Most presenters still don’t get the picture

People are motivated by emotion more than logic. People choose a profession based on emotion. They make buying decisions based on emotion. They marry based on emotion.

Given that emotion is central to people’s motivation, we want our presentations to stimulate the audience’s emotions. And nothing gets an emotional reaction faster than a powerful image.

So why do PowerPoint presentations so rarely contain any photographs or other evocative imagery? Instead, they have tables, charts, graphs and other dry data formats that do nothing to the viewer’s bloodstream.

Put the power of imagery to work in your presentations and see the difference it makes.

This technique has been used on you more times than you can probably remember. Why do relief organizations show pictures of starving children while asking for donations? Why do animal rescue organizations show abused dogs and cats while urging you to phone their offices with credit card in hand? Why do infomercials present pictures and videos of those who have benefited from their products or services?

Because when people are activated on a visceral level the dollars roll in.

Do visitors get tangled in your web presence?

The Compass Design website communicates what so many other company websites fail to communicate: “What, exactly, do you do?” And “how, exactly, would you work with me?” This website demystifies a process that is very mysterious to most people. Here is how it accomplishes that feat…

Writing and speaking in a distinctive voice

Simply rewording clichés and speaking more directly is just a first-level effort in the campaign to develop a distinctive voice that turns you into an oak among willows. Still, this first-level effort alone can make you a remarkably refreshing speaker and writer, one who sounds more like the office soloist than a choir boy or girl. Here’s how…

Why we speak and write in clichés and common phrases

How many people in your workplace use distinctive words when speaking or writing? Here’s a wild guess: damn few if any. That’s because we all speak in common phrases and clichés – not to mention that dreadful industry parlance. When it comes to communication, people resemble parrots. We walk around repeating the same tired words and phrases. But why? Here are three reasons…

Overcoming writer’s block, part 2

Last week I wrote about overcoming writer’s block with a focused reading session (advice taught me by a high school English literature professor). This week we consider an entirely different approach, a piece of advice from novelist and writer expert Anne Lamott…