I
have mentioned several times before both on my class discussion boards and in
this blog that I absolutely love listening to (or watching) TED Talks. There’s
just something about them that absolutely captivates me. Almost every idea that
you can imagine falls into one of the three categories: Technology, Entertainment,
or Design (often “design” meaning the design of society). But what is it
about those talks that is so captivating? What makes them so special? Now of
course TED Talks are not the only captivating and moving presentations.
However, in order to make it to the TED stage, you have to be pretty well
vetted first. You have to actually know how to give an amazing presentation. So
how exactly does one give an amazing presentation? In her TED Talk, Nancy
Duarte, author of Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform
Audiences,
addresses that very topic.
Duarte doesn’t just give a checklist
of things that make a great presentation. It isn’t like, “Oh, first, do this.
Then, do this.” There isn’t just a set formula for an amazing presentation but
she does have some fresh perspectives that are worth noting. First, she echoes Chris
Anderson (2016), curator of TED Talks, when he addressed his “secrets” to great
public speaking. You first need an idea that is worth spreading. As that was
established in an earlier blog, let’s move on from that point. We will just use
that as a given. We have an idea worth spreading. (Check!) So how do we present
that idea? Duarte’s (2011) first and perhaps most important piece of advice is
to be fired up about your idea! How are you going to call others to action or
get others to embrace your idea if you are not fired up about it? She uses a
wonderful story about a poster that she once found representing an ironic
figure participating in a revolution holding a can of spices. Why was that ironic?
The woman revolting was so passionate about her spices that she was willing to
go to war for them! (As always, the link is contained in my reference below. I
encourage you to watch at least the first few minutes of the video as a point
of reference.) We must first be fired up about our own great ideas! All too
often, we allow our ideas to die because we are afraid to present them or to
fight for them. Make sure that you are passionate about your idea.
Duarte goes on to say that the most
powerful ideas are actually conveyed through the use of stories. Of course the
challenge comes with incorporating a story into a presentation. She gave a
piece of advice that was very fresh, though. Who is typically the hero of your
story when you are giving a presentation? It may seem like the presenter is the
logical choice. However, to really connect with the audience, the audience must
actually be the hero. Any random person sitting in the audience of your
presentation should be able to see themselves in that role. Make them believe
it is them. They are the stars.
Another thing to consider is the
actual “shape” of the presentation. As she showed a visual of it, it kind of reminded
me of binary. It was like “off here, on here”. To have a very successful
presentation, you have to show what is (off) and what can be (on) and go back
and forth a little. What is. What can be. Off. On. The key is to really amplify
the gap. In her presentation, Duarte highlights great speeches from both Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Steve Jobs. They both show the current state but
then they leave the audience with a picture of the utopia that is to come.
(Perhaps “utopia” is a strong work but strong presentations call for strong
words!) You want to continue to go back
and forth with this. Show what is and show what can be. Snap the audience back
and forth and highlight that gap. Show how your idea is going to make life
better.
Ultimately, the greatest piece of
advice that Duarte gives us in my opinion is as follows: “The future isn’t a
place that we’re going to go. It’s a place that you get to create.” (2011). That
may seem a little cliché and a bit abstract but, bearing in mind the advice she
has already given, when we are fired up, make the audience the hero of the
story, and show them what can be vs. what currently is, we can present any idea
(worth spreading) in a way that it will not only be accepted but also actioned.
And isn’t that the goal? When we spread ideas, we want others to embrace the
idea as their own.
References
Anderson,
C. (March, 2016). Chris Anderson: TED’S
secret to great public speaking.
[Video file].
Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_teds_secret_to_great_public_speaking
Duarte,
N. (Nov, 2011). Nancy Duarte: The secret
structure of great talks [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks
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