How to present to humans. Part 1.

I'm not sure exactly when things went wrong. It could have been in the 1960's when we started to use slide projectors instead of flip books to present with. Or it could have been in the 1980's when we started using PowerPoint. But now, since information is everywhere (just ask Alexa if you don't believe me) I think it's time for us to come full circle, back to a similar way we presented - say, 15,000 years ago when presenting your ideas, your story, your innovation - was something you did in around a fireplace in front of a tribe of strangers. But with the added benefit of certain 21st century technology - so you can connect with audiences far wider and far better than ever before in human history. I call this the Paleo Presentation? method. But more on that in Part 2.

And I'm sure some of us back then were bad presenters too. We distracted our audiences (like we still do today) by what we wore, how bad our teeth looked, and maybe how young (or old) we were - but at least we didn't think that a bunch of words (whose letters are just pictorial symbols by the way) was what was needed to get others onboard with a great idea. And still, like today, our audiences made judgments about whether they liked us and whether they trust us. Whether they understood what we were saying, what we were showing, and if they could "picture" what we were illustrating even with our animated hand gestures in the air. Whether they could relate to and understand the ideas, innovations or changes we were recommending. Whether we instilled the kind of fear needed (and were evolutionarily honed to be interested in) to make any kind of change whatsoever. Whether they were able to contribute to and be a part of the thing you wanted to create.

Or whether they thought you were just full of shit.

No matter what you were presenting, you were essentially asking strangers from a tribe that you were not part of - for their trust.

Some things don't change. Trust is and will always be the platform for any business arrangement between people - and maybe even machines in the future. (Google search: "Token Architecture and Bitcoin") But is it trust in you? In your tribe? (your company) In your idea or innovation? In how real the danger or situation, you're warning them about actually is? Is it trust in the story you are telling? How did you do it without PowerPoint, without Keynote, without Prezi, without a whiteboard and marker? More on this in Part 3. Stay tuned.