Learn to Win the Presentation Game from the Best
Muncie, Indiana NEWS – With the 2016 election finding its place on traditional news and social media outlets, the words that the politicians are saying may not offer much in the way of an education but the manner in which they say things does. The modern politician is a master presenter.
Whether for school or work, presentations are a must and the politician is the best example of how to put together a winning presentation.
Be Confident
Research has shown that self-confidence directly mediates a person’s success in oral presentations. Among students who are assigned oral presentations, positive feedback before the performance can generally make the presentation more engaging to viewers.
The two front-runners from the opposing sides of the aisle are prime examples of confidence in speech. At the Dallas, Texas, rally, GOP leader Donald Trump got rave cheers, not for his logical economic plans but for the simple fact that he delivered his sound bites with confidence. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has seen her numbers skyrocket from her poised and confident demeanor during both the debates and the Benghazi committee questioning. Take it from these politicians, whether you know an answer or not, say it with confidence to best engage your audience.
Signposts
Bernie Sanders has proven to be a master at signposts during his presentations. Signposting is a public speaking technique used to tell your audience where they are going and when they have arrived at an important concept. Sanders organizes his speeches as a list of bullet points that must be hit before he can move to the next topic. When he comes to a point, the audience knows it. He makes certain they recognize it as something more than a sound bite. Each point is an essential step in his speech, one building on the other.
When giving your presentation, look for opportunities to tell your audience what is in store for them and, when you get to that point, remind them that they were warned.
Impactful Visuals
When news outlets use visuals to highlight media coverage, they are not doing it for pedagogical reasons. It is just as easy to say that Hillary is leading or Trump dropped some amount of points without showing a graph of the poll results. Studies show that the inclusion of rich visuals does not do anything for the recall of the subject matter, but it does produce significantly higher satisfaction with the presentation.
When developing your presentation, use high-quality photos and visuals to make the presentation enjoyable to the audience. Ultimately, the visuals do not need to be educationally significant, only visually pleasant.
Get Personal
Every one of the 2016 hopefuls is attempting to be the common person, despite millions in the bank and summer homes on the coast. Whether a seasoned politician or a middle school student talking to the class, making a connection with the audience is the single most important task for the presenter. This is more than winning votes or points. During the connection process, the speaker shares values and core beliefs that align the audience to the presentation.
During the speech, try to find a way to connect differently for each talking point. This gives you more opportunities to make every viewer feel special and connected.
