Making-Original-Products-presentationzen

NOVEL
Show or tell something novel. Get people’s attention by introducing something
new. Start with a powerful image that’s never been seen, reveal a relevant
short story that’s never been heard, or show a statistic from a brand-new
study that gives new insights into a problem. Chances are your audience is
filled with natural born explorers who crave discovery and are attracted to the
new and the unknown. Novelty is threatening for some people, but assuming
the environment is safe and there is not an over abundance of novelty in the
environment, your audience will be seeking the novel and new.
CHALLENGING
Challenge conventional wisdom or challenge the audience’s assumptions.
Consider challenging people’s imaginations, too: “How would you like to fly
from New York to Tokyo in two hours? Impossible? Well, some experts think it’s
possible!” Challenge people intellectually by asking provocative questions that
make them think. Many presentations and lectures fail because they simply
attempt to transfer information from speaker to listener as if the listeners were
not active participants.
HUMOROUS
Use humor to connect with the audience through a shared laugh. There are
many benefits to laughter. Laughter is contagious. An audience that shares
a laugh becomes more connected with each other and with you, creating a
positive vibe in the room. Laughter releases endorphins, relaxes the whole
body, and can even change one’s perspective. The old adage is if they are
laughing, they are listening. This is true, although it does not necessarily mean
they are learning. It is critical, however, that the humor be directly relevant to
the topic at hand or otherwise fit harmoniously into the flow of the narrative
without distracting you from the objective of your talk.
The concept of recommending humor in a presentation gets a bad rap
because of the common and tired practice of opening up a speech with a joke,
almost always a lame one. However, I’m not talking about telling jokes. Forget
about jokes. On the other hand, an observation of irony, an anecdote, or a short
humorous story that makes a relevant point or introduces the topic and sets the
theme are the kinds of openings that can work.
Chapter 9 Connecting with an Audience
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