Be Dramatic, Be Memorable

“There is no quality in the world that is not what it is merely by contrast.”
- Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

When you think of the word “dramatic” you probably think of things like:

• The steep, chasmic gulf of the Grand Canyon.
• The sudden, violent shower scene, thirty minutes into Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”.
• The chiaroscuro lighting effect in Rembrandt’s painting, “The Night Watch.”

Each example is dramatic—sudden, striking, exciting or impressive—in its own unique way. And yet, each includes the key element that makes something dramatic:

Contrast.

Too many presentations are forgettable because they aren’t dramatic.

And they’re not dramatic because they don’t have enough contrast.

Contrast occurs when one thing (image, sound, emotion) is juxtaposed with something else strikingly different.

• The Grand Canyon is dramatic because it’s a massive hole contrasted by the surrounding, flat Arizona desert.
• Marion Crane’s murder in “Psycho” is so startling because it stands in stark contrast with the non-violent, dialogue-heavy act before it.
• The deep black shadows contrasted with the bright shafts of light in “The Night Watch” bring drama to what would be an otherwise ordinary painting.

So how can you add contrast to your next presentation?

Visually
Too often, slideshow presentations lack any contrast at all. Slides are so busy and full of information that nothing truly stands out, or each slide looks like a slight variation of the one before it.

To produce contrast, go through your slide deck and pare back your text so only the key message comes across. Try using thick lettering against a simple, solid-colored background. (It may sound plain, but the contrast will help your words jump out at your audience.)

Be sure you have a variety of slides, too. Try to follow a data slide featuring a chart or graph, with a full-screen image with a simple word or short phrase on it.

The human eye is drawn to contrasting images. Use this insight to create a slide deck that truly pops.

Verbally
The opposite of dramatic is monotonous. And there are few things worse than listening to someone drone on in the same tone.

As you present, speak in a higher pitch when you’re really excited about a point and speak lower when you’re trying to convey something serious. Alternate back and forth as much as possible to contrast one tone with the other.

Don’t be afraid to alter the volume of your voice, too. Be loud at times, and soft and quiet at others. This will keep your audience alert and listening. Just remember the old acting adage: “If you’re always shouting, you’re never shouting.” Don't just be loud. Be loud and quiet.

Physically
If at all possible, don’t stand in one place. Create contrast with your body position on the stage (or the area you’ve been given to present from). Move along the X-axis, back and forth in front of your audience.

Don’t limit yourself to the X-axis, though; use the Y-axis, too. Move toward the audience and away from them. Benjamin Zander loves to actually go down into the audience during his presentations to actively interact with his listeners.

Before you give your next presentation, use the guidelines above to determine if your presentation feels “contrasty” enough. But consider other ways to add contrast, too. Maybe it’s by varying the media you use (placing a colorful, animated clip in the middle of a series of static slides), alternating between case studies and straight-forward facts, or bringing up other speakers to present certain points of your presentation.

When you give a presentation that’s full of contrast, creating dramatic moments, you help keep your audience interested, engaged, and more likely to respond to your message.

Editorial Contribution: Jeff Davenport, Duarte, Inc. 2015

Graphic Credit: Nate Hernandez, Duarte, Inc. 2015

Nancy Duarte is CEO of Duarte, Inc. and the author of Resonate, Slide:ology, and the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations. She has a passion for teaching others about the power of persuasive presentations to drive change in the world.

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