Monday, December 7, 2009

Audio in presentations? Sounds like a Plan. By Adam Barreto


While video presentations are preffered, sometimes they are not an option for a presentation. In some situations audio presentations are better, for example, if a businessman needed to listen to a report on a plane or other vehicle but couldn't have a laptop, he could use a music player to listen to his presentation instead.

If you are going to use audio software, there are several important caveats you should remember. Video presentations have the ability to display data as an image, while audio cannot, so it's important to make sure your audio presentations can create images with words so that the listener feels like he can see what you are describing. I have never done an audio presentation, but I have given speeches without visuals, and the ideas are similar.

I think the most important part of audio presentation is the restatement of key points. Remember that your audience does not have anything to look over so if you reiterate the important parts of the presentation, those items will have a better likelihood of being absorbed and remembered.

Also, remember that like any presentation, there is a level of showmanship. What I mean is, don't be boring. That being said, I am not suggesting that you dress like a clown at a board room meeting, but there are simple things you can do to keep the listeners attention, and not lose their interest. I would suggest, for example, not being monotone. Change the tone of your voice and speak slowly and enunciate. You can effectively bold a certain part of your presentation by staying on it a little longer and speaking in a different tone to stress the importance of that piece.

Remember to vary your language. Just like in professional writing, professional presentations should use varied sentence structure and jargon and technically terms only where appropriate, or with a proper definition as a preface.

Whatever your pursuits, written or spoken, these tips can help you make the most of the auditory experience if you have to make an audio presentation.

6 comments:

  1. This is a good blog with a lot of information. The only thing I would have done differently is write to where it is easier to scan, maybe using bullets. I never thought of audio in a presentation, this is a very unique blog! Good tips!

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  2. There is some really interesting information in your blog post. I like how you posted a picture first to give the reader a clear idea of what you are going to inform them about.

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  3. Great topic! Audio presentations can really be an effective tool when you want your audience to take notice. I also liked the image your chose. It really gave a clear picture of what your post was about. To really get your point across, you could have added an actual audio presentation yourself. Other than that, your post was very informative. Great job!

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  4. While agree with your arguement within your blog, I think it's important to remember that every person in an audience is not an auditory learner. But repeating the key points will allow for the main message of the presentation to stick with the audience. GOOD JOB!

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  5. I like this topic! Great visuals and examples in your blog. You really went in depth and explained how using audio is important.

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