creative presentation ideas

creative presentation ideas

Creative Presentation Ideas

1. Introduction

The art of speaking is often the most anxiety provoking part of any presentation, let alone a creative presentation. Often times what makes creative presentations so different and so exciting is the use of visuals. This term is quite broad and can be encompassed by many different aspects of a presentation. Why visuals are so important in creative presentations is because it can appeal to more than one sense. A picture can paint a thousand words and for those in the audience who are visual learners, a picture could teach them a lot more than what a speech would. Static visuals can help get a point across, like a graph or diagram, that would be hard to articulate into words. Other types of visuals include video or sound bites. These are great ways to keep the audience entertained and are great methods to convey information without having to necessarily speak about it. With such a wide variety of ways to use visuals in a creative presentation, it is no wonder that it has become such an important aspect.

2. Engaging Visuals

Engage the audience. If you are scribbling something on a whiteboard, ensure that they are watching you. If you are assembling a prop, let them try to guess what it is you are making. Ask them questions about the visual aid. Reflections and abstract thoughts on your idea can stem from quite simple questions. Static images can be augmented by getting the audience to draw aspects of your topic or arrange some objects themselves. Remember, visuals are a key point to increase and maintain audience attention.

PowerPoint and the like can be very effective tools but can also be dangerous to the health of your audience. The fact that they are so easy to create means that often very little thought is put into the message that they are meant to convey. They are frequently put together at the last minute with no other aim than getting something up there. In essence, they encourage exactly the type of behavior that you are trying to avoid in yourself and what you are trying to avoid inflicting on your audience. I have seen far too many computer-based presentations that consist of a speaker reading through each point on slides cluttered with too much text. The speaker is usually either indecently proud of his creation or has realized it is a lost cause and has sunk into a monotonous drone that parallels the excitement of watching paint dry. With dedication and thought, PowerPoint can be used to create an effective presentation. Just remember to keep it brief, interesting, and expressive of your message. Gaudy slide transitions and sound effects are not essential if they do not add to the message of the presentation.

Create effective visuals. Effective visuals can be powerful. A simple diagram or picture can drive your point across far better than a verbal description. It can help you to gain and retain audience attention. Visuals are also the best tool to help your audience understand your message, because they appeal to the senses and can portray universal meanings. Even an oral presentation can be greatly enhanced with visuals, crafted with the same care and thought given to a research paper. Just like the words in a paper, you should be aiming to communicate an idea or message, and the best way to do that may not always be describing something with words.

The first and most important thing regarding memorable visual aids is: keep it simple. A complex visual is not memorable. Your audience will likely spend their time trying to figure it out. They won’t listen to you. Keep them curious and focus on your message.

3. Interactive Elements

In its simplest form, making a presentation interactive means involving your audience in the creation or delivery of the presentation. It’s a great technique in that it usually involves students on several levels – for example, speaking, writing, moving, and doing. It is also effective because the greater variety of teaching/learning tools used, the more likely the message will get through. This is one reason we often incorporate games or fun activities into our presentations. We know it’s a great way to involve students in actually doing something. An interactive presentation will usually make use of visual and tactile aids. This is another advantage over a strictly oral presentation. Statistics show that students remember more of what they learn if they see or hear it, and even more if they are doing it. Time is also an important factor to consider when making interactive presentations with groups or with individual patients. As talking or reading through information often takes less time than demonstrating and doing, interactive presentations can also be a time management skill in relaying information to others. Here are a few examples of ways you can incorporate interactivity at each level into your presentations.

4. Storytelling Techniques

A story can be made to fit any situation. Sometimes you may need to tell a story to explain something to someone or to change the mood of your audience. While some stories are standalone where the point is the story itself, a story can also be used to illustrate a point. This point should be something that is of interest to the audience or the story will have the adverse effect.

One part of storytelling is thinking up the story itself, but another is finding where and how to tell it. Go into some detail about this.

An attempt at defining exactly what is a story. One definition is a series of events involving worthy human struggle that is resolved. Discuss this and then go on to look at what makes a good story – subplot, emotional involvement, change, and if it is relevant, moral ground. Now look at some expert advice from around the web about how to tell a good story.

In a presentation, storytelling can be an important way of keeping the audience’s attention. So, go into some detail about why stories are so powerful. Make a list of different types of stories that can be used.

5. Conclusion

Ultimately, a good presentation brings the marker to the presenter’s idea or work. The work of a presentation is to visually present an idea or work and to speak on it to the marker. Accomplishing that task makes a successful presentation. Coming up with unique ideas to grab an audience’s or marker’s attention is always a good thing. The better way to develop a good presentation is to have it visually stimulating. A good way to be visually stimulating is to use any form of media. People are attracted to colors and sounds, so using videos and music is always a safe way to keep the audience tuned in. Making a good impression is also important, so appearance is everything. Always dress for success when presenting your idea so that the audience takes you seriously. Also, maintain good posture and body language during your presentation. It shows that confidence is the key to a successful presentation. Knowing your material should be common sense. You can’t present an idea if you know nothing about it. High knowledge of an idea will lead to the ability to speak freely, thus making it easier to explain to an audience. Finally, and most importantly, the ability to engage the audience is what makes a presentation successful. Interaction with the audience will make them feel as if they are part of the idea. Always ask questions throughout the presentation to keep them thinking, and at the end, ask for feedback on the idea. A good presentation has the ability to persuade anyone to a certain idea, so the next time you present something, make it count.