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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....
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....
For many people, even the thought of public speaking can lead to panic. The crowd. The lights. The dreaded Q&A session. It's a lot to deal with. But allowing these apprehensions to silence our voice can be crippling to our careers. If we want to be seen as smart and articulate professionals, we need to walk the walk and talk the talk. After all, our intelligence is often best conveyed not in what we say but in how we say it, according to a recent study from the University of Chicago. Rather than keeping quiet to avoid saying something foolish, it's important that we're actively identifying ways to overcome self-doubt. To help get you started, check out this infographic from the folks at WriteMyEssays. They've compiled some awesome speaking habits designed to make you sound smarter....
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....
One of the difficulties in understanding how inspirational leaders communicate has been our casual definition of inspiration. Many confuse this word with motivation or operate under the assumption that anyone can "just be inspiring."
Dr. Todd Thrash and Andrew Elliot of Rochester University are two of the leading researchers studying the psychology of inspiration. that there are three distinct stages that an individual will go through in the experience of inspiration: evocation, transcendence, and approach motivation....
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....
I recently worked with a client who was presenting about a "boring" topic. It turns that all we had to do was unbury a huge headline.
...With some quick math, we determined that the new program saved the organization about 3,000 hours per month—a staggering 36,000 hours per year. That’s the equivalent of 18 full-time jobs. Assuming each person filing expenses earned $65,000 in salary and benefits, that represented an annual savings of almost $1.2 million....
This business professor explains his no-fail solution for pitching your startup idea in record time.
You can’t control all these factors but one thing that you ought to learn how to do very well is to deliver what is known at Babson College, where I teach strategy and entrepreneurship, as a Rocket Pitch.
The Rocket Pitch is a three-minute; three-slide presentation that focuses the start-up team on its main opportunity and helps convey what makes the business idea better than the other ones competing for an investor’s checkbook. The entrepreneur has no way of knowing what other ideas the investor is considering, but the Rocket Pitch should do the best possible job of covering three topics....
At our TNW Conferences we see a lot of presentations and I have given a fair share of presentations myself. I often see people making the same mistakes and cringe when I hear them ....
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Just like in sports, being motivated at work is crucial for your performance. This rings especially true when you have a looming deadline, an important presentation to give, or colleagues or customers depending on your performance. To help you stay motivated, no matter what your job throws at you, we decided to compile 22 of the best motivational speeches from business, sports, entertainment, and more. If you want to get fired up for a project, watch these videos. Trust me, I was ready to write a 5,000 word blog post after I saw them. And while the messages vary from speech to speech, they will put you in the optimal frame of mind for tackling and crushing your next big challenge.(Disclaimer: Some speeches -- *cough* Al Pacino *cough* -- may contain NSFW language.)...
Donald Trump doesn’t always speak with proper grammar. And he doesn’t always speak with facts. But he does speak with two other powerful tools: anger, and even more so, volatility.
The data visualization firm Periscopic lays it out in a new data visualization called On The Trump Emoto-Coaster. "If it felt like you were on an emotional roller coaster during this past Presidential election, just look at what was happening to Donald Trump," the team writes. "As shown in 10 of the major speeches he gave from July through December, there’s a rise and fall of intense emotion." As Trevor Noah so cuttingly put it last year, Trump has the unmodulated mentality of a toddler....
Each year on this day, I make it a point to listen to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s great "I Have a Dream" speech. It's electrifying every single time.The content of Dr. King's speech, his inspiring presence, and the moment in history all came together to make the iconic "I Have A Dream" speech the defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. But there are several other reasons why this speech, delivered over 50 years ago, remains an example of one of the best speeches in American history.
Since part of my job is to help people become better presenters, I've noticed several techniques that we can all learn from and be inspired by in this magnificent speech....
I am evangelizing the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. It’s quite simple: a pitch should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.This rule is applicable for any presentation to reach agreement: for example, raising capital, making a sale, forming a partnership, etc....
No matter your topic, successful PowerPoints depend on three main factors: your command of PowerPoint's design tools, your attention to presentation processes, and your devotion to consistent style. Here are some simple tips to help you start mastering each of those factors, and don't forget to check out the additional resources at the bottom of this post....
We've been compiling a list of top presentation resources that will help you become a master presenter. Check out the resources below nicely divided into categories of articles, infographics, Quora and videos. There's something for every presenter!
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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....
As a presentation trainer, audiences expect me to be a darn good public speaker.
So I’m guessing that one audience had high hopes for me a couple of years ago when I was invited to speak at an industry conference.
Everything was going well until an audience member challenged one of my points. Instead of taking my own good advice by answering his question and moving on, I began to debate him. The moment I did, I lost control of my own presentation. And in so doing, I elevated the audience member to the role of co-speaker....
What you say in your interviews and speeches is incredibly important, but how you say it can make all the difference. When you listen to many of the most successful television and radio personalities, pay attention to how they alter their tempo or speak a little louder or softer when they want to emphasize a point. That change in their voice or pacing draws you in, signaling that what they just said—or what they are about to say—is something important you’ll want to remember....
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Learn how you can create a great presentation using narrative structure!