A New Presentation Skills Infographic

I was recently invited to take a look at a new presentation skills infographic.

I am not normally a  fan of infographics. It’s not the premise behind them I dislike. I love the idea of distilling key facts or ideas from many sources and then presenting them in a visually appealing way.

What I dislike is the way that they cram so much stuff into one enormously long image that doesn’t print out to any normal paper size. Why won’t somebody create an infographic that is paginated for printing – I like paper and I am sure I am not alone!

That being said, If YOU like infographics, then you’ll almost certainly find this presentation skills cheat sheet  really useful.

In the words of its creator Joe Shervell, “The piece is developed from dozens of books and blog posts, as well as tips from professional public speakers. The intention is to cut through the noise of the hundreds of self-serving, promotional infographics. ”

The infographic divides the topic up into 9 sections

• Plan REAL speech
  The REAL acronym (Relevant, Eloquent, Articulate and Learned ,
• The Importance of Title
  Choosing the right title for a presentation can make a big difference, especially if you are “selling” your speech against other competing speakers at a conference or convention.   This section would be even more useful if the infographic gave some examples of engaging  and imaginative titles.
• What to include – content ideas
  Sound advice – I particularly liked the WWW or Wordage Without Waffle tip.
• KISS and TELL preparation
  I agree that a simple three act structure with three main points is a tried and tested formula that works for most subjects.
• 9 Ways to make an impact
  Sound advice although it uses some quite complex language to communicate.  Not everybody understands words like anecdotes, adjectives and self-deprecating.
• The 24 Hours before you speak
  Simple but often overlooked advice that can make or break any type of presentation although I am a little sceptical  about the “wonder woman pose” tip.   Whatever you do, don’t use this in front of your audience.
• 9 tips for taking the stage
  Most tips are clear and useful but a couple are ambiguous and suspect.  I.e. what is meant by  “look across your audience”  and what is a “ready and controlling position”?
• 10 tips for speech delivery
  Sensible general advice, although I think that the “add the occasional pause for effect” tip seriously undervalues the importance and benefits of learning to pause comfortably.
  
• Some tips from the pro’s
  Sophie’s tip about informally speaking to audience members before speaking to create a connection is so true. And Joe’s tips about eye contact when reading a script are spot on.
• 3 ways to end your speech memorably
  Possibly the weakest section of the whole infographic. making the speech available as notes or a recording does not make for a memorable ending.  No reference to a ” Call to action” where the speaker makes it clear to the audience what he or she wants them to do next.

In conclusion
Whilst I don’t personally like the infographic format, the advice it contains is, for the most part, sound and worthy of study by all budding speakers.  To access this presentation skills  infographic click the image on the left or this link http://visual.ly/9-step-cheatsheet-becoming-public-speaking-expert

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