Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences

Successful communicators possess the ability to influence their audiences and persuade them to accept their ideas. This influence is achieved by crafting messages that hold meaning and evoke a deep level of understanding among the listeners or readers.

Resonance, in a broader context, is a physical phenomenon that occurs when the natural vibration frequency of an object is impacted by an external stimulus that shares the same frequency. When applied to communication, resonance can be seen as a metaphorical concept. Just as an object resonates when it encounters a stimulus of matching frequency, effective communicators strive to resonate with their audience on a deep level.

To truly stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of the audience, we should demonstrate how our idea differs from existing beliefs, feelings, or attitudes. By highlighting the unique aspects of our message, we can pique the interest of our audience and encourage them to pay attention and engage with the content.

One powerful tool in the communicator's arsenal is the use of stories. Stories have a remarkable ability to convey information in a compelling and memorable way. Harnessing the power of storytelling can help us create a strong emotional connection with our audience, allowing them to relate to the message on a personal level.

Presentations are often perceived as dull and filled with dry data, but they should actually strive to captivate the audience with exciting ideas. The key is to move away from a mundane report-like format and instead tell a compelling story that engages people. To achieve this, you need to spark the audience's interest by creating a desire within them and demonstrating how your ideas can fulfill that desire.

Just like any story, presentations should have a well-defined beginning, middle, and end.

In the beginning, you paint a picture of the audience's current world. You briefly talk about what everyone agrees is true. This shows that you understand their situation and perspectives. It doesn't have to be long, just a short statement to set the baseline. Ideally, the beginning should not exceed 10% of the total presentation time.

Following the beginning, there is the first turning point known as the "call to adventure." This is akin to the inciting incident in a movie, where an imbalance is created by presenting what could be in contrast to what currently is. Introduce a memorable big idea that conveys the possibilities and contrasts them with the present state. It is important that the gap between the current situation and the potential future is clear and explicit, avoiding any ambiguity.

After the turning point comes the middle part of the presentation. Here, the aim is to highlight contrasts and create tension to keep the audience engaged. Audiences enjoy experiencing a dilemma and witnessing its resolution, even if the dilemma arises from a viewpoint that opposes their own. There are three types of contrast that can be employed: content contrast, emotion contrast, and delivery contrast.

Content contrast compares what is to what could be and explores different viewpoints. Emotion contrast alternates between logical and emotional content. Delivery contrast mixes traditional and nontraditional presentation methods to keep things interesting.

After the middle, there's another turning point. This is where you clearly define what you're asking the audience to do. Instead of ending with a boring to-do list, paint a vivid picture of the potential rewards they can expect.

Lastly, the presentation concludes with an ending. Ideally, you should wrap up the presentation on a higher note than where it began, ensuring that everyone comprehends the rewards that lie in the future. The audience should either understand something new or be motivated to do something differently. Reinforce the most important points and deliver inspirational remarks that encompass what the world will look like when your ideas are adopted.

By structuring your presentation like a story, you create an imbalance that the audience wants to see resolved. It also helps you identify a clear gap that the audience can fill. This approach captures their attention, makes them connect with your ideas, and helps them envision a better future.

Understanding what resonates with your audience is vital for establishing a connection with them. An audience is a group of people who come together for your presentation, even if it's just for an hour or so. They all hear the same message, but each person takes it in differently and finds their own meaning in it. But if you can find common ground with them, they'll be more open to your perspective.

One approach is to tailor your message to specific individuals in the audience. Make it feel like a personal conversation with the most important people. Even if only one person really gets it, if that person is the right one, it can make a big impact.

To do this, you can segment your audience into smaller groups. You divide them based on things like age, gender, occupation, or location. This helps you focus on the segment that will be most interested in and supportive of your message.

Once you've chosen your target segment, it's time to do some research. Send out surveys to learn more about your audience. Check out popular blogs by industry experts to see what's on their minds. You can even take a look at their social media profiles to get a sense of who they are. The goal is to accurately define your audience for the type of presentation you're giving.

But it's not just about demographics. You also want to know what your audience cares about and how it relates to your ideas. Study their lifestyle, values, motivations, and desires. Find out what they already know about your topic. The more you know, the better you can connect with them.

Once you have all this information, it's time to find common ground. Find shared experiences and goals that resonate with your audience. By doing this, you build trust and credibility, making it easier for them to see things from your perspective.

Remember, a presentation that creates common ground can bring together a diverse group of people for a common purpose. Even if they have different backgrounds and perspectives, people are willing to put aside their differences when they feel strongly connected to a shared goal.

Presentations are effective when they have a clear destination in mind. Without a mapped-out objective for the audience, the presentation may fail to achieve its intended purpose. The definition or goal you establish acts as a guiding force, ensuring that every piece of content you share contributes to moving the audience closer to that destination.

Remember that a presentation is like taking your audience on a journey. Your aim is to persuade them to let go of old beliefs or habits and embrace new ones. However, change is not always easy, and people often resist it. They may question your message or push back because admitting they were wrong can be difficult.

To effectively handle resistance, it's important to anticipate it. Consider the objections or concerns your audience might have. Address these concerns proactively before they even have a chance to raise them. By doing so, you demonstrate that you understand where they're coming from and are ready to tackle their doubts.

Sometimes, resistance stems from the perceived risks or sacrifices involved. If you're asking your audience to take a leap of faith or give something up, acknowledge their concerns and provide reassurance. Let them know that you're there to support them through the process and that the potential benefits outweigh the perceived drawbacks.

Lastly, offering tangible rewards is vital to motivate the audience to take action. No matter how compelling your plea or argument, people are unlikely to act unless they perceive a rewarding outcome. If your call to action requires them to sacrifice their time, money, or opinions, clearly communicate the benefits and rewards they will gain from doing so. Make it evident that the payoff is worth the investment they are making.

