UNDERSCORE YOUR MAIN MESSAGE. One of my favorite comedians, Chris Rock, once said during an interview that at the beginning of his career he worried the audience would forget the premise of the joke, so he started repeating it multiple times just to be sure. This developed into his signature delivery style. I’ve used that approach in my own presentations—spelling out the message of each slide in its title, repeating that message a second time in a bullet point at the bottom of each slide, and including a conclusions slide at the end of each talk that reiterates my main points.
INTRODUCE FIGURES GRADUALLY. Although visuals are helpful, starting with a slide full of results gets my mind racing as it tries to process everything at the same time. To avoid that problem, I often start with relatively blank results slides, gradually adding more figures or diagrams in parallel with my explanations. Guide your audience through the variables and findings one step at a time.
TELL A COMPELLING STORY.
to craft introductions to highlight why the study is important and what gap in knowledge I’m trying to fill.
To emphasize the twists and turns in my story, I try to vary the tone and pace of my voice, using pauses to build tension.
LESS TEXT, MORE ILLUSTRATIONS.
