The Scott Bonds Rules of Presentations
I’ve got another deck to put together. Seems like a good time to write down the Scott Bonds Rules of Presentations:
- entertain your audience
- do not forget to make your point
- do not put text on your slides
Entertain Your Audience
This is the first rule because its the most important. When you entertain your audience, you make them into better listeners. They are more engaged, more open minded, and more likely to absorb and retain your message. They are also more likely to want to hear you speak again. Bing Gordon reveals 1 new, significant trade secret when he speaks, making his talks buzzworthy in addition to entertaining his audience.
Do Not Forget To Make Your Point
Ever watch a brilliant ad on TV that made you LOL, but then were left wondering what the ad was for? Yah, don’t do that. First entertain, second get your point across.
Do Not Put Text On Your Slides
Look. I’m lazy and pressed for time too, so I’ll forgive you if you break this rule. But the best presentations do not have text on the slides–instead they use visuals as emotional queues reinforcing the words that are spoken–they do what the soundtrack does for a movie. And see rule #1.