{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Journey from Designer to Presentation Strategist","description":"Mike Parkinson and Jody Wissing join the CreativePro Podcast for a candid conversation about their unexpected paths into presentation design. They explain that presentation design isn\u2019t what most people think it is. It\u2019s not about making pretty slides. It\u2019s about understanding and caring about the content well enough to turn it into a story. They walk through their favorite features for building slides in PowerPoint plus other essential apps for outlining, note gathering, and creating visual elements. Their conversation includes open and honest thoughts about the growing role of AI in presentation design. They share what\u2019s helping them, what\u2019s changing their workflows, and what keeps them curious\u2014or cautious. They also talk about where they hope AI will take the industry and where they\u2019d prefer it not to go, all while emphasizing the human thinking that still guides great presentation work. Episode Highlights Hear how Jody\u2019s very first presentation on a kindergarten playground set the tone for a lifetime of storytelling. Follow Mike\u2019s 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\u2014including how far they think avatars might go. Resources and Links Mike Parkinson \u2013 Website Jody Wissing \u2013 Website Inkscape \u2013 Free vector graphics editor Slidewise \u2013 Add-in for managing and inspecting PowerPoint content NXPowerLite \u2013 Windows file compressor Creative Cloud Libraries for PowerPoint \u2013 Add On The Presentation Design Conference 2026, February 17\u201320, 2026 CreativePro Week 2026, Nashville, June 29\u2013July 3, 2026 Save $100 on any CreativePro event in 2026 with the discount code: PODCAST Get $15 off one year of CreativePro membership with the discount code: PODCAST ","author_name":"The CreativePro Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/creativepro.com\/podcasts\/","html":"