Boosting Your Body Language for Better Presentations

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Confidence

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facial expressions

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presentation experts

Presentation Specialists

presentation storytelling

Preparing the content of your deck is only half the battle in delivering a presentation. You can have the most beautifully designed and eloquently written presentation in history, but if your public speaking skills are not up to snuff, then it will be all for naught. Your body language can tell a different story.

As the saying goes, “it’s not about what you say, but how you say it.”

Simply put, delivering a good presentation takes demonstrating good body language. Presentation experts will tell you, beyond simply knowing your content, it’s important to be able to show confidence and relatability in front of your audience. When your body language complements your content, then you’re sure to deliver a great presentation.

In this article, we’ll tackle the key aspects of body language that will boost your presentation skills to the next level.

Posture

Whether you’re sitting down or standing up, how you carry yourself greatly affects the entire mood of your presentation. You never want to be caught slouching, as it makes you look lazy and unprofessional.

Maintaining an upright and open posture presents a confident and charismatic stance to your audience. It also makes you feel more confident.

A good tip is to loosen up before your presentation. It’s meant to release all the nervous tension that may cause you to stand or sit in awkward positions.

Eye contact

Perhaps one of the most neglected steps in presenting is establishing a good connection with the audience.

The stronger the connection, the more receptive your audience will be to what you’re presenting. The quickest way to develop that is with eye contact. It sends a subtle message that you are paying attention to them, making you deserve their attention.

It may seem like a small detail, but it also subconsciously tells them how confident you are in your presentation.

Facial expressions

While we’re on the topic of connections, remember to be aware of your facial expressions.

When it’s appropriate, you’ll want to smile as much as possible. No one enjoys sitting through a presentation from someone who looks like they do not want to be there.

Remember that audiences tend to mimic or feed off the emotions of the presenter facing them.

With a smile on your face, you have the power to uplift the room you step in front of.

Gestures and Movement

As the presenter, it’s your mission to keep your audience engaged. Incorporating hand gestures and movement can be what makes the difference between a dull presentation and a captivating one.

Think of your arms and legs as storytelling tools. Hand gestures add emphasis to your speech while movement along the stage can guide the attention of your audience. And like any tool, you must handle these with care and precision. You need to strike a balance in your use of gestures and movements so that they come off as part of your natural motions and not overly rehearsed.

While presentation styles may vary from person to person, body language is universal. It’s a form of communication that speaks beyond words and potentially adds to the impact of your presentation.

To presentation specialists, using subtle hints in body language is an invaluable skill in communication and public speaking. With enough practice, you’ll be instinctively using your body language to deliver more dynamic presentations.

To learn more ways to elevate your presentations, you can contact us anytime! At SlideGenius, it’s our passion to design exceptional PowerPoint presentations. We believe that good business starts with a well-made presentation.

Let us handle the designs, while you can practice on your delivery!

Steve Jobs: Use Heroes and Villains in Your Business Presentations

Apple Inc.

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presentation storytelling

Steve Jobs

Credited as the most innovative leader in business even after his death, Jobs is still imitated by many of today’s entrepreneurs. The impact of Jobs’ legacy is greatly due to his ability to tell stories that not only inform the audience but also inspires and entertains them.

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According to Help Scout content strategist Gregory Ciotti, substance isn’t paid as much attention unless it’s structured as a story. Going through a thrilling plot alerts certain areas in the brain and lets a person experience the described scenes as if they were really there.

This must be why the technique worked out so much for Jobs, who transformed typical pitches into movie-like plots with heroes, villains, and comic stunners.

Take a look at how he incorporated this technique to his business presentations:

Introduce the Villain

When Macintosh was publicly launched, IBM had already established its position in the computer market. Jobs thought of introducing IBM as the villain to sell the Mac’s benefits.

According to brand specialist Carmine Gallo, this worked because it’s in line with the idea of a story needing heroes in villains. At the same time, it serves as a good trajectory to introduce his product.

“It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control: Apple,” Jobs said. “Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire information age? Was George Orwell right?”

Reveal the Conquering Hero

A story isn’t complete without a hero. For his introduction, Jobs positioned Macintosh as an instrument to escape from the villain’s grip.

