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Presentation
Skills > Presentation Skill Resources > Visual Presentations
Visual Presentations
Confusing visual presentations with regular presentations is the one of the most common mistakes that people do. Though both are presentations and both are used as tools to present facts and ideas effectively, each one is an exercise by itself.
The regular presentation usually involves a more structured approach and the presentation of facts is based on the ability of the speaker to hold the attention of the audience. On the other hand, the visual presentations are more focused and tend to give an aerial vie of the idea while cashing in on the visual impact the presentation has on the audience.
What makes visual presentations effective?
There are many factors that go into making visual presentations effective as business tools or information dissemination vehicles. In most cases, people use the Microsoft Power Point to generate powerful visual presentations.
In order to create the best impact, one should follow the following guidelines:
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Compelling visuals – The first and foremost factor is to have a set of compelling pictures or visuals. The presenter should choose pictures, which are worth a thousand of words, literally. The more captivating and compelling your visuals are, the better your audience will respond to your presentation and ideas.
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Keep it simple: The basic idea behind a visual presentation is that the picture will do the ‘most of the talking’. Hence, the presentation should center on and around the picture which can represent the idea or facts best, so as to need very little verbosity with it. If you put too many words along with the picture, audience will loose focus and fail to be impacted by either.
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Keep the number of slides at the minimum possible: Many presenters think that the more the merrier. Nothing could be further from truth here. Actually since visuals will occupy more space than words in the minds of the audience, if you exceed say about 10-20 slides, it will create an overlapping on information which will overcrowd the minds of the audience after a while. The slides should not exceed 20.
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Do not parrot your slides: visual presentations should use the slides/ picture as props. Many people make the mistake of presenting whatever it is written on the slide, making the presentation dull. The presenter actually should build on the visual not read it out; only then the audience will connect to what it is said.
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Speak slowly and more importantly less: When making a presentation you will need to speak slowly and allow the presentation sink in the minds of the audience. Do not rush through the facts; rather speak as little as possible and let the image disseminate the information. Time your remarks, when you make them, so the effect of what you say is complemented by the visual.
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Use brilliant colors: When you use visuals, ensure that you use the right combination so as to create the best impact. Use brilliant colors (not loud colors) to make the slide come alive.
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Use animation and graphics: The visual presentations will highly benefit from the addition of graphics. The more humorous one would be better than non-humorous ones, though both are good in creating lasting impacts on the mind of the audience.
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Remember to give handout at the end of the presentation: Do not forget to give your audience handout or a link where they can download your presentation. Many times the people enjoy the visuals too much to really pay too close attention to teh facts presented. A handout would be a very valuable follow-up tool in that case.
Corporate entertainment events and visual presentation photographers
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