Have you ever heard
someone deliver a presentation that blew you away? To the point that where the
presentation was spectacular but you didn't exactly know what made it so great?
I’m sure you have. Like many things in life, there is a recipe for delivering
great presentations that people will remember—just think about why people can
easily remember things such as urban legends or silly jokes, but completely
forget details mentioned in ground-breaking research. By using these three
simple tips, you will be well on your way to delivering presentations that will
stick in the minds of your listeners.
Tell Stories
Stories have been
around since the beginning of civilization. Most of us love a great story, which
is why movies, books, and life experiences are so interesting; they tell a
story. If you want to find a way to capture people’s attentions, tell a
compelling story. While there are many aspects to telling compelling tales, we
will keep it simple for now: when putting together your presentation, think
about relevant stories that will help your points stick in the minds of
listeners. You can do this by using
concrete examples.
Concrete examples help
communicate a message on a level that everyone can easily understand. When
communicating an idea, you can use either abstract or concrete details. Here is
a concrete illustration/story someone used that stuck in my head, so much so
that I’m using it now. He said, “If you try to use a tablespoon to scoop ice cream,
the spoon will bend, but if you try to use an ice cream scoop to stir tea it
won’t work properly. The point is that if you are doing things that you aren’t
equipped for, it can be much more challenging than if you use your strengths to
your advantage.”
That concrete
story/illustration has stuck with me for quite some time, and that story even
comes to mind every time I see an ice cream scoop—proof that stories help to
make ideas stick.
Be Personable
Being personable is
probably one of the easiest, yet most overlooked, elements to delivering
memorable presentations. Some of the best presenters are people who can simply
be themselves: they are relaxed, can make you laugh, can mess up and play it
off, and much more. By simply being yourself and not overly formal in your
presentation, you can add an element that is unmatched—just be yourself and
enjoy the ride.
Have One Main Point
Chip and Dan Heath,
the authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die shared a
great insight: “To say more than one thing is to say nothing”. This tells us
why we don’t remember many of the presentations we hear—we don’t remember
simply because there’s too much information. Now, this isn’t to suggest that
you should over-simplify your message and literally only say one thing; the
idea is to have one main point, and then have everything else or supporting that main point. You can even state your point in
different ways to help drive the message home. One man focus may seem like a
little, but if you were faced with the option of being able to present three
points only to have no-one remember any of them a few months later, or being
able to present one point and have your entire audience remember it after
several months, your presentation would be considered to be more successful and
indelible.
Remember to just keep
things simple. This doesn't mean you can’t present complicated material—it just
means you have to find ways to help make that information easier to understand.
When information is easy to understand, it’s easier to remember. By using these
three tips, your messages can resonate more with people and help you become a
better presenter.
