the science & design of persuasive business presentations ... · 1250 mb/s sight 125 mb/s touch...

5/12/2017

1

The science & design ofpersuasive business presentations:

a workshop

Adam L. StockChief Marketing & Client Services Officer

Allen Matkins

@adamlstock

1. Tell your audience why they should care

Listeners are more engaged if they understand:

• Why a topic is important or relevant

• Why they should be involved

• What’s at stake

Web data has shown that many of the design“best practices” that I learned were wrong

fMRI technology has shown that many of the design“best practices” that I learned were wrong

What we’ll cover

Business presentation definition

Presentation science

Presentation graphic design improvements

Presentation instructional design improvements

What we’ll do

Several interactive exercises covering the material

5/12/2017

2

BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS

a definition

The way we present information in business has evolved dramatically

A “Business Presentation” is the presentation format that we give when conducting business

Used to persuadeothers to adoptan idea

The TED talk format is engaging

but it is not well suited to business

TED Talks and Business Presentations have different attributes

Attribute TED Talk Business Presentation

Dominant theme Inspirational story Logical argument

Narrative driven by Words Visuals

Performance type Linear/Scripted Interactive/Adaptive

Protagonist Presenter/Audience Idea/Company

Business Presentations need to weather challenging, often contradictory, conditions

“You have only 10 minutes, not 30.”Need to be easily shortened

“We only want to hear about …”; “Provide more detail on …”

Need to be non-sequentially accessible and adaptable

“Sorry, something's come up and I can’t be there. Please send your slides.”

Need to stand on their own without explanation

5/12/2017

3

TED Talk Business Presentation

PRESENTATION SCIENCE

Hypothesis: the best path between originating and receiving an idea is the shortest

Originate ReceiveTransmit

Information Theory

Cognitive Load Theory

INFORMATION THEORY

By boosting the signal-to-noise ratio, we can design better presentations

COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY

By understanding the brain processes involved in learning, we can design better presentations

Cognitive Load Theory builds upon the widely accepted model of human information processing

SensoryMemory

Long-TermMemory

WorkingMemory

Incominginformation

Encoding

Retrieval

Rehearsal

Forgotten Forgotten

5/12/2017

4

We need to optimize the use of Working Memory

EXTRANEOUShow information is presented

INTRINSIC the learning task

GERMANEprocessing information,constructing andautomating schema

Working Memory is limited

Load imposed by:

better graphic &instructional design

Improve through:

Working Memory can process both words and pictures simultaneously

This is your brain on “word heavy” presentations

1250 MB/s

Sight

125 MB/s

Touch12.5 MB/s

HearingSmell

Taste

Our visual system is>100x more efficient

than our hearing

2. Use visual andverbal channels

Pictures with word-based explanations work best

What matters most is how you view yourself 2. Use visual and

verbal channels

Place labels as close as possible to the corresponding graphics

Dr. Seuss, One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

5/12/2017

5

WORKSHOP EXERCISE

MAKE YOUR POINT WITH VISUALS

Instructions

• Use the crayons and paper on your table

• Sketch the very, very first image that comes into your head(If something doesn’t come to mind, move on to the next example)

• We’ll compare examples afterward

“Client’s Return on Sales ranks fourth” Exercises

• The task forces are moving in opposite directions

• The age distribution of the firm differs sharply from its clients

GRAPHIC DESIGN

IMPROVEMENTS

3. Remove all marks that don’t support your idea

Unnecessary marks cause “split attention”

5/12/2017

6

3. Remove all marks that don’t support your idea4. Provide a consistent format so people know

where to look

REASONS SLIDE TEMPLATES WORK WELL

Provide a consistent structure

Font sizes are consistent and readable

Color and design is consistent

5. Don’t use decorative fonts

Which of these headlines is easiest to read?


6. Choose color & contrast to improve legibility



In dim lighting





In bright lighting

5/12/2017

7

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

IMPROVEMENTS

7. Break information into manageable chunks

One concept per slide

Maximum of four bullets per slide

12

34

Which of these is easier to remember?

854 679 6329

8546796329

8. Begin presentations with your recommendation or point

Dear Shirley,

Remember last Saturday afternoon when I was playing with my boyfriend in the park and you came over, and he told me that when my back was turned you kissed him?

And also, on Sunday when you came to my house and my Mom made you a tuna fish salad for lunch and you said: “Yech! That’s the worst salad I ever ate!”?

And yesterday, when my cat brushed against your leg, you kicked her and threatened to sic your dog “Monster” on her?

Well for all these reasons, I hate you, and I no longer want to be your friend.

