Telling it Straight

April 2007:

Using visual imagery is fundamental to effective public speaking. Whether one uses props or screen images engaging the visual perception of your audience is vital. Having an awareness of what your audience will perceive is the first step. The whole effect comes from using quality imagery to fully engage your audience ensuring interest and relevancy.

Relevancy is one thing which our featured authors, Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner, bring with their set of economics essays, Freakonomics. Daring to be very different to most other economics tomes they succeed with a pithy, concise and very readable book.

Pointers:

Practice...Your presentation should be fun! And it will be if you give it some practice. The most effective public speakers will commit hours to getting it right. Try clearing the schedule for some time on your own before the event.

Effective public speaking - image:

Being in the audience for an engaging and informative presentation should be a great experience. Certainly one of the best presentations I have seen was at a sales conference for manufacturer distributors, dealers and agents from around the world. A manufacturer sales director had the task of presenting within a restricted agenda - but you would have thought there were no confines. Without a single bullet list slide he managed to deliver his message effectively and coherently using a series of cleverly crafted black and white stills and white headlines. The visual impact was enormous as the audience anticipated each presentational view and the corresponding nuggets of information. Combined with a succinct delivery style this one had it all.

Some tips for getting the visuals perfect:

Develop a theme.
Use good quality images.
Be wary of your audience's sensitivities and taste.
Be consistent with the use of imagery.
Link your message to valuable illustrations and vice versa.
Consider whether your illustrations themselves can carry a message.
Build up expectation and anticipation within your audience using images. If your audience is guessing what's coming next then you are winning!

Being ready...thinking about the image thing inspires me to note the need for prior planning for a trade show presentation. Why a trade show presentation? Well, it could be any location where access is limited, you have a certain time slot and immediate time before you speak is limited. In these circumstances ensure that you are fully involved with the organisers. If you need a PC and a mike - ask for one beforehand. If you are going to need a flip chart, again, ask for one earlier.

Minimise the distractions of organisation. Focus on your own presentation.

Freakonomics - a review:

Freakonomics, by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner (Penguin 2005) is the sort of insight into Economics that I should have read years ago. Their combined economics and journalistic skills ensure the full attention of their reader for the series of complex issues they proceed to unravel. These are complex issues, but not complicated. And that's one of the many secrets of their writing.

Their particular skill is the explanation of complex ideas in the vernacular - whether it's the probability of collusion in the results of sumo wrestling bouts, or academic exams in Chicago, or the price at which you manage to sell your house using a real-estate agent.

Both informative and engaging, provocative and witty it's definitely worth the investment.

There's more here.