How can you balance creativity and integrity in a presentation?

One thing that I have found helpful before starting to work on actual presentation is to make a storyboard. It is also helpful to finalize the objective, audience and presentation style beforehand. The creativity comes from a clear understanding. For credibility it is always useful to use credible data resources and check information from multiple sources.

Presentation is very important aspect of any organization. Presentation gives you idea about the product, people, place and importance of it. If we consider someone is presenting a profile of organization than it has to be informative as well as it has to be innovative. You can different types of designing for visuals as well as you can use motion gifs/videos for presentation. Using creative media always enhance overall presentation. Presentation can make or break a deal so before doing that you should be 100% sure about what you are presenting.

When planning for a presentation, we do not always have a fully formed idea of what we want to share in our minds, but we do have a vision of what we want to achieve. I like to think of three aspects when preparing for any presentation: 1. The audience: by far the most important element. The same message to a different audience can be perceived differently and has to be adapted to fit who we are presenting for. 2. The context: presenting to your closest team is not the same as presenting to your entire company, delivering a workshop is not the same approach as a product demo, etc. 3. The objective: are we informing, influencing, or motivating a change of behavior? Own your voice and do your research. Facts tell, but stories sell.

There's a nice little trick that helps me to bring forward any story beats in my presentations. And with them, it's purpose. Spreadsheets. Yeah, spreadsheets. I open one up and use every empty cell to place a point i'm trying to make, or map out an answer I'm trying to find. These cells are spaces to be filled with any individual argument, or data, regardless of slides, speeches and resources expected as a final form. An empty spreadsheet is usually what I need to map out what I know and don't know?—?and my first preview of the presentation flow.

Is really essential to define your objective even before laying your hand in starting a presentation deck. It will assist you in determining the appropriate level of creativity to capture your audience attention while ensuring that your message remains honest and accurate. Begin with understanding your audience's background which will then ease the flow of crafting the presentation. A few key metric that need to be considered while crafting the presentation; knowledge, values and expectation. Tailor your creative elements to resonate with them while staying within ethical boundaries are vital. Making sure the information shared are up to par to the knowledge of your audience

Authenticity and confidence are easy to spot. Doing good research, quotations, and citations not only allows you to back up your message with crucial data. But also assists with delivery because you are confident in the knowledge you convey. Ask yourself questions an opposing viewpoint would ask for and guide yourself to the answers beforehand. This can reduce stumbles or instances that makes it look like a lack of preparation was done.

If we are presenting in front of an audience, we should be passionate about what we're talking about. That passion, that energy, the words used to describe your ideas, the stories used to bring them alive, that is yours fully, and no one can take it away from you. Merging your experience and journey is usually the strongest way to keep an audience engaged while delivering a presentation that is real to you and the overall concept. Always assume authority from the moment you are talking in front of others. Do not try to convince me why you are the right person, show me that you are the right person, and by all means, quote others as part of your research. But your stories are the ones that will sell the idea, and make me trust you.

Doing research on your audience is key here. Use LinkedIn, sources online to research the company and people who will be present. This will allow you to tailor the presentation to their needs and even make hypothesis that you will be able to confirm during the discussion. This will help you create a two-way conversation, it's not just you that'll be talking!

Being transparent is a key aspect when presenting. No one expects you to know everything, so if you're unsure about something, an elegant workaround is to just tell them you will get back to them afterwards. And what you definitely should not do is giving a false answer just to not admit that you might not know the answer to a given question. Once an audience member realises what you're saying to be untrue, the level of respect will drop and people will question the validity of everything else you have said.

Honesty and transparency are foundational principles for building trust and maintaining healthy relationships, whether in your personal life or in a professional context. Here are some key aspects of practicing honesty and transparency: Open Communication: Foster an environment of open communication where people feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, concerns, and ideas without fear of judgment or reprisal. Truthfulness: Always strive to tell the truth. Avoid exaggeration, misleading statements, or half-truths. Honesty means representing facts accurately. Admit Mistakes: When you make a mistake, admit it openly and take responsibility. Acknowledging your errors demonstrates integrity and helps build trust.

People get caught up in needing to have the answer to everything. People appreciate knowledge, but they also respect those who are humble. Admitting you lack the answer to a question you didn't anticipate is perfectly fine in most presentation scenarios. Responding with "I don't know. However, if you leave your contact info with me afterward I would be happy to reach back out with an answer later." is much more desired for your integrity than making up a shoddy answer on the spot. Note this fails if you do not actually follow up on the question so be sure to do what you promised to do.

