the art of presentation

Lt. General James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, briefs his new team.

He might be a super-sleuth but spymaster Lt. General James Clapper still couldn’t stop a copy of his first PowerPoint presentation reaching the Washington Post.

The new Director of National Intelligence, the fourth person to have the job in five years, used the presentation to brief his new staff.

The presentation provides a clear insight into the mind of the new spymaster. He’s a hierarchy chopping administrator; a manager with an organizational re-structuring mission.

Regrettably, there’s nothing in the presentation that smacks of spying or national secrets. No salacious details. No inside information.

In essence, the presentation is pretty much like any other piece of corporate PowerPoint from any business in the Washington area. There’s a corporate template. Bullet lists are plentiful. There’s a ton of text on many of the slides in the deck and there’s an organization chart!

What is different however, is the use of visual imagery in the presentation. The new Director doesn’t use flashy media or attractive colour schemes in his PowerPoint, but he does use cartoons and he’s clearly not afraid to poke fun at himself.

Jokes aside, and there are a few in the presentation, there’s a hint of steel.

Noting that he’s the fourth Director in five years his reference to the “we-be” factor in the organization was telling. Personnel who reckon on being here when the Director arrives and being in post when he leaves are in for a surprise!

Over to you, Sir.