I have been reading Nancy Duarte’s book Resonate, in an effort to improve presentation and speaking skills.

Much in this book had moved, changed, and sharpened my thoughts on making and giving presentations. Being that my focus is on using experience and activity to engage and change, using presentations is paramount.

Here is a piece that is relevant to experiential educators;

• There is a likable yet flawed hero attending your presentation.
• A presentation should take the audience on a journey from their ordinary world into your special world, gaining new insights and skills from your special world.
• The audience makes a conscious decision to cross the threshold into your world; they are not forced.
• The audience will resist adopting your point of view and will point out obstacles and roadblocks.
• The audience needs to change on the inside before they’ll change on the outside. In other words, they need to alter their perception internally before they change the way they act.

 

When Duarte writes of the “hero attending your presentation” she is referring to the people attending. Bringing a perceptual knowledge that those in attendance are the heroes and it is their journey is requisite for successful change.

The above list touches on every aspect of experiential design and successful facilitation of programming.

Have you experienced this path in your presentations?

In what ways does your audience make a decision to cross the threshold into your world?

How do you make “your world” inviting and a place of internal change?

 

 

michael cardus is create-learning