It's pretty universal - we all think our presentations are good and engaging because we are interested in the subject matter, but when it comes to us listening to other peoples presentations, we usually feel at least a little bit of dread, because chances are the presentation is going to be dull, dry, and boring.
So, first and foremost - I'm going to start off by saying I am not the worlds best presenter. Far from it. But what I am going to do is list a few tips that I've discovered as a trainer of technical materials, and from courses on the topic of how to educate others.
Tip #1: Change modalities every 20 minutes.
In short, there is a reason TED talks are 20 minutes - because that is about how long audience attention span lasts per modality.
There are four modalities for absorbing information:
- Kinesthetic: This is hands on. Examples include role playing, or simulations.
- Tactile: This is notetaking, or drawing.
- Auditory: Learning by verbal instruction. Included in this is dialogue and discussion
- Visual: Learning from demonstrations, images, videos, etc.
Most people look at the above and recognize that they learn best by combining multiple modalities together. For example, when sitting in a lecture hall, a student who is writing notes is combining auditory and tactile modalities together; the act of listening to instruction, digesting it, and reforming it in a written way helps cement the message into memory. Presentations are often auditory, with maybe some visual component if the presenter added in pictures. Presentations for a class would be auditory combined with tactile, assuming students are taking notes.
Tip #2: Don't fall for the '1 minute per slide' rule.
Somewhere along the line, I heard this rule, and eventually I realized that it is not the overarching rule that should be followed. I've seen a lot of cases where the presenter has a boatload of information to provide, but only has 10 minutes to present. As a result, they cram all their information into 10 slides. It's information overload, and it's not effective. Depending on the nature of the material, some slides may be only 30 seconds, but others may be 4-5 minutes, especially if that 4-5 minutes includes some sort of audience engagement (see auditory: discussion in tip #1 above)
Tip #3: Don't display all information at once!
Recall back to some time when you were in the audience watching a presentation, and a slide came up with a wall of text. What's the first thing you did? Chances are you stopped listening and just read the slide. It's what most people do. Now, ask yourself - how easy was it to re-engage listening after you read the slide?
A much better tactic is to dole information out as it becomes relevant. It helps keep the audience engaged, and if they do space out for 10-15 seconds (it happens to all of us), it helps them get back on track much more easily. Much better to miss 15 seconds of material and get back on track quickly vs missing a whole slide, when you risk the audience member deciding it's more fun to play with their phone. By that time, you are competing with technology that is designed to be addictive. Good luck with that.
Tip #4: Speaking pace
This is one of my biggest challenges, personally. Most people talk faster when presenting. Whether its nerves or wanting to get information across, it is natural to speed up.
Slow down - less is more. Put pauses in your delivery, especially after salient points. Give the audience time to digest what is being said. There may be less information presented overall, but the retention of what is presented will be higher.
Tip #5: Be a little overdramatic
The best teachers in school were passionate about the material. The best instructors for professional education are those that modulate their voices throughout the delivery of their content. When presenting, you are asking the audience for a slice of their attention - a resource that is more precious than time. Help your cause out by being a little goofy, talking a lot with your hands, or showing some emotion if a portion of the subject matter is really cool, or some event is a real bummer. Don't be afraid to ham up the language a bit, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment