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Conversational_Presenting_ebook_en
Conversational_Presenting_ebook_en
Presenting.
Introduction.
For many decades, people from ceremonial Welcome to what we at Prezi call Conversational
podiums and famous stages around the world Presenting. This two-way approach enables
have delivered inspiring linear presentations presenters to jump straight into the content that
that help their audiences to feel empowered matters most to any given audience, creating a
or see things in a new way (think TED). The consistently relevant and engaging experience
delivery style in office spaces has followed from beginning to end.
suit, but without the same degree of success.
Re h e a r s e d a n d i n f l ex i b l e s c r i p t s i n t h e In this e-book, we’ll take a closer look at exactly
workplace have too often caused listeners why the traditional approach consistently falls
to struggle to remain interested. And, in short in business, the future of presenting as we
today’s world of rapidly decreasing attention see it, and how adopting our method can help
s p a n s a n d d e m a n d i n g m o b i l e d ev i c e s , a you be more successful in your endeavors.
typical business presentation falling flat is
almost expected.
Public speaking is a visceral fear for many of us, and for good reason. To begin with, nothing triggers our
nerves quite like standing up in front of a crowd. Second, speeches are typically memorized, and when
we memorize, we create a lot of unnecessary opportunity for those nerves to cause mistakes—such as
forgetting a line or stumbling over a word.
Have you ever planned a presentation according distracting a crowd from the mechanics of his tricks,
to an allotted amount of time? When presenters it can be advantageous. Done wrong, it can be a
are tasked with filling up, say, a 15-minute block, complete disaster. After all, nothing about reading
they tend to spend a good chunk of it talking a screen along with the main act—who should be
about themselves. It should come as no surprise stealing the show—strikes as particularly compelling.
that audiences would rather dig into the parts of
the presentation that are most beneficial to them, At the end of the day, it’s important to remember
but memorized slides don’t provide the flexibility that audience members are no different from
needed to discover and prioritize this information. anyone else: their time is precious. If they have
One-way delivery makes such filler material a to sit through a presentation that’s impersonal,
natural alternative. uninteresting, or only asks them to engage at the
start and end, they’re likely going to spend the
Have you ever been guilty of reading directly from the majority of it sneaking in personal tasks, like
a slide during a presentation? While doing so can checking email or social media.
ease any concerns about forgetting what to say,
over-reliance on software can make a bad situation
even worse. An audience’s attention is influenced by
the attention of a presenter, and just like a magician
CHAPTER TWO
Presenting is a
two-way street.
PRESENTING IS A TWO-WAY STREET PAGE 6 OF 12
Make it a conversation,
not a lecture.
Conversational presenting turns everything about the traditional approach on its head in two moves
that are radically different from what we’re used to:
By changing the structure of the presentation and the style in which it’s delivered, both presenter and audience are
able to overcome a handful of pretty big challenges associated with presenting. Because the audience is being asked
to participate in the conversation, they’re more alert and can therefore remain engaged with the material. And because
the presenter needs to be able to jump into any part of the story at any time, there’s no script to forget or stumble over.
CHAPTER THREE
As we move further into an era that sees the first internet-raised generation enter the workforce
in massive waves, the shift in communications is increasingly evident. People—no matter audience
member, presenter, client, or colleague—want to ask questions and provide their own insights. They
want to problem solve and debate. They want their opinions heard and taken into account.
This makes conversational presenting a natural choice for professionals. We’ve spoken to many Prezi
users and have found that the benefits of utilizing our approach in everyday business are diverse, but
some of our favorites include:
wants to put the time into redesigning the same Showing information in context
presentation every time they’re about to approach a paints a clearer picture.
new group of people.
Here’s a common scenario: it’s lunch time at the
With conversational presenting, this becomes a office. You’re not sure what to eat. You pull up a
non-issue. Simply include all the information needed maps service online, type in your work address, and
and let your audience pick and choose what they then zoom in to see which tasty options are closest
care most about. You’ll be relevant each and every to you. Nothing looks new or exciting, but then a
time without having to do double or triple the work. coworker mentions a restaurant you haven’t tried
yet. You don’t see it within the two-block radius
This works great for presenting to global you were hoping for, so you type the name of the
teams too, as interests can also be dependent restaurant into the maps service to find it, then
on location. zoom out to see how far away it is from your current
location. As a next step, you check how long it will
take to walk vs. how long it will take in an Uber.
Much like seeing lunch locations in relation to where you are on a map, putting your
ideas in context helps paint a clearer picture with your audience.
THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR MODERN OFFICE PAGE 11 OF 12
50M
After all, how can you expect to have a successful
Projecting
conversation if you’re too busy rattling off bullet
exponential growth
points that—impressive as they may be—likely no
over the next year
one will remember?
Conclusion.
While conversational presenting is not going to We at Prezi are proud to be one of the many
be the right way to go in every single instance, the companies to bring productivity into the 21st
direction our workforce is moving in will certainly century, and the first to offer a solution that treats
make it the best option more often than not. With presentations as more than just that. Because in
a combination of a map-like structure, meaningful business you’re always adapting, and we believe
movement, and visually appealing content, Prezi you should have a platform with the flexibility to
makes delivering a presentation that operates like support you.
a conversation easier than ever.