LucyGene Zelazny, Say It With Presentations

8. Begin presentations with your recommendation or point

Dear Shirley,

I HATE you. Here are my reasons:

• You stole my boyfriend

• You insulted my mother

• You scared my cat

Gene Zelazny, Say It With Presentations

9. Ensure that your message is clear on EVERY slide

BEFORE

Types of Patent Applications

• Defensive Patents – protect your work

• Offensive Patents – protect against workarounds

• Combination Patents – enable partnering

AFTER

A strong patent portfolio mix will advance your business goals• Defensive Patents – protect your work

• Offensive Patents – protect against workarounds

• Combination Patents – enable partnering

Topic (Fact) Message (Editorial)

5/12/2017

8

Slide titles should be clauses that communicate your message

30% of the time we’re not focused

They help people re-engage when they re-focus

They communicate your message when you’re not there to present

WORKSHOP EXERCISE

COMMUNICATING YOUR MESSAGE IN YOUR SLIDE TITLES

Rewrite the headline

Rewrite the headline

JD Supra Report for 2012

Content Views

Avg. Views/Document

Average AMLAW100 Firm (1 – 100)

335,600 1,246

Average AMLAW200 Firm (101 – 200)

192,800 987

Our Firm (AMLAW 165)

447,600 1,301

be a slide DJYou need to

Adapt the slides you show &

their order to fit your audience

5/12/2017

9

10. A hierarchical slide organization provides the flexibility to easily address changes

High level Detail Backup

“We’re short on time…”


A hierarchical slide organization is flexible

“We only want to hear about …”



“Can you provide more detail?”



11. Use simple, straightforward language

Be culturally aware

11. Use simple, straightforward language

Your message may not survive translation

“Out of sight;out of mind.”

“Invisible thingsare crazy.”

Don’t use idioms

5/12/2017

10

12. Use charts to communicate quantitative information

Numerical data is hard to understand

The data

Are these data similar?


Can’t tell

x y

10.0 8.04

8.0 6.95

13.0 7.58

9.0 8.81

11.0 8.33

14.0 9.96

6.0 7.24

4.0 4.26

12.0 10.84

7.0 4.82

5.0 5.68

x y

10.0 9.24

8.0 8.14

13.0 8.74

9.0 8.77

11.0 9.26

14.0 8.10

6.0 6.13

4.0 3.10

12.0 9.13

7.0 7.26

5.0 4.74

x y

10.0 7.46

8.0 6.77

13.0 12.74

9.0 7.11

11.0 7.81

14.0 8.84

6.0 6.08

4.0 5.39

12.0 8.15

7.0 6.42

5.0 5.73

x y

8.0 6.58

8.0 5.76

8.0 7.71

8.0 8.84

8.0 8.47

8.0 7.04

8.0 5.25

19.0 12.50

8.0 5.56

8.0 7.91

8.0 6.89


Property Value

Mean of x 9

Sample variance of x 11

Mean of y 7.50

Sample variance of y 4.12

Correlation btw x and y 0.816

Linear regression line y = 3.00 +0.500x

These data sets have similar propertiesAre these data similar?

Common analytics say that they are similar

Yes

Analytics of the same data

Charts show us complex data best

Charts of the same data

We understand the patterns in charts effortlessly though our visual systems!

Are these data similar?

No!

13. Each chart should have a message (not a topic)

Possible messages: pick one!

The number of contracts has increased

The number of contracts has been fluctuating

In August, the number of contracts reached its highest point

The number of contracts declined in two of the eight months

0

20

40

60

80

J F M A M J J A

Number of Contracts

Topic

Gene Zelazny, Say It With Charts

0

20

40

60

80

J F M A M J J A

Number of Contracts

Topic

13. Each chart should have a message (not a topic)

Possible messages: pick one!

The number of contracts has increased

The number of contracts has been fluctuating

In August, the number of contracts reached its highest point

The number of contracts declined in two of the eight months


5/12/2017

11

Choosing the correct chart form depends completely on your being clear about what your message is

There are five basic types of charts

Pie Bar Column

Line ScatterGene Zelazny, Say It With Charts

14. Use the appropriate chart for your message

Pie Charts Show components

“Yellow products are 26% of sales”


Part of a Whole


Bar ChartsCompare quantities

“Region 1 had the most sales.”


Comparison


Column ChartsShow changes in quantity over time

“Sales were highest in our most recent quarter”


Time or Frequency


Line ChartsShow trends

“Sales are increasing.”


Trend

5/12/2017

12


Scatter ChartsShow correlations

“Product sales correlate with ad exposure.”


Correlation


STEPS

1. Determine your message

2. Identify the comparison

3. Select the chart form

Component Item Time Series Frequency Correlation

BA

RP

IEC

OLU

MN

LIN

ESC

AT

TE

R

Kinds of Comparisons

Bas

ic C

har

t Fo

rms

Choose the chart form based on the kind of comparison WORKSHOP EXERCISE

CHOOSING THE CORRECT COMPARISON

Revenues are forecast to increase over the next 10 years

Component

Item

Time Series

Frequency Distribution

Correlation

The largest number of employees earns between $50,000 and $60,000

Component

Item

Time Series


Correlation

5/12/2017

13

The size of salary increases is not related to tenure

Component

Item

Time Series


Correlation

In December, Litigation outperformed of all other practice groups

Component

Item

Time Series


Correlation

The partner spends only 15% of her time on business development activities

Component

Item

Time Series


Correlation

Using these principles, you can create exciting & versatile business presentations

References

columbia.com

instructionaldesign.org/

theelearningcoach.com/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load

mindtools.com/

info.shiftelearning.com/

THANK YOU

Adam L. Stock

[email protected]@adamlstock

the science & design of persuasive business presentations ... · 1250 mb/s sight 125 mb/s touch...

Documents