Hollywood waits until summer to release their biggest blockbusters of the year. Now that the smoke has cleared there are more than a few surprises. While no one was too excited during the lead up, X Men: First Class turned out to be a first-rate prequel. On the other hand, the only thing louder than the roaring hype before the Green Lantern film premiered this summer was the chorus of boos it was greeted by during its opening weekend. In the shadow of the Green Lantern, an unlikely contender for best summer film managed to slip under the radar only to garner glowing reviews, delighted audiences and even fat box office returns. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was arguably the biggest success of this film-filled summer.
Just as the movie came as a surprise to critics and viewers, it may come as a surprise to you to know that we’ve distilled a number of lessons from the film that you can apply to your next presentation:
Never Stop Learning
In the film, chimps are given a drug that is designed to cure Alzheimer’s disease. Of course, the result is a supercharged intelligence that eventually leads to a full-on simian revolution. However, the film might have been much different if the apes hadn’t taken the initiative to learn and understand everything about their surroundings in the holding compound. Little by little they communicate, plan and ultimately escape. In order to be a great presenter we also need to stay aware of everything that can help us to present even better. Scrutinize your talks and those of your peers. What’s working? What isn’t? Read the latest posts and publications to find out about new trends in presenting. And, of course, follow us here for more great tips!
Avoid Excessive Ambition
The escape and eventual triumph of the apes over their human captors is largely the fault of overly ambitious scientists. One doctor is driven to find a cure to save his father’s failing memory. A profiteer pushes the testing of the drug forward despite the warning signs that the apes were beginning to change. We all want our presentations to be as good as possible, but it takes time and patience to perfect your ability to communicate your message. Don’t overwhelm your next presentation with overly ambitious expectations. One-step-at-a-time is surest path to presentation perfection.
Never Burn Your Bridges
At the end of the day, presentations are usually a team project. Even if only one of you stands and delivers the talk, we rarely make our presentations in a vacuum. The multiple perspectives that good teams employ can make all the difference between a good presentation and a great one. Among the apes, Caesar the chimpanzee had to learn to negotiate friendships between all the different imprisoned ape species. In order to escape, the talents and strengths of each of them was necessary. Don’t isolate yourself. Good input from trusted peers is an important ingredient in a priceless presentation.
