👸🏻 How to make everybody listen to your presentations · The Bunker #36

When I gave presentations, I had the feeling that no one was listening to what I was saying.

I was looking at the audience and I knew that they were tired, bored and not paying attention to what I was saying.

Therefore, I was paying much more attention to the fact that nobody was listening to me, than the presentation itself.

However, the final project of University was coming and somehow I needed to learn all those tricks to get the audience hooked on my presentation. If not, I was done.

As a professional or student, you might be required to give presentations from time to time. Presentations can be nerve-wracking, especially when you're presenting in front of a large audience.

But with the right skills and knowledge, you can make eye-catching presentations and deliver your message effectively.

In this post, we'll be discussing actionable tips to talk better in presentations, how to be more charismatic, how to make better presentations overall, and what makes TED talks presentations so good.

🗣️ First speak, then show the slide

When you're presenting, it's important to keep the audience engaged. One common mistake presenters make is showing the slide first, then talking along.

This can be a recipe for disaster, as the audience will focus on the slide and miss out on what you're saying.

The viewer will be attentive to what you present visually, they are curious to see what you show them. And even if they are listening to you... you can't do two things at once. Either they will pay more attention to the presentation, or they will pay more attention to you and not see what you are showing them on screen.

Instead, start by talking and then showing the slide to emphasize your point.

This way, you'll have their attention and can add more value to the slide.

🎁 Leave the final design at the end · The Reward

We will talk more about this at the end

Design is an essential part of any presentation, but it's important to leave it until the end.

If you start with design, people will have seen it already, and it won't be as impactful.

Instead, start with the content and structure of your presentation, then add the design elements as a surprise.

This will create hype and engage your audience.

In TikTok/YouTube it works the same way. For example:

• Start: "This place is 10 times cheaper than Bali, and more amazing".
• During: You show videos, photos and explain the place.
• End: You say the name of the place and give the prize.

If you say the name at the beginning, the user won’t keep paying attention to the video. He’ll take the name and will Googe it by himself.

🪄 Be Charismatic

Charisma it’s a very interesting topic to talk about. It means, the way you talk. The HOW. The how you communicate the message and how you create an impact for your audience.

Is important as a speaker because it can significantly impact how the audience perceives and responds to your message.

1. Captivating the audience: Charismatic speakers have a way of captivating their audience, keeping them engaged and interested in what they have to say. This can help ensure that the audience is receptive to your message and more likely to remember it.
2. Building credibility: Charisma can help build credibility and establish trust with your audience. When you're confident, engaging, and authentic, your audience is more likely to view you as an expert in your field and trust the information you're presenting.
3. Inspiring action: Charismatic speakers can inspire action in their audience by appealing to their emotions and motivating them to take action. When you're passionate and enthusiastic about your message, you can inspire others to feel the same way and take action towards achieving a common goal.
4. Making a lasting impression: Charismatic speakers have a way of leaving a lasting impression on their audience. When you're engaging, authentic, and memorable, your audience is more likely to remember your message long after the presentation is over.
5. Be confident: People are naturally drawn to confident individuals. Speak with conviction and demonstrate that you believe in what you're saying.
6. Practice active listening: People feel valued and appreciated when they're heard. Listen actively to what others are saying, and respond thoughtfully.
7. Use positive body language: Nonverbal cues, such as eye contact, smiling, and open body language, can convey confidence and charisma.
8. Be engaging: Make an effort to be interesting and engaging when you speak. Share stories, ask questions, and express curiosity.
9. Be authentic: Don't try to be someone you're not. Instead, be yourself and let your natural personality shine through.
10. Pay attention to your tone: The way you speak is just as important as what you say. Speak clearly, vary your tone, and use emphasis to make important points.
11. Be enthusiastic: When you're excited about something, it's contagious. Show enthusiasm for the topics you're discussing and the people you're speaking with.

👀 Make Eye-Catching Presentations

Simply avoid PowerPoint presentations, we all know what I mean by that.

To make eye-catching presentations, you need to focus on the design. Keep in mind that less is often more, so avoid cluttering your slides with too much information.

• Use clear, high-quality images and graphics that are relevant to your topic.
• Make sure your fonts and colors are consistent throughout your presentation.
• Use only 1 font.
• Use different sizes to generate contrast.
• Use a highlighting color.

• Use gifs to make it more personal and funnier.

• Use few little text: We want the user to pay attention to us. If you put a lot of text in the presentation, the user will be reading, not listening to what we have to say.
• This will make your presentation more visually appealing and easier to follow.

There’s no need to mention that these are basic concepts, but we could dive deeper into everything mentioned above in another post if you wish. Just let me know it.

🔥 Why are TED Talks Presentations So Good?

TED Talks presentations are some of the best in the world.

They're engaging, inspiring, and thought-provoking. But what makes them so good?

First, they focus on storytelling. TED Talks presenters know how to tell a good story, and they do it in a way that captivates their audience.

They use visuals effectively. The visuals they use are high-quality, relevant, and add value to the presentation. They're charismatic. TED Talks presenters know how to use their body language, tone, and pace to engage their audience effectively.

