Presentations in Action - Jerry Weissman [60]
At the instant the animation begins, the audience shifts attention to the screen and away from the presenter involuntarily—that sensitive neurology at work. The audience is so focused is on the animation, they do not hear the presenter’s words, nor do they see what the presenter is doing. Moreover, anything that the presenter does or says creates additional sensory data that conflicts with the projected activity on the screen.
There is a simple solution to all of this: Pause. Whenever you introduce animation, stop talking, stop moving, turn to the screen, and let the animation complete its full course of action. In fact, whenever you introduce any new graphical element, even a static image, pause and look at it. Look at the image as if you’ve never seen it, and give your audience time to see it. At that moment, you and your audience fall into step.
The pause is the centerpiece of Graphics Synchronization, a unique skill set that integrates the presenter’s delivery and narrative with both the design and the animation of the graphics. You can read more about this skill in The Power Presenter; for now, let’s focus on the value of the pause.
• You get to look at your slide to make sure that it’s correct.
• You get a prompt about what to say.
• You get to take a breath and keep living.
One more benefit is more important than all the others:
• Your audience gets time to absorb your slide and get a visual reinforcement of your message.
You get all these benefits for the price of doing absolutely nothing. Think about that: The key to integrating all the critical elements of a presentation is not what to do; it is what not to do.
Pause.
80. The House That Jack Built: Make All the Parts Fit
This is the house that Jack built.
This is the rat
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
The repetitive progression structure of this classic Mother Goose nursery rhyme has been applied in many variations with many stories in many cultures. In all its expressions, the progression shows the continuous interrelationship among disparate components. The theme is also applicable to presentations in the interrelationships among the key components of every presentation:
• Content
• Graphics
• Delivery skills
• Q&A
Suppose that a presenter developed a clear, concise, and compelling story. But then suppose that the presenter accompanied that story with graphics designed in the “Death by PowerPoint” manner. The story would fail.
Suppose instead that a presenter developed a clear, concise, and compelling story, and accompanied that story with graphics designed in the Less Is More manner. But then suppose that the presenter stood up in front of the audience and suddenly froze like a deer in the headlights. The story would fail.
Suppose now that a presenter developed a clear, concise, and compelling story; accompanied that story with graphics designed in the Less Is More manner; and then stood up in front of the audience and delivered the presentation with the outstanding oratorical skills of Ronald Reagan or Barack Obama. The combination was so impressive that the audience sat in awed silence for the entire length of the presentation, not uttering a peep. But then suppose that, when the presenter concluded the presentation and opened the floor to questions, the first question was hostile and the presenter reacted defensively. Despite everything that preceded, the entire presentation would fail.
The point here is that, for any presentation to succeed, every presenter must give full attention to every component. More to the