Can I have your slides?

You just finished your presentation at XYZ industry conference and as you come off stage, you get asked this question. Someone wants your slides.

Running a weekly speaker discussion group as I do, this topic comes up quite a bit. I also get requests for my slides when I present. Why?

This is what people tell me:

• I want to share this concept or your ideas with my team.
• There was a detail I wanted to look at.
• It’s how I remember things.
• There was so much detail I couldn't take notes well.

No one ever says:

• The slides are going to sit on my computer and be forgotten until the next big file purge.
• I just want to make a connection with you, and I don’t know what else to say.
• I’m going to take your material and present it as my own.
• I’m going to take your material, slightly tweak it and present it as my own.
• I’m going to give the slides to your biggest competitor or a startup looking to disrupt your entire industry.

 So, what are some better alternatives when someone asks for your slides?

• Interest in your slides might be interest in your services. Can you start your sales process instead of just handing over your slides? Offer a consultation or a meeting.
• See if a handout might be a better option.
• You can send the link to a recording of the presentation (if one exists) and say, “Here is the recording. The slides really aren’t useful without the explanation.”
• Say, “We don’t share our slides. I’m sure you understand.” (Don't forget, "No." is a complete sentence. They are your slides. You don't need to defend your position.)

If you do share your slides, don’t send them in an editable form.

• Send the slides saved as a PDF.  Do not include your speaker notes.
• Send a subset of the slides, again as a PDF, and never include the speaker notes.
• Ensure that the slides include your copyright and/or a watermark. A watermark will help ensure that the slides cannot be easily screen captured and re-used.

For the  future…

• Slides without a lot of text on them are rarely useful to any third party. Stop creating slides with a lot of detail.
• Stop offering slides as a way to capture leads. (“Give me your card and I’ll send my slides.) Create a specific lead magnet. Use QR codes or lead capture tools to share this offering.
• Create a foundation of “specific to me” concepts, and broadly publish and publicize them. Yes, write the book. When you are well-known for a concept, it is harder for someone else to use it without your permission.
• Insert a typo or other oddity that will help you recognize material being re-used without your permission. (One speaker was able to show a plagiarism committee how another speaker had copied her slides, right down to the typo.)

Who does get the slides? 

Event managers. Conference organizers. Corporate event teams. They are asking for your slides for a reason. Sometimes slides need to make a trip through a legal review process or approval cycle.

What do you do when someone asks for your slides? How do you feel about it?

Bobbie Carlton is the founder of Innovation Women, an online "visibility platform" designed to help women get more career and business-driving visibility.