants you to prioritize curiosity
Actor, producer and Harvard grad Yara Shahidi presents a familiar story in a new way with her 2023 TED Talk, “Let Curiosity Lead”. We’ve all heard about the…
Presentation Thinking#104. Presentation Book Club: April Dunford’s “Sales Pitch” wants you to put your “Differentiated Value” forward
Mikey and I read April Dunford’s latest book, Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win, and to no surprise to anyone familiar with her work—it…