Successfully using your voice in presentations
Quick notes – Planning your Presentation
Contrast is the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association. (Thanks to Google for the technical definition there!)
More importantly to us, contrast is a fantastic tool for increasing our public speaking success. When we use contrast in a presentation, our audience cannot help but notice the gap that is created between the two things that we contrasting. It's a surefire way to grab attention.
More than that, contrast is great for holding attention and keeping our audience engaged. As humans, when we notice a gap or a space that doesn't fit the normal 'pattern' that we would expect, we have an innate desire to resolve that gap and bring things back into a nice pattern.
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See some jumbled Scrabble letters on the worktop? The chances are that if you’re left alone with them for too long you’ll start arranging them into familiar words - an example of our natural desire for order in action!
In short, gaps and contrast draw us in. They are a powerful tool for getting (and holding) the attention of an audience.
How can you use contrast to attract attention and keep your audience engaged?
Here's some quick wins...
Contrast in Presentation Content
Contrast in Presentation Delivery and Emotion
Contrast in Language
Visual contrast
Contrast in presentation stories
Structural contrast
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