What makes a presentation truly rememberable?
Public speaking and presentation skills in general create a degree of either joy or anxiety for those involved, and yet in many capacities today are unavoidable. In the Ted Talk given by Nancy Duarte (2013) , she emphasizes the importance of how a presentation is given, rather than merely just the presentation’s content. The structure described starts with the ‘what is’ before moving on to the ‘what could be’ and follows this flow until the very end where the ‘new norm’ is then established. Duarte goes on to point out examples such as the famous Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have A Dream” speech, which follows this same format. As we can see from that speech, the element of storytelling, coupled with a powerful level of call to action, draws in the audience, showcasing the need for change. To further drive home the do’s and don’ts of presenting, much can be gained from yet again Nancy Duarte (2010), and her Five Simple Rules for Creating World Changing Presentations, where here she gives clear guidelines that can help make a presentation more effective.
I can truly say that I resonate with Duarte’s philosophies on presenting, as well as the components she identifies in the ways to structure a solid presentation. When I think back to presentations I have given I can point out components that could certainly have used a face lift, and going forward I feel better prepared to really use the guidelines I’ve learned to make upcoming presentations more effective. Additionally, I found the information presented in Gonzalez’s (2013) demonstration on fixing her PowerPoints through the tools provided by Presentation Zen, to reinforce the concepts of conveying messages through speaking, rather than simply reading from a set of slides. PowerPoints can be used to enhance the presentation, by drawing attention to key points, but should not be too wordy.
Each of these videos shed light on perspectives of presentation and storytelling that are relevant to my role today. Looking forward to utilizing these tips and strategies going forward!
References
Duarte, N. (2010, December 10). TEDxEast – Nancy Duarte Uncovers the Common Structure of Greatest Communicators 11/11/2010. YouTube. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from https://youtu.be/1nYFpuc2Umk
Duarte, N. (2013, February 19). Nancy Duarte: How to Create Better Visual Presentations. YouTube. https://youtu.be/so9EJoQJc-0
Gonzalez, J. (2013, September 16). How Presentation Zen Fixed My Bad PowerPoints. YouTube. https://youtu.be/vkrl1j0IW-c
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