What You Can Learn about Your Business Presentation from the i-phone and i-pad

Now for many people Macs are like Marmite- you either love them or loathe them- but the enormous success of the i-phone and its big sister the i-pad (and to a lesser extent other android devices) is due in no small way to their high concept design which has come to be associated with Apple.

They have four characteristics that can teach us something about an effective presentation:
•  They’re simple
•  They’re intuitive
•  They assume the intelligence of the end user
•  They are multi-touch and interactive

and an effective presentation should have the same basic characteristics.

It should be simple.
Most presenters make the basic mistake of overestimating how much information the audience can take in, in a certain period of time. They bombard their listeners with far too many facts and figures. They overwhelm their audience with too much information which just switches them off. So keep it simple.

It should be intuitive.
Make your presentation easy for the audience to follow. Although you know your stuff your presentation is new to them and you have to provide them with a logical sequence or connect the bits of information together so that it flows. If you make it difficult to follow they will switch off.

It should assume the intelligence of the listeners
One of the worst mistakes you can make as a speaker is to talk down to your audience. Do your research beforehand and find out about their existing knowledge level. Don’t underestimate them and add value to your presentation with stories, examples, anecdotes that are customised for them.

It should be multi-touch and interactive
Connect with your audience in a multi-touch way through as many of their senses as possible- have visual, auditory and kinaesthetic elements and add taste and smell as well if you can. Make it interactive. Give your audience an activity to do- even if it is only to share some thinking with the person sitting next to them- because then they’ll remember much more of your presentation and you.

Until next time,

with best wishes for your success,

Cath

Cath Daley Ltd.