Mike Parkinson is giving a FREE webinar through the Training Magazine Network. Watch average, been-there-done-that designs transform into visually stunning slides real time! This session takes creative professionals through a step-by-step process, revamping poorly designed slides into clear, compelling visuals that captivate audiences and elevate messaging.

Learn practical tips and techniques to turn bland slides into grand designs.

• Get practical slide transformation techniques
• Learn how to jump start creativity and find inspiration quickly
• See how simple design elements create interest and value

Register for the one-hour webinar on September 18. Webinar begins 8 am Pacific/11 am Eastern time. Other time zones shown on this web page.

The Training Magazine Network is a professional organization for trainers that delivers hundreds of webinars each year from experts like Mike. Become a member and receive access to an archive of webinars along with guides and templates to uplift your training skills.

The post Bland to Grand PPT Slide Design Makeover first appeared on Billion Dollar Graphics.

His seventh year as a CreativePro speaker, Mike Parkinson will show you five pro techniques to fix cluttered slides fast. He’ll deliver this latest session Transforming Wordy Slides into Clear Visual Stories on July 3rd from 1:30–2:30 pm (Nashville UTC-5).

During his workshop, you’ll learn how to turn text-heavy slides into eye-catching visuals that audiences will want to read. Your new slides will shine on the screen and double as effective handouts.

Jennifer Parkinson, co-owner of Billion Dollar Graphics, is attending and speaking for the first time at CreativePro Week.

Jennifer is a graphic designer, writer, and trainer with 30 years of experience designing professional documents, templates, and layouts using both Adobe and Microsoft software. For CreativePro, she’ll show designers how to use their skills to create professional layouts in Microsoft Word.

On July 3rd, she’ll deliver Microsoft Word for Designers: Text Fundamentals at 11:15 am and Microsoft Word for Designers: Layout Fundamentals at 2.45 pm (Nashville UTC-5).

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Miles Masterclass, Inc., provides AI in Accounting courses for CPE credit. They are registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. From spreadsheets to AI accounting to data visualization, their online courses cover the gamut of accounting with AI and in the digital world.

Billion Dollar Graphic’s Mike Parkinson flew to New York City to record and film two sessions in their Communications & Marketing tract. He shares with their subscribers proven strategies to turn complex accounting data into actionable, clear insights. Mike gives a structured approach to presentation design, emphasizing that effective communication starts with intent rather than slides. Using frameworks like GAME (Goal, Audience, Message, Explain) and CAP (Chunk, Assemble, Picture), his course demonstrates how to simplify complex information, reduce cognitive load, and align presentations with how audiences actually think and decide.

Watch the trailers for both courses:

You can learn more about Mike’s If Your Slides Are Confusing, So Are You course on Miles Masterclass’s website.

Read the summary and see the courses under Mike’s The Art and Science of Financial Presentations on their website.

Lastly, Mike had a great time with the Miles Masterclass production team. They were professional and did a fantastic job editing Mike’s courses as you can see by this fun video showing their outtakes. It takes a lot of tries to make a perfect presentation and online course.

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Jeremy Wood hosts this enlightening podcast series. As someone who participates in many IT communities, Wood realized these industry experts had many remarkable stories to share for people who wanted to grow their skills. 

Listen to The Geek Within and be inspired by the stories of real industry pros.

The post The Geek Within: Mike Parkinson first appeared on Billion Dollar Graphics.

Stop by the 24 Hour Company booth where you can meet Mike and geek out about proposals and graphics. They’ll have free goodies and you can enter their giveaway. Plus, don’t miss their two must-see sessions. 

SESSION #1:
Ask the APMP Fellows Roundtable [NEW!]
Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 3:45–5:45 pm
Colorado Ballroom (main conference ballroom) 

SESSION #2: 
Advanced Solution Architecture [NEW!]
Friday 15, 2026 at 2:45–3:00 pm
Red Rock 4/5 (IMPORTANT: Arrive early! Mike Parkinson’s sessions fill quickly.) 

Advanced Solution Architecture shows proposal and capture professionals how to design clear, compelling, and defensible solutions quickly. Rather than adding another checklist or template, this session shares an innovative, top-down framework that aligns problem framing, solution design, and storytelling into a single, repeatable flow. You’ll learn how to solve the most complex customer challenges quickly, package your solution so evaluators understand it at a glance, and immediately see why it is stronger than the alternatives. Get early buy-in by aligning technical and non-technical voices and telling a winning story. Advanced practitioners will learn new techniques and newer attendees will leave with a framework they can use immediately.

The post Learn from a Stellar Lineup at APMP BPC 2026 first appeared on Billion Dollar Graphics.

His idea for the book emerged during COVID lockdown. The training industry shifted to accommodate more virtual workshops. There was a “global upheaval that rewrote how we gather, teach, sell and persuade.” Altman views his book as a survival guide for trainers who are wrestling with virtual platforms. This book provides a blueprint for thriving when your audience consists of a digital grid.

We asked Altman to talk about writing his latest book. Plus, what he hoped readers will takeaway:

“It is both invigorating and just a bit soul-crushing to write deeply on a topic that is so challenging for so many, and I guess that is why writers write, isn’t it? Presenting in person is hard enough — add the vagaries of virtual to that, and no wonder that so many find it mystifying and frustrating.

