(1 minute read)
I vividly recall receiving the following advice from my English teacher during my senior years of secondary schooling:
“Make your introduction compelling, with an attempt to grab the readers attention from the very beginning.
Conclude with a flourish, bringing the story to a dramatic close, and leaving the reader somewhat spellbound.
Finally, put those 2 elements of your essay as close together as possible.”
While this advice may have been intended for the benefit of the audience (i.e., teachers or examiners having to read multiple papers on the same/similar theme) it can still serve us well when making presentations to clients, colleagues or prospective customers.
KISS versus KILL
Keeping your presentations short & sharp, has proven time and again to be of greater value than their opposites, where they become long & laborious.
Research continues to support the long-held belief that our attention spans are decreasing, demanding that we either adapt our presentations to meet these findings, or subject our audience to unnecessary ‘fluff’ and detail which could best be omitted.
Providing too much detail can inadvertently self-sabotage our objective of influencing or persuading our audience.
Ignore this advice at your peril!
“The Art of Brevity is absorbing, and filled with the eclectic wisdom of writers, artists, and musicians who have created with an aesthetic of brevity and omission.”
(Grant Faulkner)