Have you ever wondered what it would be like to listen to Pericles or Caesar or any of the other great orators from antiquity? They did not have PowerPoint, they did not have a 35mm slide projector, they did not have prompters, they did not have notes yet they gave some of the greatest speeches in history, told some of the most memorable stories and communicated never before considered concepts.
Unfortunately, we have come to rely on technology to help us deliver a presentation often at the expense of the material and content being presented. Technology is an enabler and has expanded the multimedia aspect of a communiqué however, that capability has also guided the overall design of the presentation. The presenter, in creating their communiqués, over emphasizes the visualization aspect of the presentation at the expense of the narrative. Yet, the truth of the matter is we are fundamentally giving a speech with some supporting visualizations. That speech must be interesting, must keep the audience’s attention and have a purpose. When Pericles convinced the Athenian assembly to go to war against Sparta and then convinced them not to go outside their longwall and fight, he must've had an extremely convincing argument. This approach was contrary to Athenian honor and warfare up until that point in time so the narrative must have been effective.
Therefore, it is the obligation of the presenter, irrespective of the media tools being used, to first and foremost make sure the narration is interesting, clearly states our position and asks the participant to perform a clearly defined activity. Once that task has been completed the next step is to craft a supporting set of 'slides/frames' that reinforces the speech being given.
Towards those objectives, I have formulated the NPD* Framework which is a process flow that aids in creating professional presentations that exhibit 'Rationale Realism' while developing the comfort levels needed by a presenter to deliver their material.
Email: aristotle@lekacos.com
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