Presenting to a group of people can be a daunting experience.
There are some basic psychological facts that you should know about how people react to presentations — including how your body language affects reception and how to increase the energy level in a room.
Behavioral scientist Dr. Susan Weinschenk gave us permission to publish the best advice from her new book, 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People, based on posts from her blog, Whatmakesthemclick.net.
People learn best in 20-minute chunks
According to an experiment conducted by Maureen Murphy, 20 minutes is an ideal time for a presentation.
To test this theory, Murphy had adults attend a 60-minute presentation at work. She then tested to see the difference in memory and reaction to the talk given in the 60-minute presentation versus the same talk given in 20-minute segments with short breaks in between. Murphy found that the people enjoyed the 20-minute presentations more, learned more information immediately after, and retained more information a month later.
When presenting, take 2-3 minute stretch breaks to allow people to soak in the information provided. For useful examples on 20-minute presentations, watch TED talks.
Read more about Susan Weinschenk's 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People on her blog Whatmakesthemclick.net
The senses are always competing with each other
If you're giving a speech while a presentation is up, be aware that the visual and auditory senses are competing.
It's difficult for people to both listen to what you are saying, and to read the words on different slides. Too many words on a slide reads like notes. To combat this, use slides that are visual and easy to understand — such as photos, or diagrams that add extra content to the presentation. If you feel as if your speech doesn't need an accompanying visual aid, you can omit it.
Read more about Susan Weinschenk's 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People on her blog Whatmakesthemclick.net
The human brain craves the unexpected
Research by Gregory Berns shows that the human brain not only looks for the unexpected but actually craves the unexpected.
In an experiment conducted by Berns, he used a computer-controlled device to randomly squirt water or fruit juice into people's mouths while simultaneously scanning their brains. He found that the part of the brain that is active when people experience pleasurable events was also active when they experienced something unexpected.
Build small, welcome surprises into your demonstration. Refrain from providing your audience with a play-by-play outline. If you're presenting slides, try throwing in a video clip or interrupting your speech with a relevant activity.
Read more about Susan Weinschenk's 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People on her blog Whatmakesthemclick.net
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