Every day across Australia thousands of speakers are delivering presentations at conferences and business meetings. Most of them could be made many times more effective, according to Ian Whitworth of audio-visual group Scene Change.
“Presenters are playing by rules set years ago, when communication was very different,” he says.
“Long, templated lists of bullet points, read out to audiences for hours on end, are simply an ineffective way to get the message across.”
Today’s audiences are constantly distracted by mobile email and other intrusive messages. They are used to receiving short, sharp messages, and attention spans are decreasing with every year. If a presenter simply reads out what’s projected on the screen, it raises the question of whether the information is better off emailed.
To help presenters communicate more effectively, Scene Change has launched the Presentation Channel, a short monthly online video program. It covers topics such as eradicating bad mannerisms, being comfortable in the stage environment, creating graphics that people understand, using microphones, and plenty more.
“We’re not trying to turn people into Anthony Robbins, but there are lots of simple, achievable changes presenters can make to connect better with their audiences,” Mr Whitworth says.
One of the issues dealt with is the length of presentations. Many presenters panic when they have to fill a half hour time slot, fearing they will be left high and dry without enough material. This leads to epic PowerPoint shows that drown the key points in unnecessary padding. It’s not only dreary for audiences, it also spells trouble for conference organisers.
“When all your presenters run 10 minutes over time, it makes the organiser’s job much more difficult managing lunch breaks and logistics.
“Scene Change works with a lot of PCOs, and the Presentation Channel is something that can help make their speakers a lot more manageable.”
Part of the Presentation Channel’s mission is to restore the human element to presentations. Ironically for a company that provides a purely technical service, Scene Change believes it’s time for more focus on the presenter. Many conference clients ask for the biggest screen that can fit in the room, pushing the speaker off into a corner of the stage. Hidden behind the lectern, they become a disembodied narrator to the almighty screen, like the Wizard of Oz.
While screen graphics are important, audiences see plenty of better graphics on TV and on the web. What they’re looking for is the human perspective that only the presenter can deliver. If the stage is designed to make the presenter the star, it creates much more of an emotional connection with the audience. The correct use of simple sound and light makes all the difference.
The Presentation Channel is a resource for all presenters, not just those who are presenting at big events.
“While most of our work is creating a staged environment in ballrooms, the principles are the same for presenting to six people around a boardroom table without any AV.
“We may be a purely technical service but it’s all about making the presenter the star rather than overwhelming their message with technology.”
View the Presentation Channel at www.scenechange.com.au or www.presentationchannel.com.au.
Scene Change is Australia’s fastest-growing new audio-visual group, opening offices in Adelaide, Hobart, Sydney and Wollongong in 2007. It provides video, audio, lighting and staging services to conferences and corporate events. Each office is part-owned by the local director, providing a unique level of responsiveness and local knowledge to each event. More at www.scenechange.com.au.
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