Director, Strategic Marketing
“Perhaps the world’s second-worst crime is boredom; the first is being a bore.” – Cecil Beaton
As it turns out, a million bullets, dry delivery, lack of visual connection and one-way conversation are not the way to an engaging presentation. Who would’ve guessed?
But seriously, we all know this, and yet for some reason, FastCo needed to write about it. Whyyyy, you ask. Because at least half of us nodded off, checked our email or daydreamed throughout the duration of a presentation TODAY… and yesterday… and will likely again tomorrow.
Even though we all know the underlying science of a good presentation, we still struggle with it. And, really, this is true for all “Four Reasons Why Nobody’s Paying Attention To Your Presentation.” Either you’re actively working towards presenting something that will intrigue audiences or you’re not. You don’t need an amazing designer to visualize your presentation in a clean and concise manner (though it’s oh-so-nice to have, and I would know). There are oodles of tutorials online that teach you simple tricks to do it yourself. And you can prepare built-in questions to ask the audience to force participation at planned intervals if you’re not as quick on your feet. And you can read about the basics of storytelling through the grace of the internet…
With all the research and tools out there, we still end up meditating or otherwise distracting ourselves during someone’s presentation hyperbolically every day because most people don’t take the extra effort required to create a killer presentation.
On to the point… Really practice, pay attention and focus on the discussion you’re looking to lead, the point that you need to deliver, the objective. And don’t skimp on the four keys per FastCo (visualize ideas, keep it simple, tell a story and lead a conversation); they know what’s up. If you truly focus on these elements, you just might avoid “squirrel” syndrome and earn enraptured audiences. Because it really sucks to look out to your audience and only see the tops of their heads and the glow from their iPhones.
Image Source: Make A Meme