Paul Watson
The rise of the virtual conference looks like it’s set to stay as delegates thirst for the latest innovations and exhibitors need to find effective ways to showcase their products to their audience.
But how do you get cut through for your brand, keep audiences engaged and get your presentation on point when conference centres have been largely replaced by zoom?
- Ice-breakers
How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice. Maybe not laugh out loud, but never underestimate the power of a good ice-breaker. They are a great way to warm up your audience and let’s face it, presenting, good presenting, is like putting on a show. It sets the tone, engages, and gets your audience on side.
Don’t be afraid of the ice-breaker and don’t forget to inject humour throughout your presentation, it’s a good way to get your message across and there a raft of website with jokes on all topics that you can slot in.
- Death by PowerPoint
A good presentation isn’t about reading off PowerPoint slides or bombarding your audience with facts and figures – that’s what handouts and follow-ups are for. The best presentations tell a story and take the audience on the journey with them. They are interactive, asking questions and engaging the audience at crucial moments. Try not to do too much. Experts recommend sticking to getting across three clear points across.
- Image led
Pictures are powerful. And in our image-led business universe, peppering your presentation with relevant and inspiring images helps you get the point across. That’s also true of infographics and other charts which can get your key points across instantly. According to marketing industry influencer Krista Neher, the human brain can process images up to 60,000 times faster than words. That’s why they have a greater impact than words and are also seen as universal, getting your point across despite language barriers.
And importantly, humans are largely visual so it’s a great way to communicate.
- Font of wisdom
Speaking of people being visual, one area that can be overlooked but shouldn’t be, is your choice of font. New research from www.4imprint.co.uk reveals what your font says about you and your business.
According to the data, people who use Arial are the most likely to be serious and professional for 37 percent of the nation. People who use Times New Roman are likely to be ‘traditional’ (14 percent), while those who opt for Century Gothic are more inclined to be academic and bookish (10 percent).
According to findings of the Market report by the promotional products retailer, Pacifico users are adventurous and extroverted (20 percent) while individuals that opt for Rockwell are perceived as ambitious (10 percent).
A first impression really does matter. Evidently, typography is an important part of marketing your business to other companies and communicating key message, whether that’s electronically, in person at conferences and using promotional products to convey them.
Branding is the cornerstone of marketing – if you get your typography, logo and brand identity right, it can have a huge impact on the success of your business.
- Rehearse
There’s three great reasons to rehearse. The first is, it will give you confidence, especially if this is a new audience or subject area. The second is that a walk-through is the ideal way to refine and edit your presentation. And finally, it’s also a great way to try out new techniques and approaches.
