Remember how you started reading WhatsApp messages at the last conference without waiting for the essence of the case from your speaker in the market? After the third slide, completely covered with text, attention automatically switches to something more interesting.
The tips in this article will help you create an interesting presentation and avoid common mistakes.
Errors when creating presentations
Most often, speakers make the same mistakes when preparing presentations.
Mistake 1. Too much text
It is not uncommon for PR professionals to send speakers to deliver corporate presentations designed to be printed and read from the meeting. However, they do not consider the presentation’s nuances to be screened at the event. A person cannot read and listen simultaneously, so background information slides must be redesigned for public speaking, replacing text with photos or infographics. And remember one slide, one thought. To understand the meaning of the symbol, a person needs 0.25 seconds, and phrases of three words are already 2 seconds. Replace 20 sentences with visual images and interact with the audience in the saved 2 minutes.
Mistake 2. No emotions
Figures and facts in the presentation inspire confidence to be remembered; emotions are needed. The easiest way to evoke emotions is by telling a story or showing an appropriate photo on a slide. What feeling do you want to produce: joy, surprise, anger? In the article “Secrets of Storytelling,” Jeremy Xu writes that people include stories in 2/3 of all daily communications because the human brain “thinks” in stories. For presentations, this rule also works. Add interesting repeating patterns.
Mistake 3. Overlong presentation
When a speaker goes deep into details, he overloads the audience with information and loses it. The purpose of public speaking to employees, clients, or colleagues from other companies is to activate the action. Send all additional information in advance, as Amazon does, or include it in a handout. There is a rule: 75% of the speech time is a presentation, and the remaining 25% is free time. If you have 20 minutes, prepare a presentation for 15. Free 5 minutes – additional time to communicate with the audience and insurance if the timing of the speeches of previous speakers shifts.
3 Public Presentation Trends
You can make your presentations more exciting by paying attention to these trends.
Trend 1. Dynamics
Have you noticed more animations on your social media feed and favorite news sites? This is the trend of the last few years – it will accompany posts, articles, and even presentations. Add animation to your public event slide, and you’ll give your product more attention. Of course, you will remember that earlier, on the contrary, designers recommended removing animation, shadows under pictures, and other elements of decorating slides.
Trend 2. Dialogue
Spectators expect speakers at public events to benefit. But not as before – in the form of use cases and tips. The audience wants more: to get answers to their pains interactively. Some conference organizers provide an opportunity to conduct online voting, collection of questions, or a session with speakers.
Trend 3. Metaphors
Try to replace the maximum number of words with visual associations on the slides. This does not mean putting a lot of pictures on one slide. Instead, this means conveying the key idea of the slide in a single way: photo, infographic, symbol, diagram, or large number.