IN THIS ISSUE
- Engage an Audience: Use a Theme
- Speaker's Corner
- Quotation Marks
- Art Of Presentation Gallery
- Training Calendar
The political circumstances are very different from today...but with a governing party hankering after a former leader and considering leader alternatives in the shapes of Winston Churchill and Lord Halifax - it was time for leadership.
The speaker was Winston Churchill in the House of Commons on 13 May 1940:
"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be realised."
Winston Churchill.
"Never explain, never apologise."
Admiral John (Jackie) Fisher 1841-1920.
This month we look at a relatively modern painting of John Ball by Bernard Fleetwood-Walker. Painted in 1938 the oil painting mural is housed in the Council Chamber foyer in the County Hall, Chelmsford and shows the itinerant priest preaching to a modest congregation before the Peasant's Revolt march on London in June 1381.
John Ball was a preacher for over 20 years and became a pivotal figure in the Peasants' revolt of 1381 - led by Wat Tyler. Imprisoned by the Church courts no less than 3 times, Ball was eventually excommunicated. Later, becoming a follower of the anti-Church views of William Wycliffe, Ball argued that all men were equal under God. He was executed in 1381 in St Albans.
His inspirational views didn't die with him and echoes of his "all men were created equal" phrase are found in many of the great texts.
Our PresentPerfect training course contains useful pointers on coining the right turn of phrase.
The schedule for PresentPerfect training courses in June is now available.
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Welcome to Telling it Straight – the newsletter dedicated to presentation skills. In this edition we look at how to engage an audience with a presentation theme
We also have our regular Speakers Corner, Quotation Marks and Art of Presentation Gallery sections.
ENGAGE AN AUDIENCE: USE A THEME
When we think about a presentation we typically consider the presentation itself, its preparation, planning and rehearsal.
But it's also critical to consider how we engage our audience. Fortunately there are some techniques that we can use. And a major technique is the presentation theme. There are 5 things to bear in mind, though, when we use a theme in our presentation.
Make it memorable. Themes help our audience to remember our presentation. And when our audience only retains some 10% of our speech that's important. They work in much the same way as logos, slogans or catch phrases. Read more.
Keep it simple. Our theme should be both simple and consistent. The simplicity is critical for memory. We don't want our audience struggling with complexity at this stage of the event. Read more.
Be practical. Our theme should evoke practicality and purpose. If it has these qualities it will be familiar to our audience and prove more meaningful. Practicality suggests utility and benefit. Both are of interest to our audience. Read more.
Be thorough. There is no need to struggle for ideas when thinking of a theme for our presentation. There are many workable approaches to getting it right. We can talk to the conference organizers. We can establish whether the conference itself has a theme. Or we could identify if our particular day has a theme to it. Read more.
Consider the objective. As we finalize our theme we should recall the purpose or mission for our presentation. We are looking to achieve something with our audience. Change their ideas. Change their opinions. Or, change something that they do. Our theme should help us in this mission. Both our purpose and our theme should be aligned. Read more.
Our audience will only recall some 10% of our presentation. Our task as speakers is to increase that percentage or, at least, ensure the right 10% is retained. A practical and memorable theme will boost an audience's memory retention and assist their engagement.