Two of the most common presentation types are informative and persuasive.
The main elements in an informative presentation are facts, figures, features, graphs, and charts. The goal of this presentation type is to educate the audience; an example of an informative presentation is a lecture.
The main elements in a persuasive presentation include stories, analogies, examples, quotations, and metaphors; the goal of this presentation is to get the audience to do or feel something. Examples of persuasive presentations include sermons and motivational speeches. (and hopefully sales presentations)
The majority of presentations in organizations (for both internal and external purposes) contain mostly informative presentation elements. This can result in a presentation called a “data dump” … lots of information, very little persuasion. This is problematic because the goal of a presentation (in a business context) is typically to sell people new ideas and new ways of doing things. The presenter is challenged to persuade the audience to accept something that is new to them.
Using persuasive style elements in your presentation will help the audience see “why is this important” or “what’s in it for me”. But of course facts are important too. Good presenters blend elements from informative and persuasive presentation types – each presentation/audience/situation requires a unique blend.
What elements do you blend together in your presentations?
Joe Pops
Refuse to be boring