Incredible Presentations – Presentation Methods
Many presenters, particularly novices, struggle to find a presentation style that works best for them. Luckily, throughout the years, after much trial and error, many successful techniques and methodologies for presentation creation and delivery have emerged, giving speakers a variety of existing approaches to “borrow” from.
From top left: Lawrence Lessig, Masayoshi Takahashi, Seth Godin, Mino Monta
Here, we’ll describe and evaluate some of the most famous – and popular – presentation methods.
1. The Takahashi Method
This extremely unique method calls for the use of very, very large text. The goal is to use no more than a handful (preferably, less than three) of easy-to-understand words, or a single image or photo with no accompanying words, on each slide, to deliver a very clear, very high-impact message in a very short period of time. Many believe that this approach forces the audience to listen to the speaker, since the slides alone do not demonstrate all the content to be delivered.
2. The Lessig Method
Based on the style of Stanford Law professor Lawrence Lessig, this method is quite similar to Takahashi’s approach in its simplicity. Presenters who use this technique incorporate only a brief quote, a short sentence, or a photo with a caption onto their slides, and spend only a few seconds on each. But, while Takahashi-style presentations are often rather short – usually ten slides or less – Lessig presentations are often quite long, sometimes hundreds of slides that are passed through very quickly. The idea behind this method is that the rapid-fire pace of delivery prevents the audience from growing bored or getting distracted.
3. The Godin Method
Although not yet formally recognized by presentation pundits, this method, made popular by best-selling author and marketing guru Seth Godin, focuses mostly on the element of presentation slide design – particularly, how to select accompanying visuals to enhance messages appropriately. Godin promotes the use of bold fonts, contrasting colors, striking images, and other clear, compelling visuals to better convey thoughts and ideas.
4. The Monta Method
Like the Takahashi approach, this technique originated in Japan. Introduced by a knowledge worker in the tech field, it emulates the personality and charisma of a popular game show host. Presenters are encouraged to use questions and answers on all their visuals. When the question is posed to the audience, the answer is kept covered or hidden, only to be revealed once attendees have tried to “guess”. The advantage of this approach is that it is highly effective at keeping the audience interested and engaged, and thus, their attention is less likely to wander.
This is the continuation in a series of Incredible resources for presentations. If you have an idea for incredible resources or want to add one of your own just add a comment below this post or see the whole incredible presentations series.
Find more great tips and resources at the Presentation Skills Launch Pad.
Twitter is having a growing impact on presentations and you really have two opportunities to use it to greater effect. The first is to use Twitter to better engage your immediate audience, and the second to engage your larger audience beyond your webinar or conference.
