We make the decision to present a subject once we possess a high enough level of skill (at least I hope so). In order to gain that skill, we have to be excited about the topic. Since we’re already fascinated with the topic, it often occurs that we fail to also get the audience excited about the topic. We’re constantly witnessing stage appearances of professionals providing research results but failing to explain its supposed significance to audience and people. They monotonously speak of subjects they think should be of everyone’s interest.
Let’s find some compelling facts for a start. Since, after years of research we personally find the subject to be almost self-evident, it might be useful to bring a close person into discussion about the presentation. We present this person with what we plan on sharing and let them help us decide and select parts they find best and new. We then implement those and ensure we get people’s attention right from the start and thus, increase the chances of keeping their attention until the end.
So, how do we increase presentation dynamics? We can search for interesting pictures that relate to the topic, jokes and statistics that might support the presented content. We integrate those into our presentation, engage creativity and add materials which can be brought on stage. We also prepare questions for the audience in order to get a sense of their existing level of knowledge and establish dialogue on the fly. Most importantly – we make the presentation fun – since it is through play that we learn the most and tackle stage fright better, while listeners are able to memorise more.