Content is king_?_ or so they say. But why? And what’s all this talk about storytelling? This ain’t no bookshop! And who cares about the Oxford comma?
To address some common questions around content and to unpack why we believe it is so important, we thought we would throw some curly questions to our resident Content Lead Sam, to see what makes her and her team feel content.
Why is getting content right important for presentations?
Content allows you the chance to take your audience on a journey that’s impactful and memorable. Sure, you can wow them with great visuals, but you can also bore them with complex data and irrelevant information. Buy-in and action are the result of the perfect combination of content, visuals and delivery _?_ the _??presentation pyramid’
Do I have to write different content for different audiences (B2B, B2C, CEO, CXO, CIO, C3PO) ?
YES! Is the short answer. We advocate an “AUDIENCE FIRST” approach to creating content.
Different audiences have different agendas and needs. And it’s important that your content addresses these needs_?_ good content is as flexible as any yogi. You will find they all have one thing in common and if your content is on point, it will address whatever it is that is keeping them up at night. Also, as you are the common denominator, don’t be afraid of the Human2Human connection and craft your content so it is personal and relatable. Do this and you’ll win over even the toughest of acronyms audiences.
Why is story so important for presentations?
In presentations (and any powerful form of communication really) we use the power of narrative (story) to convey messages and make information relevant and relatable. Storytelling isn’t about fluffy kittens and rainbows (unless that’s your subject matter!) Storytelling is about ensuring your presentation has a beginning, middle and powerful call to action at the end. It’s about taking your audience through a journey of current state to future state, in a way that matters to the audience_?_ inviting them to be an active participant rather than a passive recipient.
What is your best practice advice?
- KISS – Any multitude of sites will tell you that the thing to remember when creating a presentation is to keep it simple. Do this and you will ensure that the focal point becomes the speaker.
- Tense – present tense is always the way to go as this helps make the content relevant to the audience, as well as inclusive pronouns, (_??we’, _??us’, _??our’ etc).
- The 30/15/5 Rule _?_ 30 minutes of content, 15 slides and 5 minutes of questions _?_ this keeps the content on slide to a minimum and allows for more collaborative engagement at the end which will maximise your presentation power.
My team of writers have written 1000s of presentations, videos, reports_?_(all forms of communication materials, really) and we get a total kick out of what we do. Oh, and we do love a good Oxford Comma!
Give us yell if you get stuck!
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* Thank you Lauren Peng for the image