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A client recently
sent over a deck of slides for a big presentation on leadership.
The first slide was a quotation from Jack Welch, the former
GE Chairman.
“My main job was
developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other
nourishment to our top 750 people. Of course, I had to pull out some
weeds, too.”
What a great
quote!
But what value do
you add to the audience by putting it on the slide? We think none
at all. That’s why we advise our clients never to put quotes on
slides.
Remember that the
speaker is the most important visual; far more important than any
slide. You’re there as a leader to influence your audience with
your ideas and your intensity.
When you put a
quotation on a slide, you undermine your presentation by diverting
attention from you to the slide.
And you certainly
don’t undermine the impact of the quotation by delivering it without
the slide. Indeed, we think it’s far more impactful to look at the
audience and state the quote from memory, or if necessary from a
cheat sheet.
Imagine this:
You come before you
audience, with a blank screen. Here's how you start.
We’re here today to
discuss leadership training. And when we’re talking about this
issue, I’m reminded of a quote from Jack Welch. He said, “My main
job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and
other nourishment to our top 750 people. Of course, I had to pull
out some weeds, too.”
Now that’s the way
to grab your audience’s attention. Having your audience look
at a slide while you read it to them won't have near the impact.
By the way, if
you’re looking for quotations to use in presentations try
www.wikiquote.org.
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 |
