What are the best practices for using visuals and storytelling in your presentations?

Great visuals are essential, but the underlying data or narrative is of primary importance. Data or stories need to be robust before they are enhanced by great visuals. Visuals are there to enhance but not take centre stage. They must be relevant, simple, high quality, and used both consistently and sparingly. It is a difficult balance for marketing and communications professionals, editors, and designers to achieve, but worth the effort because strong visuals can grab attention, capture complex ideas, and inspire. Better briefs and more collaborative working across teams to build a better understanding of each other’s aims is key.

In my experience using visuals as a tool to enhance your talk is a great way to clarify your message and get your audience on board with you, all the way.

Use a visual that supports what you're talking about. I've seen random images used to talk about something completely unrelated. That becomes a distraction!

There is no greater way to connect with your audience, have them remember your presentation, and persuade the way they think, feel, and act than with storytelling. The science proves this and the human anecdotes tell this story too.

Like in every other space, storytelling serves an important role in healthcare. In school, we're told to avoid the anecdote. Only clinical trials published in respected journals matter. But when you're trying to connect with a patient, stories about other patients having success work better than reciting data.

Storytelling is magic, it's entertaining for the audience and as a speaker, it's more fun to tell a story than to recite facts that you painfully had to learn... Storytelling allows you to raise the audience's curiosity, capture their attention and deliver a memorable message. Stories teach us, and they have been teaching us for tens of thousands of years! So, let's keep telling and making inspiring stories.

Powerful, engaging presentations, both virtually and live, have two things in common. Energy and enthusiasm. You can be quiet and exude energy. Your passion and enthusiasm for your topic and the audience are key to how you show up before, during, and after, creating a powerful, memorable experience. It doesn't matter what the topic, if you are enthusiastic and energetic, you attract people's attention. You are competing among many distractions you will lose people's attention if you are not showing up with energy.

I like to lean into the “telling” part of storytelling. Select images that reinforce or relate to key parts of what you’re sharing, and then *tell* that story. Your presence should be the key that unlocks the experience. Otherwise, why are you there? Like with a killer film montage, each element of your presentation should be absolutely necessary. If you can cut something out and it still holds up, then cut it. Tight and short is always better than long and loose. And your slides? Sure, attendees can have them. If they saw you speak, then the slides will serve as memory triggers. The slides alone; however, should never do all the lifting. If they do, then a live presentation is the wrong medium for the message you’ve crafted.

Please keep it simple. It is an art to distill the pillars of a storyline into one or two abbreviated sentences. Take the time to trim your text until you can longer do so. Present the story points alongside large, bold images for effect.

Remember one thing: your audience will either listen to what you are saying, or read the slides. they can't do both at the same time.

It is important to use visuals that help you trigger the feeling you want to communicate to the audience. The colors and clarity of the visuals have to align with your message. Remember, visuals help you to underline your message and support the audience to remember your message. The visuals need to be clear to the audience. Many speakers need to use visuals to help them move through the talk, which is an excellent trick if you want to speak without any notes. Just ensure you don't confuse the audience because they are at the center of the presentation.

I shared this on another page answer, but it also applies here. "The medium is the message" highlights the importance of considering the communication medium itself rather than solely focusing on the message. While the message holds significance, we often overlook the potential of certain mediums. In my view, voice is an underrated medium for storytelling. Engaging in someone's ear creates an intimate experience, fostering trust and connection over time. Communicators should analyze which media effectively complement specific messages to optimize their impact. By recognizing the power of different mediums, we can enhance the effectiveness and resonance of our storytelling efforts.

Actively engage your audience during your presentation! Encourage participation, ask thought-provoking questions, and use interactive elements when appropriate. This helps create a dialogue, a bit of fun and makes your presentation more engaging and memorable.

Practice, practice again, and practice more. Record yourself and watch yourself. It can be hard but it's a necessary exercise. Deliver the presentation to trusted colleagues and receive the feedback.

Get training. Period. Great speakers are made not born. You need a great message, delivery, and audience connection to succeed. Great visuals alone don’t get you there.

Stagecraft is an art. By watching speakers in various settings, you can begin to identify what engages you, what makes you think, and what catches you off guard. Now you can watch it again and break down the techniques they used. Where did they stand on the stage? How did they use their voice modulation? Were pauses, facial expressions, and hand movements enhanced the presentation? During virtual presentations, what made the presentation magical? Did they engage the audience? Where were their eyes? Did they make the slide show the main focus or YOU? By observing and breaking down others' presentations, you can incorporate those techniques into your presentation.

Practice and rehearse: Some people are surprised to learn that certain speakers spend months rehearsing and practicing their presentation. Delivering a presentation confidently and smoothly is essential for effective thought leadership. Practice the presentation multiple times to ensure a smooth flow and familiarity with the content. Rehearse using the visuals to ensure they are timed well and reinforce the message effectively.