One Secret Ingredient for Great Presentations
One secret that many accomplished presenters use often goes unnoticed. Yet, when done well, it always boosts the presentation’s effectiveness. The good news? It’s easy to incorporate this secret into any presentation.
That secret ingredient is… timing transitions between slides. Great presenters use transitions to connect ideas and tell a compelling story. To leverage this tactic, you need to do two things:
1. Plan transition in advance.
Move beyond “My next slide is….” by planning ahead. Effective transitions should seamlessly help the audience link the previous slide to the next and get them interested in what is coming next. Author and activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie demonstrated this in her TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story.”
2. Say transitions BEFORE advancing to the next slide.
Doing this shows you are in control – not the slides. It also keeps your audience focused on your story rather than being distracted by the new slide
Here is an example of an effective transition:
Now that we have talked about the crowded market space, you might be asking, “How do we avoid what is happening to our competition and make sure we thrive in this space?” It’s an important question. Our research indicates there are three strategies that will help us do just that.
THEN advance to the next slide outlining the three strategies.
Timing your transitions is a subtle but powerful way to elevate your presentations. While your audience may not consciously notice why your presentation flows so well, they will feel the difference.
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