Idea generation is a crucial part of delivering a presentation. Before you even step on stage, you want to make sure you have the best possible idea in hand.

Keep generating ideas around a specific theme until you've explored all the possibilities. Interestingly, the really clever ideas tend to show up in the third or fourth round of brainstorming.

There are two main ways to generate as many ideas as possible:

First, there's the idea-collection. Here, you gather existing ideas from different sources like industry studies, competitor insights, news articles, partner programs, and surveys. It's important to go wide and deep, gathering as much information as you can about your competitors' messaging. This helps you position yourself differently. Don't forget to explore related topics too, as they might provide some valuable insights.

The second method is idea creation. This is where you let your creativity flow. Be curious, take risks, and trust your instincts. Come up with ideas that have never been associated with your main idea before.

Once you have generated a list of ideas, it's time to filter them.

Keep in mind that your ideas should be more than just facts. While facts are valuable, they alone cannot create a successful presentation. Striking a balance between analytical and emotional content is essential.

Aristotle argued that to persuade others, you need to use ethical appeal, emotional appeal, and logical appeal. Simply bombarding the audience with facts won't help them understand why those facts matter. So, use emotions to highlight the importance of the facts and make them stand out. Otherwise, you're making the audience work too hard to figure out what decision they should make.

Now, besides balancing analytical and emotional content, it's also effective to introduce a contrasting idea. By presenting an idea alongside its polar opposite, you create interest and engage the audience even more. It adds energy to your presentation and gets people fully involved.

Lastly, to ensure your ideas truly resonate with the audience, it is essential to transform them into meaningful content by harnessing the power of storytelling.

Remarkable presentations often incorporate personal stories. When shaping your content, consider moments where you want the audience to experience specific emotions. Sharing your own experiences that evoke those emotions enables you to establish a deeper connection with the audience.

A successful presentation is not without structure. A well-structured presentation not only helps the presenter identify any gaps in the content but also keeps them focused on the main points. Meanwhile, presentations that lack structure often fail to engage the audience effectively. To address this, presenters should move away from the linear format commonly used in presentation applications and instead create a visually appealing presentation.

The visual presentation allows the content to be grouped together in a way that is easily understandable for the audience. This grouping enables the presenter to assess the emphasis placed on each topic and determine the number of supporting points required to convey the message effectively.

There are several organizational structures that can be implemented, depending on the intended message of the presentation. The most commonly used structure is the topical structure, where the supporting information revolves around larger topics. This structure can be visualized using a logic tree or an outline, with points held together under a main unifying idea from which the topics cascade down.

However, presentations can incorporate other, less conventional organizational patterns to replace or arrange content within a subtopic. These alternative structures often have a natural, story-like form that adds interest to the presentation. Four examples of such structures include:

• Chronological structure: Arranging the content according to the progression of time.
• Sequential structure: Organizing the content according to a specific process or sequence.
• Spatial structure: Arranging the content based on how things relate to each other in a physical space.
• Climactic structure: Structuring the content according to the level of importance, building up to a climactic point.

Now if you're delivering a persuasive presentation that needs contrast, you may utilize the problem-solution, compare-contrast, cause-effect, or advantage-disadvantage structures.

No matter which structure you choose, remember to guide your audience through it using clear verbal or visual cues. These cues will let them know where you are in your presentation and where you're taking them. It keeps everyone on the same page and ensures they understand the direction you're going in.

In order to maintain the momentum of a conversation and generate widespread interest in your presentation, it is essential to incorporate a memorable and impactful moment called a "Something They'll Always Remember" (S.T.A.R.) moment. This moment should be so powerful and compelling that it becomes the talk of the town.

The S.T.A.R. moment needs to be significant, sincere, and enlightening, amplifying your main idea instead of distracting from it. There are five types of S.T.A.R. moments you can use:

• Memorable dramatization: Use small dramatizations, like props or demos, or go bigger with reenactments or skits to convey insights and engage the audience.
• Repeatable sound bites: Create short and catchy phrases that can be easily shared, making their headlines for the press, energizing social media, and giving employees something to rally behind.
• Evocative visuals: Pictures speak volumes and evoke strong emotions. Use compelling images that form a memorable connection to the information you're presenting.
• Emotive storytelling: Package information into captivating stories that people will remember and share long after the presentation ends.
• Shocking statistics: If you come across shocking statistics, don't just brush them aside. Draw attention to them and highlight their importance to ensure they have a lasting impact on your audience.

Remember to make your S.T.A.R. moment worthwhile and appropriate for your audience. Understand their preferences and what resonates best with them.

When delivering a presentation, the signal-to-noise ratio is an important factor in how well your message is received. Your role as the presenter is to minimize the noise and ensure a clear and concise message reaches your audience.

There are four main types of noise that can disrupt your signal and hinder effective communication. The first is credibility noise, which arises when the audience questions your believability or likability. The second is semantic noise, which occurs due to language and interpretation barriers.

Experiential noise is another type that stems from factors such as the speaker's delivery style or the venue where the presentation takes place. Lastly, bias noise occurs when the speaker filters their ideas through personal biases or dogmatic beliefs, which can alienate or confuse the audience.

To reduce or eliminate these noises, there are several strategies you can employ: giving a positive first impression, using layman's terms to bridge any comprehension gaps, reducing the content on slides, and keeping your presentation concise and focused on the main points. It is also important to strike a balance in emotional appeal, ensuring that it enhances rather than detracts from your message.

To ensure you'll have a flawless presentation, you may also consider hosting a screening of your presentation with honest critics who can provide valuable feedback and help identify any areas for improvement.