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Normally, the most
important rule for use of visual aids is to remember that no visual
aid is important as you, the speaker. The exception, we learned
last week, is if your visual aid happens to be the Statue of
Liberty.
Last week was the
anniversary of the unveiling of that great copper statue in New York
Harbor, a gift from the French in honor of America’s example of
Freedom.
Remembering the
unveiling,
The Writers Almanac last week told the story of how the statue
was to be revealed by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. But
there was a glitch in the signal and Bartholdi unveiled the
sculpture in the middle of what was widely considered to be an
incredibly boring speech. As soon as the veil was dropped, ships in
the harbor fired their cannons in celebration. The crowd cheered.
The boring speaker
sat down without finishing.
Our first rule for
visual aids in a presentation is to remember that
you are the most important
visual. No one comes to a presentation just to see a bunch of
slides or visual aids. So we always tell our clients to make sure that
the presentation is focused
and delivered with passion.
Of course, there
are exceptions to this rule. And one exception is if your speech is
to unveil something as momentous as the Statue of Liberty.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