“You’ve just seen pictures of Macintosh. Now I’d like to show you Macintosh in person. All of the images you are about to see on the large screen are being generated by what’s in that bag.”

Cue the showstopper

Jobs provided genuine showstoppers to create memorable speeches. This one is our favorite:

“Hello, I am Macintosh. It sure is great to get out of that bag. Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking, I’d like to share with you a maxim I thought of the first time I met an IBM mainframe: Never trust a computer you can’t lift. Obviously, I can talk right now, but I’d like to sit back and listen. So, it is with considerable pride that I introduce a man who has been like a father to me: Steve Jobs.”

Conclusion

Jobs revolutionized the art of corporate storytelling. He brought life to dull and typical discussions by narrating events.

Incorporating stories in your business presentations sets them apart from unmemorable speeches because people remember stories more easily than they do technical details.

A story is the simplest means to get your audience on board with your projects and ideas.

Make it real. Make an impact. Tell a story.

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References:

Ciotti, Gregory. “The Psychology of Storytelling.” Sparring Mind. Accessed May 8, 2015.
Craft Your Corporate Presentations into a Great Story.” SlideGenius, Inc. May 15, 2015.
Gallo, Carmine. “11 Presentation Lessons You Can Still Learn From Steve Jobs.” Forbes. October 4, 2012. Accessed May 8, 2015.
Paul, Annie Murphy. “Your Brain on Fiction.” The New York Times. March 17, 2012. Accessed May 8, 2015.

Featured Image from Business Leaders: Steve Jobs

Hook, Line, and Sinker: What Makes a Great Presentation Story

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presentation tips

What makes a great presentation? Before anything else, your presentation needs a story at its very center. This is a point we’ve talked a lot about in the past, but it’s always worth repeating.

Outstanding design and effective delivery will help your presentation stand out, but it’s the story that helps keep everything grounded. In other words, a presentation should be more than a recitation of facts and data. It needs to connect with the audience. If you spin the information  into a story, you can easily capture people’s imagination. You’re creating a connection that taps into their emotions.

For some, this might sound like a bad thing. Why should emotions play any role in the boardroom? Eliciting an emotional response doesn’t mean that you have to move the audience to tears. As we detailed in our previous discussion on  the science of storytelling, great stories can evoke the audience’s empathy. With that, they’ll find it easier to relate with what you’re sharing and to consider ideas through your perspective.

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Having emphasized the importance of a great story, it’s time to take on another question. What makes a great presentation story? How do you create a presentation story that captures the audience hook, line, and sinker? As with any endeavor, you’ll need to start with the basics.

Here are the three things that your presentation story needs:

A structure that pulls you in 

Whether it’s an epic like The Lord of the Rings or a Sherlock Holmes mystery, all stories are told through a basic structure. It might go back and forth with flashbacks here and there, but it always has a beginning, middle, and end.

The same should be true for your presentation story. As Aaron Ordendorff of Fast Company writes, too many presenters start their story right at the middle. Instead of providing some much needed context, we start at full speed and hope that the audience can catch up and run along. To avoid losing their attention or interest, the audience needs a structure they can easily follow and understand.

Dr. Paul Zak of the Center of Neuroeconmic Studies found that Gustav Freytag’s dramatic structure is the most effective for presentations. This structure involves having an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. You can spin your presentation story to follow this pattern by figuring out some essential details about what you want to say.

  • Beginning: What context is your presentation coming from? Start your presentation story by introducing how the concept you’re presenting came about. If it’s a business pitch, talk about the problem  you want to solve.
  • Middle:  With the context a lot clearer, you can start to go into detail about the purpose of your presentation. How do you plan to solve the problem you introduced? What is the main point you’re trying to impart?
  • End: After the main discussion, circle back to the initial problem and provide a resolution. This is where you reinforce your core message one last time.

A character that’s relatable 

Your presentation will also need a central character. This will give the concepts you present a relatable face. If this sounds a bit confusing, review some of your favorite TED Talks.

