Make a more creative and longer lasting impression with visuals for your presentations.
During the last weeks of August, my husband and I embarked on a cycling trip through the southern part of Ireland. This trip had been on our bucket list for about twenty years. With our kids pretty much out on their own now (one through college and working and the other nearly finished with college), the timing was right for this adventure.
Ireland was a wonderful country to cycle through, and our guides made the trip even more exceptional. Each morning before we headed out on whatever cycling route we felt like cycling (the routes were based on how many miles you wished to cycle for the day and what you wanted to see along the way), our guides presented what they called a “Route Rap” where they would discuss the route options to our next destination. Because of my work, I am particularly interested in language and how words are used. One of our guides, a Brit, had an expressive vocabulary when it came to describing our route options for each day. Long hills were described as “sloughs”, while short steep hills were described as “cheeky” or “spicy”.
The most memorable Route Rap, however, was on our last day. Instead of the usual route map that had been drawn on poster board and then laminated, our guide physically sketched out our route options on the pavement using bike straps over beer cans to depict our hills for the day. Not only was this map more interesting, it was also more memorable (see photo).
What can we learn from this? Creating out-of-the-box visuals makes for a more memorable and longer-lasting impression on our audiences. In a PowerPoint world, creating a visual that shows rather than tells will more solidly imprint your message in the minds of your audience.
Speakers, what will you do to create a more creative and longer lasting impression with your visuals for you presentations?