I’ve been reading about creativity. In his book Top Performance: How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others, famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar talks about being creative. He quotes Emory University Professor Dr. Steve Franklin as saying:
“There are only three pure colors—red, blue, and yellow—but look at what Michelangelo did with those three colors. There are only seven notes, but look at what Chopin, Beethoven, and Vivaldi did with those seven notes.”
This speaks to the creative energy that drives famous and moving works of art. But are we tapping into that creative energy when we develop our presentations? Research from Adobe shows that only 1 in 4 people feel they are living up to their creative potential.
And yet, developing and designing and delivering presentations is creative work. So we need to tackle it with all the creative energy we can muster.
The Masterpiece
IBM surveyed more than 1,500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries. They wanted to know what skills were needed for future success. Do you know what was #1? You guessed it. Creativity. It topped the list above rigor, management discipline, integrity, and vision.
But when was the last time you finished preparing a presentation and thought, “this is a creative masterpiece?” What would happen if we, as speakers, called ourselves to a higher creative standard? What if we agreed with the opinion of those 1,500 CEOs? How might your presentation change if creativity was one of your top goals?
The Materials
Dr. Franklin goes on to say, “President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contained only 262 words, and 202 of them had one syllable. Think of the impact those simple, direct words have had on our society.”
As presenters, we are working with words, presentation media, and nonverbal communication like facial expression and vocal pitch.
- Words: The way words can be combined is limitless. Get creative in the way you phrase your main points. Just a different order or combination of words can be enough to catch the audience’s attention and make that phrase memorable.
- Presentation Media: Your slide deck or presentation media gives you infinite possibilities to communicate in creative ways. You can play with layout, color, sound, and motion. Don’t be afraid to break away from PowerPoint templates. There is no rule that presentation slides have to be a boring list of bullet points. Shake it up.
- Nonverbal Communication: The human face, body, and voice are capable of communicating so much. Are you using these tools to the best of your ability? Like a paintbrush in the hand of Michelangelo, what more can you do with what you have? Maybe you try varying your rate—speeding up to build excitement and interest or slowing down to drive impact and focus. Maybe you finally decide to move from behind the lectern to engage more fully through movement.
How else can you use these tools of your trade in creative ways? The “same old” presentation probably isn’t doing you any favors. Remember that public speaking is an art. Ready to create your next masterpiece?
At Ethos3, we are serious about helping you achieve presentation greatness. How can we help you create your next masterpiece?
