When you make your presentation memorable you keep your audience engaged.
In a recent conversation with a meeting planner, she asked me about the ‘take-home’ message in my presentation. What will the audience remember when they leave my session? Quickly, I rattled off the phrase: ‘consciously connecting through communication’. I like alliteration, so I intentionally work to find words that start with the same letter.
She seemed satisfied with my response and then asked about interactivity – which is also a high priority with meeting planners – as meeting planners want speakers who involve their audiences in their presentations. This prompted me to think further about audience engagement.
Here are tips to elevate your presentations and keep your audience engaged.
How to make your presentation memorable:
1. Storytelling
Personal stories make an emotional connection with an audience and make you more relatable, and therefore, more memorable. Stories foster an emotional connection with your audience, and a good story will have a lesson or an ‘aha’ moment that serves to teach us something.
2. Interactivity
Involving your audience with an activity enables your presentation to be more engaging. Does your presentation include an engagement technique within the first minute of your delivery?
Ask a question, give you a thumbs up or thumbs down in response to a question, take a quick poll, or engage in a quick ‘pair-and-share’ with another audience member. These are a few ways to engage and involve your audience in your presentation.
3. Conviction
Your enthusiasm for your topic can make a difference in whether your audience will remember your message. Research has shown that emotional contagion is real, and your audience will be more inclined to be persuaded and remember your message when you deliver with confidence and conviction.
4. Catchphrase
A catchphrase is a short, simple, and sticky phrase that encapsulates your message that audiences remember long after your presentation.
A good example of a catchphrase is Simon Sinek’s catchphrase from his TED talk: ‘Start with Why’. A catchphrase can be used throughout your speech so that it becomes easy to remember.
5. Visuals and/or Props
A well-designed visual or unusual prop can reinforce a key point and enhance your message. I will never forget a speaker whose presentation was accentuated by the fishbowl she held during her presentation. Her message was that leadership was like being in a fishbowl – transparency is critical as your followers are always watching you.
Joe Smith’s 5-minute TEDx talk is memorable and stands out because his visuals and demonstration during his talk.
Make them never forget you.
By applying these strategies, you will make your presentations memorable while encouraging audience engagement.
What can you incorporate in your presentations to make them stand out and become memorable? Reply in the comments below and share your insights.
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