I try to keep these challenges and the reader’s struggles top of mind through the journey. I also draw on many hundreds of hours spent in my own studio across the last five years, and take advantage of the fact that nobody is ever more than arm’s reach of their mobile phones. You will find dozens of QR codes that lead directly to relevant videos supporting the ideas across all 25 chapters.

Finally, it is the first book I’ve written in the AI era and that was just a bit disruptive to practically everything I did. I’m not shy about sharing those experiences.”

“Technology is the channel; humanity is the current.”
Rick Altman, author of CRUSH Your Next Virtual Presentation

Lastly, Altman’s book gives practical advice on slide design, lighting, framing and vocal variety. He anchors this advice to the principle that human presence makes pixels matter.

Find more information on Altman’s book on his website.

The post CRUSH Your Next Virtual Presentation first appeared on Billion Dollar Graphics.

Their journeys show how it’s not always a straight path into the presentation industry. Side adventures can give us skills to help us become even better presentation designers. 

• Hear how Jody’s very first presentation on a kindergarten playground set the tone for a lifetime of storytelling.
• Follow Mike’s winding path from fine art to bioengineering to comic books before he ever opened PowerPoint.
• Learn why Jody sometimes shows 300+ slides in a 45-minute presentation, and how audiences never notice.
• Hear Mike describe AI as a Friction Fixer or Accelerator. It is part of the process, not the product.
• Listen as both designers share how AI is already part of their daily process, what it helps them do, and why the human element still matters.
• Catch their honest fears and hopes for AI—including how far they think avatars might go.

How did you start working with presentations? Was it your job right out of school? Or did you start your career in a completely different industry? 

Watch or listen to the podcast and join the discussion. Find inspiration in others’ journeys and inspire your fellow creatives with your own.

Join Mike, Jody, and other presentation strategists and experts at CreativePro’s online conference.

The 6th annual Presentation Design Conference is the essential how-to event for anyone who creates, designs, or delivers presentations.

Whether you build decks for clients, teams, classrooms, or conferences, this event will help you design slides that inform, inspire, and get results.

Across four days of practical, expert-led sessions, you’ll learn how to turn content and visuals into powerful stories that connect with audiences. From mastering PowerPoint’s most essential tools to refining your design workflow, you’ll gain the skills to simplify complex information and make every presentation look its best.

Register at the CreativePro conference website today!

The post From Designers to Presentation Strategists first appeared on Billion Dollar Graphics.

Mike Parkinson shows you how to design simple PowerPoint slides in CreativePro’s replay of his top-rated session from their presentation conference. Connect to your audience with professional, clean visuals. Learn to apply Mike’s practical design ideas. Build slides that look great and communicate clearly.

This free webinar is available through CreativePro, the world’s most trusted resource for design professionals. You can now watch the recording on their website.

Webinar topics include the following:

• Make polished, professional slides in minutes
• Cut through clutter and focus on what matters
• Apply modern design trends with confidence
• Turn “less is best” into your creative advantage
• Discover free and low-cost tools to speed your process

Here’s to simpler and more concise design in 2026!

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In this PowerPoint how-to video, Mike Parkinson demonstrates how to build a professional-looking 3D graphic using only native PowerPoint tools. Starting from a blank slide, he shows how to use shapes, the Merge Shape options, and careful alignment to construct a multi-level 3D pyramid. Along the way, Mike shares practical tips for working with vector shapes in PowerPoint—no Adobe Illustrator software required.

CreativePro is the essential resource for design professionals. From Adobe to Microsoft products and designing for accessibility, you’ll find resources to increase your design knowledge.

The online Presentation Design Conference 2026 is being held from February 17–20. Check out Mike’s agenda along with many presentation experts on the conference website.

The post Design a 3D Pyramid Graphic in PowerPoint first appeared on Billion Dollar Graphics.

Get the most out of Microsoft PowerPoint’s features. Learn the skills to create presentations that flow seamlessly. Find the confidence to leave a lasting impression with your audience.

PowerPoint MVP Chantal Bossé shows you how in her latest book: Microsoft PowerPoint Mastery.*

Launch decks with Copilot, refine visuals with Designer, rehearse with Speaker Coach, and deliver with PowerPoint Live to create polished PowerPoint presentations. Bossé teaches you these key features:

• Plan and structure content for maximum audience impact
• Use PowerPoint’s Masters to create consistent, professional slides and documents
• Leverage advanced animations and Morph transitions for smooth flow
• Add interactivity with Zoom, hyperlinks, and custom menus
• Practice and perfect your delivery with PowerPoint’s built-in tools
• Enhance audience engagement by using Presenter View features
• Deliver seamless virtual presentations with PowerPoint Live

Learners don’t need formal presentation design knowledge to apply the tips in this book. You only need an understanding of PowerPoint’s basic tools, cloud storage, and Office 365.

Mike Parkinson received the honor to preview her book and write the forward. As he stated in his review:

“What I appreciate most about this book is its focus on the audience. This is not a technical how-to guide filled with shortcuts and checklists. It is a smart, people-first resource that helps you plan with purpose and design with clarity. Whether you are creating your first presentation or refining your hundredth, this book meets you where you are and shows you how to do it better.”

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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