Using Presentations to Tell a Better Story
Shelley Fishel Fishel 
A compelling narrative and messages can be shared effectively through presentations. Yet, how often is this done well?
The term "Death by PowerPoint" was coined for a purpose. Too many presentations are boring and tedious.
A surplus of slides. Each slide with way too much text. Too much elaborate styling and little attention to the audience's needs. Inadequate narrative.
It is hardly surprising that the technology was held responsible while subpar presentation delivery was excused.
It is much simpler to complain about a Microsoft product than to address a presenter's lack of knowledge, experience, or training in making powerful speeches.
The Heart of Good Storytelling
Pick a favourite book, movie, or TV program. They will likely share a characteristic. powerful storytelling
The creators of books, movies, and television shows are aware of and comprehend their audience. The same is true of an effective presenter.
For whom is your presentation intended? What is the presentation's purpose? What does your audience need to see?
It's time to put things together after you've thought about the responses to those kinds of questions.
Your presentation is a narrative. As a result, it needs a start, middle, and end.
That makes theoretical sense. However many find this hard to accomplish.
Don’t Stick to One Type
Less effective presentations frequently have content of a particular type. In business, this is especially true.
Slides include information that appeals to the regions of the brain that are more practical, analytical, and mathematical.
A narrative replete with details, features, data, charts, and case studies is given to the audience. Slides present data, show case studies, and highlight systems or procedures.
If that is all a presentation offers, it is understandable why it doesn't have the desired effect on the audience.
What is missing is story!
The Essential Element
Content that emotionally engages the audience is generally absent from these presentations. That is a higher level of storytelling.
Stories that arouse people's emotions elicit a response. Make them smile, sob, or experience emotion.
You can include some of this in a PowerPoint presentation; there is no rule prohibiting it. Slides should assist with the narrative.
What kind of content are we talking about here?
It could involve the recounting of a true or made-up story. Or a tale involving somebody else.
Tell a story, metaphor, fable, or analogy. Add a dash of drama, suspense, or humour to the situation. Take it a step farther and say something startling or display a stirring visual.
Change It Up
You now have a better collection of materials to work with. Utilizing both kinds of content is crucial, as is fusing them together. The data side, provides audiences with the details. The audience is drawn into the topic more by the narrative aspect.
This is exactly what the screenwriters are doing, even though you may not have realized it while watching a movie or TV drama. Your emotions are being switched and shifted as a result of their manipulation. This is why the characters, stories, and favorite television shows captivate and capture us.
The same storytelling technique can help you make better presentations.
Improve Your Skills
Understanding story structure and planning your remarks will help you tell stories more effectively. The next step is to practice.
You may have more experience making a presentation's slide deck because you work as a professional assistant. But occasionally, you may need to create a presentation to showcase a project you are working on, or you may have a proposal to deliver to the C-Suite – one of your own ideas to improve the organisation.
If the thought of doing that makes you anxious, then Essential PowerPoint for The Savvy Assistant is the solution. Helping you learn all about everything PowerPoint has to offer and how to use it.
Another possibility is that your executive or a colleague will request your opinion. It is advantageous for everyone involved to be able to offer constructive feedback from a position of knowledge.
If you frequently use PowerPoint but feel that making presentations takes up far too much time, you might be able to work more efficiently by enrolling in my Essential PowerPoint for the Savvy Assistant Course.
Knowing the "how to" allows you to concentrate more on building a stronger story-based presentation. Good for you, your manager, and your customers.
Go ahead and breathe some life into your upcoming PowerPoint presentation.
Categories: : Blog, Microsoft PowerPoint