Your presentation deck can ELEVATE your public speaking game. Here’s how! [Thursday: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants]
In today’s fast-paced environment where attention spans are short, the ability to convey your ideas effectively and attractively will set you apart from other speakers.
In this regard, your presentation deck is one of the most effective tools you have at your disposal when speaking in front of an audience.
A well-structured deck allows you to organize the flow of your presentation, capture your listeners’ attention more effectively, and make it easier for your audience to absorb the information presented to them.
In today’s “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants” we’ll talk about the principles you need to keep in mind when creating your presentation deck!
| 1.) |
Talk about your audience, not yourself. One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a speaker is dedicating a significant part of your deck to talk about your credentials. While letting your audience know about your background is a good thing, keep it to a minimum. Everything in your deck must be about your audience’s needs, pain points, and the solutions you have for them. |
| 2.) |
Set a theme. Create your deck with a specific theme in mind as this will give your presentation unity and direction. Additionally, make sure to keep your theme simple, easy to remember, and most importantly, tie every aspect of your deck to it so your audience can actively remember the purpose of your talk. |
| 3.) |
Add a little flair to your deck. Each slide in a good slide deck should look like they are part of the same narrative. That’s why presenters are advised to use the same typography, colors, and imagery. However, it should be noted that consistency can be taken too far, making your deck look boring and uninteresting. To avoid this, add a little flair to your presentation by adding variation to your slides. For example, if your main topic slides have dark background with light text, set your transition slides to have a light background with dark text. By adding variety to your slides, you’ll come up with a deck that lets your audience know when you’re moving on to a new topic. |
| 4.) |
Use headlines to present charts or establish your main points. More often than not, presenters fail to show the meaning or relevance of the data they show in their charts. To avoid this common mistake, make use of headings to tell the audience how to interpret the numbers you presented to them. Additionally, you can use headlines to guide your audience about the points you’re making throughout your talk. |
| 5.) |
Use photos that enhance the message you’re trying to convey. Incorporating images into your slide deck can help you get your message across without pulling your audience’s attention away from what you are saying. To pull this off successfully, look for photos that speak strongly about the idea you are talking about. Additionally, make sure that the image you choose isn’t compositionally complex. |
| 6.) |
Less is more when it comes to text. Refrain from overloading your slides with lots of text, especially if it is a repeat of what you plan to say out loud. Having lots of text will force your audience to split their attention between what you are saying and what’s presented in your deck, compromising the effectiveness of both your deck and your talk. To avoid this mistake, try to reveal your bullet points one by one through visual effects or put them in another slide. |
There you have it—the principles you should keep in mind when creating your deck!
It may be an additional task for you or your team, but making a great deck to go along with a powerful talk is worth the time and effort.
Remember: These days, capturing the attention of your audience requires that you provide them with something to look at. That’s why it’s important to create a captivating deck that complements your talk.
Incorporate the principles we shared with you as you prepare for your next public speaking engagement!
You never know, a great deck might just be what you need to elevate your presentation!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”
In a meeting with one person…
… a boardroom with five people…
… or a huge venue with hundreds of people…
—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.
No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.
What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?
Every Thursday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.
The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.
(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)
Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to communicate and present well will definitely give you an edge.
Have that advantage.
Hope you find this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Special Projects
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by VX Dynamic
www.vxdynamic.com
