Personality is everything to modern humans. Thank (or blame) Google, Facebook, or every other digital company out there for the shift, but the reality is that more and more individuals are completely at home with having their personal information out there in the world’s conversation. Maybe we hang onto our credit card numbers and such, but in general we’re increasingly comfortable putting ourselves on the web for both business and pleasure.
We always say that the presentation medium is perhaps the most stable of all means of mass communication, and while we stand by that claim, we also believe in modifying your approach to suit cultural change.
There’s a big difference between routine changes in media and platforms and cultural transitions. Cultural transitions have to be addressed thoroughly. They need to be incorporated into your presentation: it’s more than just being aware of a new technology; it’s presenting your information in a way that your “new” audience can relate to immediately. Personalization is a cultural transition–and one you need to account for as you outline your content.
Fortunately, the trend toward personalization in culture makes it easier to storyboard your presentation in the first place. Google is all about getting the most accurate information to the most relevant searchers in the quickest possible way, and Facebook is about creating a seamless social experience even when we can’t be breaking bread together in person. So here are two big tips for addressing audiences forever changed by these modern icons:
1. Vet yourself on their behalf: More and more audience members will spend time “googling” and searching you on Wikipedia than ever before. In fact, it’s not even “ever before”–it’s that they’re researching you now, and they never cared before. Give them a short history of your life. Touch all the points you know they’ll find out about anyway and offer your explanation or spin for anything that needs explanation or spinning. Don’t fight. Don’t hide. Just acknowledge, explain, and move on–that goes for the good and the bad. And anytime you can give them juicy tidbits about occurrences they could only read summaries about online, you should.
2. Get real: incorporate Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets into the planning phase of your presentation. Develop your own data and charts. Tell the free jokes. Share hilarious borderline information–become the kind of person your audience is familiar with online. They’re used to a level of engagement with the surrounding world that cannot be underestimated. Be prepared to offer that kind of engagement in your presentation, and be prepared to continue it afterward.
These two tips should infuse your presentations with a fresh breath of creativity. Along with the more constant values about content, design, and delivery that we always advocate, we think you’ll be off to a stellar presentation.
