Children and adults are alike in liking and visualising stories.
A PowerPoint presentation is a visual mode of communicating what’s in our minds. Be it a business presentation, a public speech, a technical presentation or an informal chat, the issue of intent impact gap always lurks around.
Today’s world is a “Two Second World”. In 2 seconds we are off traversing to another part of the universe.
How do you make your point through a PowerPoint presentation in a way that every 2 seconds you can get your audience glued back to you? Have a plot of a story ready in your mind. Start with a juicy title that is going to be the anchoring factor. e.g. – Man bites a dog, Panchtantra comes alive in Boardroom.
Voila! Half battle won!
Just as in legal cases, the opening pitch sets the tone of who the jury is going to be inclined towards, open your presentation convincingly.
E.g. if you are going to make a presentation on boosting “self-esteem”, start with this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission”. However, only the quote will not hold as much attention as an accompanying picture will. Today’s recruiters seek candidates with the ability to make a powerful and effective presentation over and above so many other expected soft skills.
Beyer has talked about a Japanese Pecha Kucha method. Pecha Kucha presentations as against a standard PowerPoint presentation use images, graphics, and photographs that marry the visual images to the verbal thought in the presentation. This new approach skill suggests 20 slides presented at a rate of 20 seconds per slide. I have adapted the idea. I tell a story moving the slides every 20 seconds.
Voila! the “Two Second World” sits still for as long as I want.
