Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

A common myth suggests that great presentations are an art form. While some of the world’s best presenters are certainly artists, we know that their presentations obey the kind of narrative structure that allows even novice public speakers the opportunity to deliver great presentations.

So, What is Narrative Structure?Well, that depends on the industry, because narrative structure is important in every profession. While different definitions exist, they all point to the “structural framework” of how an idea or story is presented to an audience.

The reliance on structure in a narrative underlines just how attainable great, engaging presentations are. Because if we can show how those are built (e.g. the skeleton), then all that’s left is adding the muscle, or content, and delivering it according to the narrative structure.

The other key element in the narrative structure definition is the idea or story. Without the idea or story, there is no narrative to structure. So we really want to lean on storytelling as a way to engage our audience, and for a good reason....

Giving a presentation is an enormous and (sometimes) noble responsibility. After all, only you can prevent death by PowerPoint to your audience. Fortunately, several tips, tools and other resources can help you make slides to a higher level and make them more professional and captivating. We focus on PowerPoint for most models and additions down, simply because it is the most widely used business presentation software, but many principles and tricks here apply to other applications presentation. We will begin.

And what's worse than a boring presentation? Five, 10, or even 15 boring presentations. That's the fate clients subject themselves to during the new business process. And while you might think they deserve to be in this situation, it won't help you win the account.

Don't be that agency that drives the client team over the edge with a PowerPoint presentation in 11-point Comic Sans text. Check out this  SlideShare for a few tips on how to create presentations that don't suck....

Let’s begin with a caveat: You can’t fake trust.“Words not backed by action are meaningless,” says Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc. and author of “Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results.”

“You can use the right words and phrases to sound ‘trusting,’ but language is no replacement for being a trustworthy person. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘Who you are speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you’re saying.’"

Price says the word “trust” comes the Old Norse word treysta, meaning “to rely on or have confidence in.”

“The basis for a healthy, productive relationship is trust,” she explains. “As a professional, it’s critical to earn the trust of those with whom you work.”...

“When people trust you, they’re much more likely to believe in you, bond with you, and buy from you.”

Here are 18 phrases professionals use to get others to trust them....

Are you a slow talker? If so, your sluggish pace may be turning your audiences off. Here's how to quicken your pace without sacrificing clarity.

If your conversational partner has mentally formulated her five-year business plan by the time you finish a sentence, or if your audience is tapping fingers and feet impatiently while you’re finishing the first paragraph of your talk, it’s safe to say you’re too slow.

A colleague told me he recently walked out of a lecture at a conference and demanded the return of his thirty-five dollar registration fee. The reason? He clocked the speaker at ninety words per minute—about half the average speaking speed....

We’ve seen it before—the speaker standing behind a podium, droning on and on in a monotone voice, with a boring bullet-point slide behind them. It’s all well and good to scoff at them, but then we think about our own projects, and wonder if they might fall into the same trap.

Not to worry–we’ve compiled a list of 20 creative presentation ideas to spice up your next talk, with examples to help get you on the right track....

It's time to unveil the winners of the First Annual Prezi Awards— the best prezis of the year! We at Prezi have spent the past few days combing through your nominations.We could not have made our selection without your help.

Earlier this month, we invited you to nominate and vote for your favorite prezis of the year. Thank you to everyone who nominated a prezi, and congratulations to all the nominees. Picking just one winner in each category was very difficult, there were so many terrific prezis from which to choose.... And now, let's get on with it — we are pleased to present the best prezis of 2014:..