In a helpful post at the HBR blogs, Tony Schwarz offers executives the same advice:

Saying no, thoughtfully, may be the most undervalued capacity of our times. In a world of relentless demands and infinite options, it behooves us to prioritize the tasks that add the most value. That also means deciding what to do less of, or to stop doing altogether.

Learn to say “no” to get more done.

That’s the value of being an expert.

The trend is clear: design can be one factor that separates you from your competitor (or, conversely, that will separate your competitor from you.)

Last week I suggested that you might give your publications some new life this year and venture beyond the default fonts of your computer. Just today, MyFonts.com has published their list of the most popular fonts of 2011. Of the fonts that made the grade, I think these would work well in presentations:

• Calluna Sans
• Centrale Sans
• Cassia
• Populaire
• Pluto and Pluto Italics

Remember that not every font should be used for every application. Populaire, for example, won’t sit well for a presentation to investors but would be great in a less formal setting. Experiment by creating some slides with your type choices and see how they work.

• Garamond
• Bodoni
• Century Expanded
• Helvetica
• Optima
• Futura
• Univers
• Caslon
• Baskerville

If they’re not installed on your computer, you can purchase these at FontShop. Of course, there are many other choices besides these (and that’s kind of the point). Remember that each font has its own distinctive characteristics and “voice,” so use the right tool for the job.

If you’re thinking, “What’s the fuss over fonts?” then check out the BMW logos below. Only one uses the correct type and your impression of the company wouldn’t be the same if they used a different typeface. Bonus points if you can name the impostors.

My friend Mark builds beautiful, hand-crafted furniture in his workshop. He didn’t learn to do that overnight. Kerry makes delightful art in her studio. Each piece takes her weeks (months?) to create and she spent years developing her skill and vision.

Anything you want to do well requires you to show up and work. A strong marriage, raising a child, creating change at your office, building a business. No magic bullets.

If you want to know how successful people got that way, check here.

• The Big Picture: Boring to Bold
• Econsultancy: 10 slideshows to help you create killer presentations in 2012

Thanks for the links and thanks for passing on the word. Here’s to better presentations.

• Don’t use a PowerPoint template; instead, look for design inspiration on Slideshare. It’s a little like the Internet in general: there’s a lot of bad stuff but some good stuff too. Pay attention to the colors and typefaces. Here are a few of my favorite designs on Slideshare and here are two slidedecks I’ve posted there: Time Management for College Students and Boring to Bold: Presentation Design Ideas for Non-Designers.
• For small rooms, consider light background colors; for large rooms, dark backgrounds.
• Don’t steal images from Google Images (or other places). Either buy them from iStockphoto or get free Creative Commons images from flickr. Compfight is the best way to search the flickr Creative Commons pool. Make sure the images have enough resolution so they don’t have jaggies.
• One idea per slide.
• To see some outstanding presentations–both with and without slides–spend some time watching the videos on TED. It’s an excellent investment of your time. You could also watch a Steve Jobs presentation or two.