Most people who attend conferences leave unable to remember much of the content presented to them just days later. They might remember a theme or that a certain presentation was enjoyable, but the content presented quickly fades from memory.
Months or years later, certain presentations are still stuck in people’s heads, making them think differently about a subject and approach their work in new ways. Understanding the difference between forgettable presentations and those that stick is vital for engaging presentations that people can use in their everyday lives or workplaces.
Presenting Information In the Form of Stories
Data and concepts presented as dry information will never be stuck in the heads of an audience. The brain absorbs information much more readily in the form of a story that elicits an emotional reaction or an image of what that information means. Presenters present information in the form of a story that audiences remember when they leave the conference.
These stories are not there as randomly included content to present artfully, but presenters who create engaging presentations create a narrative around this information or data that aids the audience in seeing how this concept drives and informs reality. When a person later tries to remember a concept, the story that illustrates the point will be the first information pulled up in the brain, bringing along the lesson that it taught.
The best stories told during a conference are not ones that sound perfectly rehearsed, prepared, or catered. They contain messy details and information that reflects the humanity of the situation and informs the audience that what is being presented is real. Audiences naturally respond to a speaker who shares their human experiences (including their failures) rather than filtering their journey through years of success.
Clear Points to Remember Instead of Keynotes that Dump Information
Presenters who give audiences too much information to remember at conference presentations them with so much data that they remember little to nothing. Memorable presenters sift through everything they want to share with their audiences and try to land on three to five information points that they want people to take away from the session, building all content around this information instead of trying to forcefeed audiences all the information they have on a subject.
Each point has enough content built around it that people do not leave bored but with fond memories of these sections and an inclination not to skip over the content looking for something more interesting. Secondary information that is shared in a presentation is all built off the presented points instead of going off on a tangent and exploring other subjects or areas that people might also be interested in learning about.
The presenters also keep the outline present throughout the entirety of the presentation to inform people of where they are in the hierarchy of the presented information and how it all works together to convey a message. This is used to aid people in following along even during the most complex discussions that could otherwise easily leave people confused.
Engagement Tactics That Involve Audiences
Passive listening will ensure that audiences remember little of what is said and shown to them during conferences. Presenters who allow audiences to passively engage with content remember a lot more because they are engaging with the content instead of just absorbing what is being said.
This does not have to be complex, as presenters do not need to break audiences into small groups and ask them to complete elaborate tasks but it can be. Simple exercises can be employed to keep people engaged with the content. Asking questions that leave audiences thinking hard, even if they do not respond directly, can keep audiences actively thinking about answers to these questions in their heads for extended periods of time, improving their ability to remember this content later on.
Different techniques should be used on different scales of presentations, such as using the same presenter who has had the honor of working with this speaker bureau. Professional speakers know how to offer active engagement for presenters who have audiences of a thousand people in auditoriums for keynote speeches and for forty-nine people in breakout sessions.
Visually Appealing Slides
Audiences don’t remember content if they are busy reading what is presented in slide decks and speeches instead of listening, but presenters who create memorable presentations cover their slides in content that helps audiences remember content by seeing it from a different perspective (i.e., imagery or infographics) instead of just hearing it.
Slides should be created that are full of content, as this helps highlight points made by the presenter, but they should never be a replica of what speakers say, but should help audiences remember key points by having an image stuck in their minds long after they have left these presentations.
Charts used to display data leave an audience immediately seeing the patterns that connect these two pieces of data and learn how they relate to one another but they might never see this relationship if the data is printed vertically one after another in a slide. Less is more in slide decks. Content creators can use white space creatively and help audience pinpoint the main section of slides easily, and uncomplicated slide designs that leave messy slides behind asking for attention in multiple ways.
Energetic Presentations Instead of Monotone Presenters
Presenters who drone on for entire presentations convey a message to audiences that what they are saying is boring and unimportant. Audiences will likely forget content presented to them by monotone presenters. Presenters who mix things up by varying their tone and including movements throughout their presentation remind audiences that they are excited about the topic they are discussing, leaving them more likely to remember certain parts of their presentations.
This energy does not have to come across as unnatural for audiences while the speaker is speaking but should feel organic. Speakers should avoid sounding forced while displaying enthusiasm for their topic. Instead of memorizing their presentations and reciting them verbatim, presenters should feel free to incorporate natural pauses into their speech patterns.
Speakers should also be able to move around a space energetically without their movements appearing chaotic. Movements should come with a purpose, and presenters shouldn’t leave people feeling lost during presentations, only looking for the voice that is making it more intuitive to grasp what is presented.
Tangible Use Cases After Leaving Presentations
Content that audiences can use after leaving a conference is content that is remembered. Presenters who offer audiences tangible steps that they can use after leaving the conference room ingrains themselves in people’s minds instead of presenters who vaguely inform audiences of the need for people to switch up their thinking patterns or work practices.
Good presenters make a significant impact by offering tangible examples that audiences can go home and use rather than presenting them with hypothetical intelligence that they can offer to their non-profit audiences.
