Presentation Software

You could stand up in front of an audience with no support. Some people do. The most successful ones entertain rather than persuade. We laugh and nod our heads but the underlying message - if there is one - is quickly lost. We might remember a specific joke or even an entire phrase but what did they want us to do?

Most people don't have the skills to hold an audience for a significant amount of time - particularly where there is a serious purpose involved. If you lose the audience then you have no chance of persuading them. That's why presentation software is an absolute necessity for most people. It not only gives the audience something to look at - it also provides another channel of information for your message.

Words Can Mislead
Your brain has different ways to store information. For example, there's a channel that processes and stores the audio information we receive from the outside world. We can remember certain sounds exactly.

However, we usually don't remember every word of a conversation or every word of a presentation. Instead we have a general sense for what was said. There can be significant differences between our understanding and what other people actually meant. This can lead to misunderstanding and confusion.

Anchors
Most people favour the visual channel for processing information. In other words, they prefer to look at something happening rather than just listen to it. They also use the visual channel to support their memory. They write notes to remember things.

Most presentation software is used in this way. A series of lines of text are shown on the screen. These serve as anchors for the audience and the presenter. Each line serves as a starting point for a specific point or explanation.

Persuasion
When you give a presentation you are trying to persuade somebody. You may want them to buy something, sign a contract, loan you money or agree with your idea. The visual aspect of text-based presentations do nothing to help you convince your audience.

In some cases - particularly with large amounts of text - it's actually a distraction. Why? Because text needs decoding. The marks on the screen have to be converted into symbols - then into words - and the words have to be linked to produce meaning. That takes effort.

Images Work
Images are different. They're decoded fast - a legacy of our caveman ancestors. Images can tell a story much better than words and they can embed an emotional content. However, you have to select the graphics carefully. You should only use relevant images that support what you say. One wrong graphic can detract from your argument.

Start With Your Core Message
When we develop graphics for our clients we don't start with the images. Instead we analyse the core messages and develop graphics to support and complement them - not the other way around. Then we develop animated graphics so the images, colours and timing re-enforce each message. That's proven to be very powerful.