Powerful Call to Action

In the video “Nancy Duarte Uncovers Common Structures of the Greatest Communicators”, Nancy Duarte describes the qualities of good presentations and explains the importance of the audience during presentations.

According to Duarte, an effective presentation should have a story-like format, with a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning is when the presenter grabs the attention of the audience by pointing out a huge gap between the status quo and what could be. This gets the audience thinking and forming opinions about the idea. The middle is when the presenter alternates between what is and what could be, further exhibiting the superior appeal of their idea in contrast to what already exists. There may be some roadblocks experienced during this stage as apprehensions may arise. However, as long as the presenter keeps traversing between the downfalls of what is and appeals of what could be, the audience will begin to find the status quo unappealing and open up to the new idea. Finally, the end of the story structure is when the presenter calls the audience to action by dramatically expressing how wonderful the world will be if they all come together to make this idea happen. Duarte terms this “a new bliss”.

Duarte also expresses how, contrary to popular belief, the presenter is not the most important factor during a presentation. The audience is. The audience is the hero of the presentation. In order for any idea to move forward and spread to create change, the audience has to be emotionally and physically invested in the presentation.

All of this information has helped me realize that, as a presenter, my primary role is to effectively communicate my ideas to my audience in an engaging way that will appeal to their emotions. If I am able grab their attention and get them to not just understand my idea but feel my idea enough to prompt action, I have accomplished my goal. Some ways I could do this during my own presentation are to:

1. appeal to the hearts of my audience by pointing out what we have been promised as educators and comparing it to what we are currently experiencing

2. tell relatable, poignant stories of personal experiences with educational technology

3. incorporate positive images, upbeat music, and positive tone of voice to coincide with discussion of my ideas while more negative images, tone of voice, and non-appealing music can be used when discussing the status quo.

4. pose reflective questions that make the audience think more about their own past and present experiences

To drive home important messages, I can use repetition and metaphors so my audience can really feel and get a clear understanding of the points I am making.