Sometimes, it’s okay to just start over. Scrapping a significant amount of work can be a painful process, but in certain situations it may be necessary to move a project forward. This is especially true when it comes to presentations, which have a tendency to evolve over time due to their complexity and diversity of input.
Unfortunately for content writers, the narrative and theme of a given presentation are the likeliest aspects to undergo significant revisions. Anyone who is tasked with developing content for a presentation should simply reckon with the impermanent, draft-like nature of whatever it is they end up producing and realize that it’s about creating a better presentation — it’s not personal.
For instance, you and your team may find that you have outgrown your original arc and need to readdress your goals and options moving forward. That’s what Google has done this week, having announced on Monday that they will be reorganizing under a new umbrella company known as Alphabet. As founder and CEO Larry Page explains,
“Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by far afield? Good examples are our health efforts: Life Sciences (that works on the glucose-sensing contact lens), and Calico (focused on longevity). Fundamentally, we believe this allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren’t very related.”
Essentially, Google (and now Alphabet) are doing what every content writer will do at some point – reorganizing and refocusing in order to produce a more streamlined and successful end product. For Alphabet, this means that Google ventures like Android or the resurrected Google Glass won’t take away from more esoteric projects like Calico or, perhaps, like the driverless car.
For content writers, applying this nimble, adaptive philosophy could mean doing a number of things, all of which will hopefully result in a better experience for audiences.
Be Flexible. It’s true that your first instinct is often your best one, but letting it outlive its usefulness is a big mistake. Presentations work best in context, and sometimes that context changes — be malleable enough to evolve with it.
Listen To Feedback. Even if you hit on an idea that works, stay open-minded to refinement of the concept with the aid of feedback from team members.
Don’t Forget Your Original Mission. When you’re deep into revisions and way down the line on a project, it’s easy to forget why you started in the first place. Although some particulars may have changed, keeping the original concept in mind is critical for a well-received piece.
If you’re going to emulate the way a company works, Google is probably a good first choice. But, as Sergey Brin and Larry Page themselves have illustrated, your first choice may not always work out in the long term. Sensing that the interests of their company and their customers would be better served with a strategic shift, Google’s founders did the right thing by being proactive. Presenters and their content writers should take note.
