Do you know who Lawrence Lessig is? Or have you ever looked at the presentation style of Steve Jobs? A lot can be learned by watching these men present. One of the most noticeable things is the lack of words on their presentation slides, combined with a large amount of visual interest.
I’ve taught quite a few workshops on presentation style over the years, and it surprises me how often I see a presentation with lots of words on the screen along with the speakers ability to stair at the screen and read the words. In my opinion, that is not a presentation. That is expecting the audience to read a novel on the screen.
Here are a few tips for any presentation, whether it be pitching a bid to a client or talking about your latest hobby.
• Tell a story with your presentation – Start out with something that will catch the audiences attention. Maybe it is a video? Or maybe it is a compelling photo? But get the audience engaged. At the end, leave them with a take-away. Make those final words count, as if you were on your death bed.
• Keep It Simple – Don’t fill your screen with text and go through your slides like there is no tomorrow. Realize that your audience cannot read all the text on the screen (unless you are leading them through a specific piece of text). In fact, as Lessig does, use the slides and specifically the text as visual interest.
• Watch Others – Below are links to clips of both Lessig and Jobs. Watch them and see what they do. Watch others. You can quickly tell the compelling from the not-so compelling. You can also go to places like Presentation Zen for other tips and information.
Steve Jobs
Lawrence Lessig
• Get out from the podium – Get away from the podium and engage with your audience and ask questions of them (if appropriate). If you read off the screen the whole time, you mine as well throw each of your audience members a brochure and call it a day.
I’ll have more to come on presentations down the road. That is a lot to chew on for now.
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