Most TED speakers introduce a larger theme by centering their story in a particular character. That character is often someone in their family, someone they work with, or even a younger version of themselves. You’ll need to come up with something similar, even if your presentation comes from a slightly different context.

So how do you identify the character of your presentation story? Reflect on your core message and think of how you might make it more relatable. If you’re trying to win over clients, you might want to center the story around them. You can also set up a hypothetical situation involving a person that represents your target market. Your presentation story can also be about you, especially if you want to talk about an experience that’s connected with your core message.

A message that’s significant 

Stories of all kinds are told to reveal broader themes and truths about life. Take the famous Harry Potter series, for example. Aside from being a story about magic and wizard, author J.K. Rowling also talks about other things like the meaning of friendship and family. While you don’t have to address abstract themes in your presentation, your story should be able to share a significant message. In other words, the story you tell should encapsulate the message that is at the core of your presentation.

The more you can fine-tune and understand your core message, the better you can deliver a presentation story with a clear purpose. To come to that concluding statement, here are 3 key questions you need to ask yourself:

  • What is the purpose of your presentation?
  • What’s the one thing you want the audience to remember?
  • What is the best way to elevate that message?

A presentation can’t succeed if it doesn’t connect with its audience. To create a more relatable experience, you need to spend some time crafting a strong presentation story. Follow these pointers to come up with something that others can easily understand and engage with.

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READ MORE: Bring Your Presentations to Life with these 5 Storytelling Components – Fast Company

Featured image from picjumbo.com by Viktor Hanacek

How to Tell a Better Presentation Story

presentation storytelling

presentation tips

Presentations

As we already know, stories make for powerful presentations. Great stories can capture the emotion and imagination of an audience. Instead of a straightforward report of the facts, stories allow audiences to connect with a message. Stories allow mundane and impersonal data seem more relatable. A presentation story creates a more personal and engaging audience experience.

Whether you’re in the boardroom or in a meeting with potential clients, here’s a list of what you’ll need to tell the best presentation story:

The heart of the story

In literature, stories are told to reveal broader themes. While you’re not expected to philosophize abstract themes in your presentation, the story you share should also have a purpose. At its core, it should be more than just a story. Your story should be driven by a rationale that is essential to your story. In other words, it should perfectly illustrate the core of your message.

To get there, consider asking  yourself these key questions:

  • What is the significance of this particular story?
  • What is the underlying principle behind your presentation?
  • What is the main point you’re trying to get across?

The more you understand the key takeaway, the better you can deliver your presentation story.

The main players

Stories can’t move forward without a central character. The character is responsible for setting the narrative into motion. It is also the character that determines what kind of story will unfold. Most importantly, it’s with the character that the audience connects with emotionally.

It may seem odd to name a protagonist for your presentation story, but even the most mundane stories have its main players. It could be your customer. It could be someone who perfectly represents the demographic you’re targeting. You could even be the character of your own presentation story, especially if you want to talk about an experience that’s central to your key takeaway.

The structure

Beginning, middle, end. Whether it’s an epic hero’s journey, or a murder mystery riddled with flashbacks, all stories are anchored by this basic structure. As such, the same should be true for your presentation story.

According to Fast.co‘s Aaron Ordendorff, the problem is that we often start our presentations at the very middle of the story. We don’t take the time to develop the narrative and provide proper context. At the same time, there is also very little discussion of the resolution and what should come next.

To structure your presentation story properly, start with the basics:

  • Beginning – While you’re not expected to give every detail of your presentation, you do need to provide the audience with sufficient context to understand your message. Begin your presentation story be introducing your character and the problem they’re facing.
  • Middle – Once you’ve provided enough background information, you can begin to detail the purpose of your presentation and how that relates to the conflict your character is facing.
  • End – After discussing the bulk of what makes your presentation, end the story by providing a resolution that reinforces your key message

Reference

Orendorff, Aaron. “Bring Your Presentations To Life With These 5 Storytelling Components.” Fast Company. September 15, 2014. Accessed October 14, 2014.

