Gimmicky speakers: Cool or Cringeworthy
Making communication colourful is crucial in any personal or professional situation. But some presenters rely too much on the wrong sort of gimmicks to stand out. So, are such things cool or cringeworthy?
You can be forgiven for thinking that some speakers are actually removal men or women as they haul onto stage a whole host of sometimes random items. You half expect them to shout out "where do you want it?"
I have seen bursting balloons, ornate picture frames, buckets, ladders, stuffed animals, homemade chemistry experiments involving an explosion of a colourful liquid, bad suits and a car horn from the 1920s.
In fact, one speaker I saw came on in a straight jacket and tried to link this to his message. The only problem was that people were so distracted, nay alarmed by this wriggling maniac posing as a speaker who was there to give them value, that they focused not on his message, but on his increasingly desperate attempts to free himself. Perhaps they hoped he'd stay that way as it appeared safer.
Any presentation aide should be there to enhance and not envelop your presentation.
What people buy into most is not the stuffed gnu, the room sized jigsaw puzzle or musical underpants, but the person. You are your most powerful presentation aide. Never forget that.
Some use gimmicks to hide their lack of a good message and/or a pedestrian presentation style. But then they should work on the message and not the sometimes random paraphernalia to energise, educate and entertain their audience.
You can be forgiven for thinking that some speakers are actually removal men or women as they haul onto stage a whole host of sometimes random items. You half expect them to shout out "where do you want it?"
I have seen bursting balloons, ornate picture frames, buckets, ladders, stuffed animals, homemade chemistry experiments involving an explosion of a colourful liquid, bad suits and a car horn from the 1920s.
In fact, one speaker I saw came on in a straight jacket and tried to link this to his message. The only problem was that people were so distracted, nay alarmed by this wriggling maniac posing as a speaker who was there to give them value, that they focused not on his message, but on his increasingly desperate attempts to free himself. Perhaps they hoped he'd stay that way as it appeared safer.
Any presentation aide should be there to enhance and not envelop your presentation.
What people buy into most is not the stuffed gnu, the room sized jigsaw puzzle or musical underpants, but the person. You are your most powerful presentation aide. Never forget that.
Some use gimmicks to hide their lack of a good message and/or a pedestrian presentation style. But then they should work on the message and not the sometimes random paraphernalia to energise, educate and entertain their audience.
posted: 27 Sep 11