What Training Options Does Ellen Finkelstein Offer for Improving PowerPoint Presentations?
Updated
EllenFinkelstein.com offers two main training formats for improving PowerPoint presentations: team training and 1-on-1 training. Both are positioned around the same goal — transforming how you build and deliver presentations — and the site describes Ellen as "one of the top experts in the United States" in this area. If you're deciding between them, the practical split is simple: choose 1-on-1 if the problem is your decks and your delivery, and team training if a group needs to raise its presentation standard together.
The two training formats
1-on-1 training
This is the option described in the site's client testimonial from Mel Velez (Director, Procure to Pay, Citrix Systems, Inc.). The workflow he describes is worth noting because it tells you what the sessions actually look like:
- You bring your presentation ideas to the session.
- You and Ellen work together to build a theme and a story from those ideas.
- The output is a finished deck — Velez reports his manager complimented the quality of his PowerPoint decks multiple times afterward.
He also frames the value as pace-related: "enhance or learn PowerPoint quickly and at your pace." So 1-on-1 is the fit when you want the coaching built around your own material rather than a fixed curriculum.
Team training
The site's headline pitch — "Are Presentations CRUCIAL to Your Success?" — points to team training alongside the 1-on-1 option. Team training is the format to consider when the goal is a shared standard across a group rather than one person's improvement. The page doesn't publish a syllabus, duration, or pricing for either format, so those details need to come from the training page or a direct inquiry.
How to choose between them
| Your situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| One person's decks need to improve; you want feedback on your own content | 1-on-1 training |
| A department or team needs a consistent presentation standard | Team training |
| You want to move quickly and set your own pace | 1-on-1 (per the client description) |
| You want to evaluate the teaching style before committing | Free training / newsletter first |
What the site says about delivery quality
The testimonials on the page focus on two things beyond slide design: audience attention and retention. Samuel Boothby, PhD, describes a presentation where Ellen "walked the talk" — using slides to demonstrate her own advice on keeping audience attention and increasing retention of the material. Helen Foster-Grimmett (Founder and VP, Enlightened Communications Int'l.) highlights practical advice on sales presentations that members planned to apply directly.
That's a useful signal about scope: the training isn't only about making slides look better. It covers how slides support a spoken presentation, which matters if your problem is that your decks are technically fine but aren't landing.
How to evaluate the style before you commit
The page offers a low-risk first step: sign up for the free training, which also comes with a subscription to the PowerPoint Tips Newsletter. Two practical notes from the site itself:
- If you don't receive the confirmation email from [email protected], check your spam folder or the Gmail Promotions tab.
- The site states contact information is kept private per its Privacy Policy.
If you'd rather see the full picture first, the site's navigation includes Training, Blog, Tips, and E-Store sections — the Training page is where format details beyond the two categories would live.
What isn't specified here
The page evidence doesn't include pricing, session length, group size limits, or scheduling for either training format. Treat those as open questions to resolve on the Training page or by contacting Ellen directly rather than assuming a structure. What is clear from the page is the format split (team vs. 1-on-1), the stated goal (transforming presentations), and the recommended first step (free training plus newsletter) for judging fit.