We’re excited to welcome our Junior Copywriter Brannon Smith to Get There as a guest poster today. We asked Brannon to stop by the blog to share his thoughts on combatting one of the biggest blunders in B2B marketing: boring presentations. Take it away, Brannon!
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Ranked right up there with the fear of flying, public speaking has earned a reputation for seriously freaking people out. Add variables like workplace advancement and the opinions of colleagues to the mix, and you have the perfect recipe for a full-on professional meltdown.
That’s right, folks. I’m talking about the dreaded corporate presentation. We’ve all sat through them, and we’ve all had to deliver them at some point in our lives. The next time you have to deliver a presentation, take a few cues from the expert TED Talks and presentations highlighted here, and you’ll do great.
1.) KEEP VISUALS SIMPLE AND CLEAN
Ever been to a presentation where the accompanying slideshow was pretty much a transcript for the speaker? I have, and it’s just plain weird to sit through
When developing visuals for your presentation, keep these points in mind:
Take a look at the “World’s Best Presentation” (according to slideshare.net) for an example of a perfectly executed slideshow.
2.) WEAVE A STORY INTO YOUR PRESENTATION
Adding a short, relevant anecdote to your presentation makes whatever you’re talking about instantly more relatable, and captivates your audience in a way that dry facts just can’t.
To support her theory that sleep unlocks dormant ideas within us, media mogul Arianna Huffington recounts a personal story.
Notice how she takes the audience on a virtual ride with her? When she’s down — detailing the injuries from her fainting spell, they’re down. When she’s up and excited, they’re laughing right along with her.
3.) CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
“Me, too!”
If you can make your audience have a “Me, too!” moment, you’re golden. People love to feel connected to the presenter. They feel included — like you’re talking especially to them.
Graham Hill of treehugger.com does a great job of connecting with his audience in this TED Talk about the amount of “stuff” people tend to accumulate.
Everyone in that audience was all ears after the box story because we all have one of those boxes at home. Admit it — you do, too!
4.) INCORPORATE A LIST OR COUNTDOWN
Graham Hill also does something else incredibly well — he boils his presentation down to three key takeaways.
Let’s face it — no matter how good your presentation is, people have short memories, and even shorter attention spans. This little trick increases the chance that people may actually remember what you said.
5.) [INSERT HUMOR HERE]____________________.
If you’re a naturally funny person, incorporate some humor into your presentation. It’ll relax you, entertain your audience, and once the crowd starts giggling, give you the confidence to deliver an even better presentation.
YouTube’s trends manager Kevin Allocca does a great job of incorporating humor into his talk.
He still drives home his main points, but his comedy makes his seven-minute talk fly by.
So, there you have it. Now go knock ’em dead.
