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You Are Speaking. Is Anyone Listening?

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by Carmen Taran, Rexi Media

Over-tasked and disenchanted in the business space, listeners often attend a presentation with the intent to multitask. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get heard over the corporate noise, clutter, and distraction of digital leashes.

Here are a few techniques to attract and sustain attention.

Use the power of contrast. Audiences who are in a time-crunch always appreciate the opportunity to understand complex concepts quickly and make decisions fast. Contrast helps you do that by helping the brain process information more rapidly and providing shortcuts to decision making. If you’re presenting the release of a new phone that helps with productivity by storing lots of information, contrast it with what it means to takes notes on paper or on your hand. Or if you’re presenting about a piece of exercise equipment that is easy and painless to use, contrast it with the effort and difficulty of floor exercises. Contrasts offer shortcuts to thinking and making decisions.

The power of contrast

You can also get people to pay attention when you use metaphors and paint a picture in their mind about the benefits and attractions of your topic. Imagine using a railway metaphor to symbolize getting from the familiar to the unknown, or a traffic jam to symbolize slow networks, or sedimentary rocks to display different layers in your organization.

Such metaphors attract attention because they refer to concepts that people already have in their heads. The argument becomes easier and faster when you introduce new and complex topics.

You can find these guidelines and more in the Presenter Pro mobile app.