We’ve all been at THOSE PowerPoint presentations. The ones where the speaker just drones on and on in a monotone while you do your best to stay awake. And then, one day, it’s your turn to give the presentation. And you realize that you’re terrified of giving one of those presentations yourself! PowerPoint consultants will tell you: you need a plan.
People generally don’t absorb information well when it’s presented to them in big formless “data dumps.” Our natural way of communication is telling one another stories. From children around a campfire to colleagues at the water cooler to the audience in a movie theater, people gather together to tell the stories that give life meaning. Your presentation should be structured in advance to take advantage of the power that stories have to capture the imagination. Most stories follow the same general structure. The beginning introduces you to a character and a situation, and then sets up a conflict. The middle is full of ups and downs, and the character solves problems only to be faced with new ones. In the end, the problem is resolved and the character is transformed. The main character of your presentation is your audience, the conflict is the subject of your presentation, and the end of the story is the course of action you recommend. The good news is that this is an easy sell: people love hearing stories about themselves! Of course, ideally, you need to know the main character of your story. That means getting to know your audience. This is the secret behind a lot of classic presenter’s tricks. Telling jokes, asking questions, asking for reactions - these are all tools to help you read the room and gauge your audience’s interests and reactions. Every good presentation is tailored at least a little to its audience. A good storyteller doesn’t just stand at a podium and talk in a monotone. A storyteller uses voice modulation, gesture, and posture to convey, emphasize, and nuance meaning. This makes you a much more interesting speaker. But don’t overdo it - you don’t want to distract the audience from your message. Humans are wired to tell one another stories, and we’ve been doing it for thousands of years. Take advantage of this natural trait to give the most engaging presentation possible. Read a similar article about motion graphics studio here at this page.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI'm Justin Taylor, graphic design consultant, providing useful info about powerpoint presentation, digital ads and brand & landing page design ideas for SME's. ArchivesCategories |