Simon Hall writes:
I was teaching public speaking and presentations last week, and tried a new trick.
It was something of a gamble, as not many audiences like having missiles thrown at them (unsurprisingly!)
But I thought it was worth a try to make a point.
One of the key lessons in presentations is not trying to say too much.
Just like a phone, or computer, people have limited working memory.
So if you bombard them with information, most of it won’t sink in.
The trick is choosing the most important things you want an audience to know.
I needed to illustrate this point, and came up with a cunning plan.
I bought myself an armful of ping-pong balls...
Asked for a volunteer who could catch…
And then threw them all at him.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the poor chap only managed to grab a couple, and most of the balls went bouncing everywhere.
(Cue much amusement from the group!)
So we picked them up, then repeated the experiment, but instead of throwing all the balls at once…
I chucked them one at a time, giving him a decent interval between each.
And this, time he caught the lot.
I’m happy to say the audience loved the brief spectacle of showmanship, but more importantly…
The point was made and the lesson worked.
Cognitive overload was explained in what everyone agreed was a memorable moment.
I hope this picture from the end the workshop with some of the lovely University of Cambridge Research Fellows gives a sense of what a fine time we had.
I try to include a memorable moment in every workshop, talk, and presentation I give.
They're so powerful in ensuring you, and your style of speaking or teaching, stand out from the crowd.
I do it when I’m teaching writing, and talking about setting a scene.
Instead of just going through the various senses you can use, I ask the group to close their eyes…
Then spray cologne around them, and drop a chair with an almighty crash.
It certainly makes the point about how senses other than sight are very powerful in scene setting.
And always provides a memorable moment.
There's no exhaustive list of how to create memorable moments.
Your options are only limited by your imagination.
I’ve cut the power in a lecture theatre when I was talking about the reliance of society on technology and connectedness…
That got a gasp, and made the point nicely.
If I’m mentioning smartphone photography in a workshop…
I’ll get the group to take a picture of me against an appropriate backdrop to put their skills into action.
Whatever it might be you come up with, challenge your creativity and try to find a memorable moment for your public speaking and presentations.
They’re one of the best tricks for making your talks truly impressive, and, well…
Simply memorable.