People usually remember the beginning and end of a movie. The middle is where the action happens, but we can hardly remember all the details of what actually happened to get to that end. Same as with movies, our presentations must engage the audience at all stages - and that means keeping it real and down to earth for a strong beginning and an even stronger finale. The most interesting learnings arise when we share our mistakes and uncertainties. By treating our presentation less as a pitch, and more as a conversation, we can listen to our audience's feedback - whether it is verbal or physical - and own our space and story. Let's stop referring to "public speaking" and start talking about speaking in public.

Sharing a concrete example can help illustrate a concept or the message you are trying to convey. It also allows the listener to project themselves into the situation like using a product or service. If you are being questioned on a specific point or challenge, this method allows you to provide a clear illustration of how this is being solved actually and therefore, how it may be solved in the future if it arises again.

If it's not essential, cut it. If it can't be understood by someone who might have never heard about what you are talking about, change it, adapt it, or cut it. Visuals are there to support you as a speaker, not the other way around. My biggest learning in this matter was from a teacher a few years ago who said Keep It Simple, Stupid. (KISS).

Your speech should not be appearing on the presentation. Instead, add illustrations for different points you want to make that will trigger and remind you about what you meant to say. Data is also better understood by the audience using charts, graphs rather than long sentences and explanations.

When designing my presentations, I typically approach them with a "less is more" mentality. The visual aspect serves as an eye catcher or the starting block to build on. I believe shared experiences, life examples, humor and keeping it conversational engage audiences more than a bulleted slide. When I do have a content heavy slide, I emphasize it's impact and importance. I also cite the data if necessary.

I agree, but make sure to use accessible visuals! Here are some #accessibility tips for your visuals: 1. Meaningful images must have alternative text. This is important for assistive technologies, like screen readers. 2. Don’t use color alone to convey meaning. Keep in mind some folks are color blind. 3. No flashing images or screens. These can cause seizures! 4. Don’t run animations on a loop. The audience should be able to stop/pause/play any moving content. Keep in mind that it’s very likely that you’ll have audience members who have various disabilities and learning styles. Be inclusive of all!

Visuals can grab attention, which is a boon as well as a potential error. Learning to balance effective visuals to enhance a presentation and not distract from the information or message takes practice. The human eye has evolved to pay attention to sudden movements and shifting objects. This can be used to your advantage to grab attention and direct people where you want them to look. Effective use of graphs that are clear and provide reasonable scale allows for an accurate representation of the data you have. Those qualities in a visual aid are equally important to your integrity as well as your ability to convey information.

We should Start with a strong hook. The first few minutes of your presentation are critical for grabbing your audience's attention and making them want to listen to what you have to say. Start with a strong hook, such as a surprising statistic, a thought-provoking question, or a compelling story. Use visuals. Visuals can help to make your presentation more engaging and easier to understand. Tell stories. People love stories. Stories can help you to connect with your audience on an emotional level and make your presentation more memorable. Share stories about your own experiences, or stories about the experiences of others that are relevant to your topic.

Methods to engage an audience vary on the type of presentation you're doing. A boardroom/conference meeting will be different from tactics used on stage. Varied pitch to emphasize points and direct focus on important topics is a much-underutilized skill from most presenters. Followed by non-verbal body language to enhance the visuals you are imparting. Furthermore, many presenters simply dump facts onto an audience. Where the ability to insert a story in the place of an infodump that explains the interaction/topic/scenario you are attempting to impart is huge. Humans have used storytelling to convey important messages for hundreds of years where it's both effective in conveying information and engaging the audience when done correctly.

Engaging your audience is about understanding the demographics, interests, and needs of your audience. Start with a bang in your presentation with a compelling story, quote, question, or surprising fact to grab your audience's attention from the very beginning. Clear and concise message is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Avoid jargon or overly technical language unless your audience is well-versed in the topic. Weave relatable stories and anecdotes into your presentation. Personal experiences or case studies can help your audience connect with your content on an emotional level.

At the beginning of the presentation, clarify with your audience if questions will be taken during or after the presentation. That will limit interruptions.

Welcome to the age-old advice. Practice. A way to create better presentations is to focus on practicing the individual concepts of what makes a good one great. Then break them down into goals for improvement IE: 1. I will improve my sources of information and research -> I will have related sources that enhance my chosen topic and explain the deeper details around it. 2. I will improve my speech and delivery -> Focus on body language and verbal public speaking tricks to engage audiences and deliver important points. Etc.. Being honest to yourself about your performance will allow you to identify areas of improvement even in events where you did well.

Remember that learning and improvement are ongoing processes. Embrace the journey and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from acquiring new skills, knowledge, and experiences. Whether you're looking to advance in your career, pursue personal interests, or simply become a more well-rounded individual, a commitment to continuous learning will serve you well.