The best presentations account for all learning styles
Most readers of this blog would be categorized as information workers.
That means the majority of our roles consist of:
Analyzing information
Developing insights
Communicating recommendations
A coaching heuristic that I share with new consultants is to think about the impact of our recommendations as a formula:
It’s clear that our goal as information workers is to increase C.
The reason a formula is helpful, is it allows me to isolate the importance of B.
This post is all about B.
Better communication starts with understanding the needs of the recipient
People learn differently. Depending on which source you quote, there are 4-7 different learning styles.
In any one group there will likely be a diverse set of learning types.
This means the best way to ensure your ideas are well communicated is to cater to each learning style in your communication.
The following are some tips on how you can pressure test your communication to ensure that every learning type is accounted for:
The Visual Learners
Ignore all the words on the page. What does it say to the visual learner who went straight to the graph, chart, or image that accompanied the information?
If the imagery doesn’t fit what you are trying to communicate, change it.
The Auditory Learners
Pretend you don’t have your presentation with you. What are your key talking points? Note down those points so you have a prioritized list of messages to hit.
Practice this a few times so that you consistently touch on every point.
The Written Learner
Read every word in your presentation in isolation. Does it tell the story you want it to without your voice over or charts to accompany it?
Don’t rely solely on your delivery of the information to make the point, it should be self-evident by what you communicate on the page.
The Kinetic Learner
How can you ensure hands-on learners feel they are part of the presentation?
Find ways to engage them, and make them a participant in the discussion instead of just a recipient of your wisdom.
Bonus points if you can help them come to their own conclusions, rather than tell them what they should be thinking.
Next time you have an important message to deliver, keep these tips in mind.
You may not know what type of learners you are about to encounter, so it’s best to be ready for all of them.
Think your network can benefit from these tips? Share them!