Giving an effective presentation requires more than just having good content. You need to be engaging, charismatic, and have an eye for design. By following the tips outlined in this blog post, you'll be able to make eye-catching presentations and deliver them effectively.

By studying TED Talks presentations, you'll be able to see firsthand what makes a presentation good. Remember to practice, be confident, and have fun!

📖 Storytelling

Stories are important because it can basically help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and make your message more memorable.

1. Captivating the audience: Stories have the power to captivate the audience, holding their attention and keeping them engaged. By using storytelling in your presentation, you can make your message more interesting and engaging for your audience.
2. Making the message more relatable: Stories can help make your message more relatable by putting it in context and showing how it applies to real-world situations. By sharing stories that your audience can relate to, you can help them see the relevance of your message to their own lives.
3. Enhancing retention: People remember stories better than they remember facts and figures. By incorporating storytelling into your presentation, you can make your message more memorable and increase the likelihood that your audience will remember it long after the presentation is over.
4. Building empathy: Stories can help build empathy by putting a human face on the issues and challenges you're discussing. By sharing stories that highlight the experiences of others, you can help your audience develop a deeper understanding of the issues at hand and foster empathy towards those affected by them.
5. Creating an emotional connection: Stories have the power to evoke emotions, making your message more impactful and memorable. By using storytelling to create an emotional connection with your audience, you can help them connect with your message on a deeper level and inspire them to take action.

Finally, and probably one of the things I like most about using narration in my presentations, is that it helps me memorize what I have to say.

If I have to memorize a text and then throw it up, at least for me it is very hard to memorize things as they are. I need tricks and tools to make it easier.

If I build a story, I’m creating in my head a much more logical and VISUAL structure to deliver the message.

If I have a message, I try to think of a scene from a movie, a personal anecdote… whatever I have to make a visual correlation. So, whenever I think of that movie scene I decided to make a correlation with, I can tell the story/message I wanted to give.

👸🏻 Personal anecdotes, empathize, connecting and resonating with the audience

Mentioning personal anecdotes, empathizing, connecting, and resonating with the audience is important in a presentation because it helps to build rapport, credibility, and trust with the audience.

We need the user to feel that a person is telling something to another person.

When you share personal anecdotes, you're opening up and allowing the audience to get to know you on a more personal level.

1. Establishing credibility: By sharing personal anecdotes, you're showing that you have first-hand experience with the topic you're discussing. This can help establish credibility and make the audience more likely to trust your expertise.
2. Empathizing: When you empathize with the audience, you're showing that you understand their perspective and are able to relate to their experiences. This can help build trust and make it easier for the audience to accept your message.
3. Connecting: When you connect with the audience, you're making a personal connection that goes beyond the presentation. This can help build relationships and make it more likely that the audience will seek you out for future collaborations or opportunities.
4. Resonating: When you resonate with the audience, you're tapping into their emotions and showing that you understand their concerns and struggles. This can help build trust and make it easier for the audience to accept your message and take action.

🎢 (And most importantly) The Dopamine Curve

In a presentation, creating dopamine upward curves is crucial to generate the feeling of wanting more and more throughout the presentation. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in motivation, reward, and pleasure.

When a person experiences something that triggers dopamine release, they feel pleasure and satisfaction, which motivates them to seek out more of the same experience.

When a presenter creates upward curves of dopamine, they are effectively creating an engaging and enjoyable experience for the audience. By providing new and interesting information, using humor or storytelling, or incorporating interactive elements, the presenter can trigger dopamine release in the audience, which will make them feel more engaged and interested in the presentation.

The key to creating upward curves of dopamine is to vary the presentation's content and delivery, making sure that there is always something new and exciting for the audience to experience. By doing so, the presenter can maintain the audience's attention and interest, making it more likely that they will retain the information presented and be motivated to act on it.

This graph represents what should be the levels of interest of users in our presentations (also applies to videos).

First we must show something attractive that generates curiosity for the rest of the presentation.

A good presentation should start and end in the best possible way.

The beginning will help you set the user's expectations and keep them attentive throughout the presentation. We can call it, the hook. We need the audience hooked.

The better you start, the more curious and intrigued the audience will be.

We need to generate a sense of "I want more, I need more".

Creating upward curves of dopamine is crucial in a presentation because it keeps the audience engaged and interested, motivating them to seek out more of the same experience.

By varying the presentation's content and delivery, the presenter can create an enjoyable and engaging experience for the audience.

If the presentation starts out boring, the viewer will stop paying attention.

The ending is super important, because is when we give the user “the reward”, what they have been expecting for.

At the beginning of the presentation you have created expectations. During the presentation you have been generating more and more intrigue for the user.

If the ending is incredibly good and the viewer can solve their question, they will be very satisfied with the presentation.

If the ending is mediocre or not what the viewer expected, the viewer will not have resolved the intrigue generated throughout the presentation and will not be satisfied.

That is why the graph shows the peak at the end, because that is when we show the final result, or the final design and generate the "wow" effect.

To finish understanding all this theory, I show you an example. In this Case Study, you will see the order of the presentation and you will be able to see the concepts that I have recently explained applied.

Until next time,

Cheers, Jordi Espinosa.