All power tends to corrupt, PowerPoint corrupts absolutely*
(*With apologies to the British historian, Lord Acton.)
Recently, while attending a workshop on environmentally-sustainable living, I had cause to reflect on the pitfalls of over-reliance on Powerpoint for public presentations.
The sessions provided a powerful reminder of what makes an engaging and enjoyable public presentation - and what doesn't. Let me paint the picture for you.
Engaged and enthused
Speaker number one delivered a short, sharp and energetic presentation on what is required to orient housing design to the Australian landscape.
His story was passionately delivered, accompanied by relevant statistics, useful graphics and testimonials from individuals who had attained low impact, affordable housing, designed for uniquely South Australian surrounds.
Following the coffee break we returned for a second session - same audience, same timeframe and similar subject matter - yet the outcome could not have been more different.
Talked at
People began leaving around 10 minutes into the second presentation. Those that remained shifted uncomfortably in their seats, as audience members clambered past them to the exits. They talked amongst themselves, yawned or read pamphlets from the first session.
My heart went out to speaker number two as he struggled to deliver volumes of material to a hostile and disinterested audience. Someone should have told him about the basics of getting and keeping audience interest.
Ten tips for enjoyable public presentations:
1. PowerPoint doesn't deliver a presentation - you do.
2. The first job of a presenter is to engage. Find out who you're talking to tell your story in a way that connects with them, don't just read the slides.
3. Engagement happens when you think about what the audience wants to know (not just what you think they ought to know).
4. Presentations need a clear, consistent message delivered in plain language (preferably linked to the theme.)
5. Supporting facts should enhance the message, not swamp it in detail.
6. A call to action should be easy to enact (and ideally create opportunities for follow up.)
7. Question time is an opportunity to reinforce key messages and build advocates in your audience.
8. If you don't have a microphone for question sessions, repeat the question you're asked so that people know what you're responding to.
9. Don't be afraid to wind a session up if you've covered the ground. Nobody ever complained because a question was resolved ahead of time.
10. When delivering presentations to adults, emotional connection often works better than intelligence. Adults who remain completely unmoved by a person of far superior knowledge, often become highly energised when an 'expert' takes the time to relate to their point of view.
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