Making worthwhile presentations..

Some simple things I learnt over the last 2 years, which can make your presentations comprehensible regardless of the type of audience you are addressing -- from kids to corporates. They may sound simple, but they can work like thunderbolts if you care enough to fire them properly.

1. Contrast and Differentiate:
Black appears blacker against white. No further explanation needed. The cheap and best technique!

2. Quote instances and examples:
It simplifies concepts and makes theory less complex & more interesting.

3. Use Personal Anecdotes:
Now your skin is in the game -- Audience perceives/ acknowledges that you feel and really mean what you say. People (always and everywhere!) like to listen to stories and they will remember them way better. In much the same way that everyone is keen to catch up on juicy gossip although they would never admit. [Now you tell me one person who stopped you or whom you stopped during the last week, from exchanging fresh gossip? :)]

4. Say:
Okay, here is something interesting ... atleast once in your presentation, this primarily serves to wake up the half-asleep acrons among the audience. I've heard people say things like I'll let you in on a little secret ... just to increase the curiousity levels and keep the audience perked up, if not engaged.

5. Dramatics helps:
Be loud, make some noise, start with a quote, mimic somebody, change your tone, reel out a joke - very often I've observed that people decide whether or not to listen to a person, merely by judging the presentation style and never the content (unless theres an immediate takeaway from it - like a burning stock tip). Sad, but true :(

6. Props:
Question the audience, Challenge them, throw a kit-kat reward (dont try this in a board-meeting unless you want to get thrown out yourself!), if possible show even a vaguely related 1 minute video and try to relate it to the central point. I know of a person who brought a packet of lays chips to a class presentation in constitutional law -- to explain some aspect on the preamble of the Indian constitution! And yes ofcourse you'd already know that graphs and pie-charts make comprehension easy, since they tap the right brain for support.

7. Last but not the least:
Make it SHORT and make it crispy. Given a choice, 99% of the population prefers to snack-up on a pack of flavoured chips or crispy chocolate than a loaf of bland bread. Period. No problem if your presentation lasts only 3 or 5 minutes. The only purpose is that the message is conveyed effectively.


Ofcourse the fundamental step of researching and preparing well goes without saying. Unless you're particularly keen on BS-ing :)