A Quick Business Presentation Tip

Posted by Stephen on February 10, 2011 – 12:00 pm

Let’s say that you’re making a PowerPoint presentation on improving businesses.

Let’s further say that you want to illustrate how the members of your business’s management team must work together. You decide to use a picture of gears to show how the team interlocks and turns as one.

You go to iStockPhoto and grab this picture:

Interlocking machine gears that won't turn
(source)

If you then show this presentation to a bunch of scientists and engineers, don’t be surprised if they point out that these gears won’t turn.

iStockPhoto has a lot of other gears that you can choose from. Please don’t pick the photo that looks like it belongs on There, I Fixed It.

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5 Comments

  1. Geof F. Morris
    on February 10, 2011 at 12:05 pm | Permalink

    If you then show this presentation to a bunch of scientists and engineers, don’t be surprised if the point out that these gears won’t turn.

    I’m not sure I’d say anything. I am sure that I’d find it very hard to believe that person, though.

  2. MikeG
    on February 10, 2011 at 1:17 pm | Permalink

    …and even better, search for an appropriately licensed Creative Commons photo of gears on Flickr and save your money.

  3. Stephen
    on February 10, 2011 at 1:42 pm | Permalink

    Having found that particular picture floating around on the internet with no iStockPhoto watermark, I expect the presenter did an image search, found it, and stuck it in his presentation. But yeah, cc-licensed Flickr photos are where it’s at.

  4. Alex White
    on February 10, 2011 at 2:01 pm | Permalink

    Can I just say enjoy?

  5. mstenner
    on February 11, 2011 at 11:15 am | Permalink

    I’ve definitely been to meetings for which that photo is an excellent metaphor.