Resources Coaches Corner
Visual priority in your presentation
Have you ever looked at a slide in a presentation and been confused? You weren’t quite sure where to look as information was scattered all over the presenters slide. We would describe the slide as lacking visual priority.
Think about when an advertisement catches your eye in a magazine or on a billboard. Does the imagery jump off the ad and grab your attention? Is there an immediate short tag line that ties to the powerful image? These are the keys to conveying a message with visual priority.
We suggest building a slide with the thought of 1-2-3. One is the powerful image needed to draw the audience in. Two is the compelling tag line, always short, and in relatively large font to support the message and tie to the idea. Three is the tertiary information, that assuming the audience is interested, explains the details. It is this segment of information where the presenter or slide developer usually goes wrong. This information is often displayed as prominent material which often leaves the audience confused.
Image if you were skydiving for the first time and the instruction began on the air flight to the drop zone. Most of us would be confused by the combination of apprehension and too much tertiary information up front as we would be peering out the airplane window wondering why we are here. Most of us would be looking around the airplane thinking “are you other people getting this?” but quite a few of us would be too afraid to speak initially. This is exactly what most audiences think when too many details without visual priority have thrust upon them in a presentation.
Remember think like an advertiser, 1-2-3.
