How can you captivate your audience with your business presentations, not losing them along the way to monotonous rambling? Gone are the days of data filled slides, and paragraphs upon paragraphs of information.
With technological advancements and increased digitalisation here to stay, 2019 has seen more innovative presentation techniques than ever before. From AR to colour psychology, new ideas are constantly informing how businesses present their ideas.
Carry on reading as we take a look at the best presentation technologies out there, ones predicted to enhance presentations of the future.
1. Virtual Reality
Virtual reality gives your audience a chance to emerge themselves in your presentation. This technology has advance in an incredible rate over the past few years and is expected to keep accelerating. According to Forbes, the worldwide market for VR is expected to reach 98.4 million sales by 2023. This tech could completely transform your business presentation, at a fraction of the cost of other innovations such as AR.
Creating an immersive experience, VR offers a fantastic way to tell stories that your audience will feel actively involved in. As studies have linked visualising a situation to increased memory retention, a VR presentation will stick in your audience’s memory much more than the conventional PowerPoint format.
2. Product Demos
Companies including Apple, Microsoft, and Google have paved the way when it comes to product demos. These tech giants have proved that audience’s respond far better to actually witnessing how a product works, rather than just taking the speaker’s word for it.
Thanks to advanced projecting equipment, presentations can now feature a clear product demo on a large scale. Why tell people how fantastic your new product is, when you could just show them?
3. Colour psychology
Science can inform presentation techniques in unexpected ways. Colour psychology is often utilised by speakers to evoke certain emotions in their audience and help strengthen their argument. Depending on your brand, different colours are useful to use in your presentations. Blue, for example, has been proven to evoke calmness, and focus — perfect for keeping audiences engaged!
Keeping up to date with recent colour trends is also vital. New visual trends tell your audience that your brand is up to date, ever improving, and modern.
4. Audience polls
Audience interaction is integral to a successful and memorable presentation. If you can think of a way for your audience to get involved, then your presentation will capture the room’s attention. One such way is using a live audience poll. Polling apps allow your audience to have their say. They provide a great way to gather the thoughts of your audience and reinforce your points.
What’s more, you can engage audiences from all around the world using polling apps such as Polleverywhere. Both international audiences and the people watching the presentation in person will feel more engaged in your presentation if they get to play a part in it.
5. Augmented Reality
Prezi, a leading presentation tool, has recently delved into the world of augmented reality, discovering what it could mean for presentations of the future. The founders aim to bring audiences “inside of a presentation using augmented reality” and they believe that AR could enhance audience engagement. AR, which has already been implemented by the likes of Snapchat and Google Pixel, creates life-like objects and customised visual environments. Like VR, it is a great tool for allowing your audience to feel involved in the presentation and interact.
One example of AR used within a presentation was in a recent TED talk, in which neurologist Robert Sapolsky discussed the biology behind human nature. To illustrate one of his points, he conjured up an AR figure, which points a gun right at the speaker. This illusion captivated audiences’ attentions and became the most memorable part of the talk.
All of these techniques will enhance business presentations over the next few years, improving audience engagement and creating memorable moments. Despite all the technology in the world however, it is down to you, the speaker, to deliver your presentation with authority and confidence. Practical tools such as printed presentation folders and prompt cards are still essential to a flawless presentation. Pair these methods with innovative technologies and your audience are sure to be hooked.
Sources
https://virtualspeech.com/blog/future-presentation-technology
https://www.wired.com/story/prezi-augmented-reality/
https://www.polleverywhere.com/
http://www.arttherapyblog.com/online/color-psychology-psychologica-effects-of-colors/#.XaRiC0ZKiUk