Featured Image: Death to the Stock Photo

Why Storytelling is an Effective Presentation Technique

presentation storytelling

storytelling

Storytelling is one of the most powerful and effective techniques for delivering presentations. It engages audiences on both an intellectual and emotional level, helping to make complex ideas more relatable and memorable. Instead of simply presenting facts and data, storytelling allows presenters to weave a narrative that captivates, persuades, and inspires action.

Here’s why storytelling is such an effective presentation technique:


1. Engages the Audience Emotionally

Stories have the ability to evoke emotions such as empathy, excitement, or curiosity, which helps keep the audience engaged throughout the presentation. By tapping into emotions, storytelling fosters a deeper connection between the speaker and the audience.

Why It’s Effective:

  • Creates a Connection: When people feel emotionally connected to your message, they are more likely to stay engaged and invested in the presentation.
  • Triggers Emotional Response: Stories make facts and figures more personal by showing how they affect real people.

Example: Instead of simply showing statistics about a company’s growth, tell the story of how the company overcame challenges and achieved success, highlighting the human effort behind the numbers.


2. Simplifies Complex Information

Presentations often involve complex ideas, data, or processes that can be difficult for the audience to grasp. Storytelling helps simplify and clarify these concepts by providing relatable examples or metaphors, making it easier for people to understand.

Why It’s Effective:

  • Breaks Down Complexity: Stories offer context and meaning, which helps audiences absorb difficult concepts more easily.
  • Enhances Comprehension: Presenting information through a narrative helps listeners follow the logic of the argument and see the big picture.

Example: If you’re presenting a complicated technological process, explain it through a story about how the technology helped a particular company solve a real-world problem.


3. Makes the Message Memorable

People are more likely to remember a story than a list of facts or bullet points. The brain is wired to retain stories, making storytelling a powerful tool for delivering messages that will stick with the audience long after the presentation is over.

Why It’s Effective:

  • Increases Retention: Stories engage both the analytical and emotional parts of the brain, which enhances memory retention.
  • Builds Lasting Impressions: A well-told story creates vivid images in the audience’s minds, making it easier for them to recall the message later.

Example: A personal anecdote about how a new product improved your daily workflow is more memorable than simply listing its features.


4. Creates a Clear Structure

A well-structured story has a beginning, middle, and end, which provides a clear framework for your presentation. This structure helps the audience follow your narrative and keeps them engaged throughout the presentation.

Why It’s Effective:

  • Guides the Audience: A story provides a logical flow, ensuring that your audience can follow the progression of ideas without getting lost.
  • Builds Anticipation: Stories often include elements of tension or conflict, which keeps the audience curious and engaged as they anticipate the outcome.

Example: Start your presentation by introducing a challenge or problem, build tension by describing the obstacles, and then resolve the story by showing how your solution provided the answer.


5. Humanizes Data and Facts

Data is critical in many presentations, but numbers alone can feel impersonal and abstract. Storytelling adds a human element, showing how data impacts real people or organizations, making it more relatable and meaningful.

Why It’s Effective:

  • Personalizes the Message: Stories humanize abstract data, helping the audience understand why the information matters.
  • Boosts Persuasiveness: Combining data with a narrative can make your argument more compelling, especially when the story demonstrates real-world benefits.

Example: Instead of just showing a graph of customer satisfaction scores, tell a story about how one satisfied customer’s experience reflects the larger trend.


6. Encourages Action

Storytelling is a powerful tool for persuasion. When done effectively, it not only conveys information but also inspires the audience to take action. By illustrating how a particular solution has worked in the past, you make a strong case for why it will work for your audience as well.

Why It’s Effective:

  • Inspires Change: A compelling story about overcoming challenges or achieving success can motivate the audience to take similar action.
  • Creates a Call to Action: By ending your story with a clear takeaway or next step, you can encourage the audience to act on your message.

Example: Tell the story of a client who faced the same problem as your audience and explain how your solution helped them succeed, ending with a call to action for the audience to implement the same solution.


Final Thoughts

Storytelling is an effective presentation technique because it engages the audience emotionally, simplifies complex ideas, and makes the message more memorable. By weaving data and facts into a compelling narrative, you can captivate your audience and inspire action. Whether you’re delivering a business proposal or a keynote speech, incorporating storytelling will elevate your presentation and make it more impactful.