Reading on an electronic device drives me crazy. I spend all day on my laptop writing blog posts, creating content for client presentations, and researching strategies and insights. The last thing I want to do is stare at another screen when I’m trying to read for pleasure. Plus, the smell of new book – or old – far outweighs that of a Kindle or iPhone. But, I am also the person who would rather buy a newspaper and open up the large pages while drinking coffee than go to the New York Times app on my phone. It’s true. But I’m not the only one who prefers some analog methods. Vinyl sales reached an all-time high in 2015 – $416 million – which was up 32% from the previous record sales in 1988. In addition, author David Sax recently released his book, The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter
Note-taking
Where Evernote, Google Docs, and even Microsoft Word and Pages have stepped in digitally, the process of taking notes for your presentation could look light years different. An emphasis on analog might lead many presenters to trade in their iPhones, iPads, and laptops for a trusty pen and notebook of paper.
Related Post: The Difference Between Speaker’s Notes and Scripts
Sketching
Sketching can be done in a variety of ways. Falling out of line with David’s analog trajectory, Microsoft created the Surface Pro – designed for putting designers (including presentation designers) in the middle of their creative process and work.
But, it’s possible that the execution of sketching could actually track backwards to the days of pencil and paper as well. Efficient? No. Tangible and personal? Yes. A trend that could become more popular this year.
Presenting
Finally, the return of analog could potentially transform what delivering a presentation looks like. Perhaps presenters will opt for producing an immersive experience with physical materials by printing off their slides and hanging them up around a room. While it doesn’t seem practical, the tactic would get your audience up and moving. Maybe they would even be more apt to engaging with your content in a meaningful way.
In what ways do you see the presentation industry changing with the increasing popularity of analog? Or do you see it changing at all? Share your opinions by commenting below! For more information on the future of presentations, check out the following posts:
Last Speeches and Lessons Learned
