The Single Visual Aid Method

Introducing: The Single Visual Aid Method

It suggest that the most effective use of visual aids is a single visual aid presented on a single frame. And there’s little difference if it’s on a PowerPoint slide or drawn free-hand on a flip chart or whiteboard.

The “single visual” approach to public speaking, presenting and writing is not just my own idea. History and hundreds of world-class presenters proves its value.

Over the last 60 years, great thinkers and presenters have successfully used this untaught principle to shape our culture with this “single model” approach.

I’m going to list a dozen of them right here. And I hope that you’ll catch on to how important this proven technique should be to every one who speaks, teaches or writes.

They Have Changed the World
Here’s my starter list of world-class experts with their “culture changing visual aids ”*
Abraham Maslows’, Hierarchy of Human Needs
The Transactional Analysis movements’, 3 circle, PAC model
Theodore Levitts’, The Product Life Cycle
Boston Consulting Groups’, Barnyard Matrix
The Myers Briggs’ Type Indicator, 16 square matrix
The USDAs’, Food Group model
Michael Porters’, Five Competitive Forces Model
Stephen Coveys’, First Things First matrix
Robert Kiyosakis’, EBSI financial model
Seth Godins’, The Dip Model
John Kotters’, Management-Leadership Matrix
Chris Andersons’, The Long Tail model

My friend, every one of these are people (or groups) have profoundly effected how our world thinks. And they have “powered” their messages with the visual aids they have use.  And, I have over 400 such graphics in my files. It’s a collection that spans over 50 years of thinking and presenting.

The Good News

These are not the ideas or methods of a bunch of “cubical dwellers.” Most of these people have (or have had) huge and prosperous speaking, consulting and writing careers.

Now the good news!

These people do not have a monopoly of the “single visual” method. Every speaker, great and small, can use this technique.

It makes no difference whether you are in a freshman speech class or a world-famous celebrity adding to their arsenal of up-front skills.

I call this time-tested, career-elevating method, Theme Model speaking, much like a theme statement for an academic paper, or theatrical production. Or, a visual version of a written theme statement.

And, there’s a whole seminar on the topic called How to Draw Your Message for Fun and Huge Profit.

For now, simply hook the Theme Model idea up with the twelve visual aids listed in this article and your presenting can take a giant leap forward, beginning with your very next speech.

* If you want to view all of the visual aids referenced here, do a Google or Google Images search on these world-class experts listed here.

The Daily Carrot Principle, By Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

The Daily Carrot Principle, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

View more presentations or Upload your own.

Says review writer, Cynthia Hanevy, “I just started reading The Daily Carrot Principle: 365 Ways to Enhance Your Career and Life and I like it. It's a quick read-crisp, clear and fun. The Daily Carrot Principle is organized to be read a page a day for one year.”

And I say “Here are some really practical principles you can quote,” citing this edible little book, and your audience will love you.

Again Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton have done an awesome job.

Here’s my latest quotation slideshow set around morgueFile.com beautiful stairways.

Enjoy,

Wayne

Weaving Dreams, Tami Longaberger

Weaving Dreams, Tami Longaberger

View more presentations or Upload your own.

Very quotable! That’s Tami Longaberger’s new book, Weaving Dreams: The Joy of Work, The Love of Life.

On her Facebook page she writes, "My goal in writing Weaving Dreams was not only to open the door to Longaberger's past, but also to open my heart and share with readers the unique stories of my personal journey, thoughts and life lessons gained from pursuing my own 'American Dream.' I can't wait for you to read these stores and discover how I maintain a joy for life. I hope this book will be one that prompts self-reflection in your life and offers encouragement each day."

Again presenter friend of mine, , , step up to the power of using current quotations in your speeches and presentations.

And this book is the place to start. It’s material any speaker can use with great effectiveness.

So here’s a quotation slideshow to taste the good advise Longaberger writes.

Enjoy!

Wayne

The On-Demand Brand, Rick Mathison

The On-Demand Brand, Rick Mathieson

View more presentations or Upload your own.

Here is a book, The On-Demand Brand: 10 Rules for Digital Marketing Success in an Anytime, Everywhere World by Rick Mathieson, I want to give a lot more attention to.  It's about branding!  And I'm about up to my eyeballs with all the publishing effort thrown at the topic.  You too?

So much of the print about branding is about adapting strategies and tactics of giant corporations and products like Nike, Snickers, Coke, Big Mac and Sony to small, struggling businesses and solo operators.

I see branding as a much simplier thing.  To me (and Mathieson), it's a matter of you telling your story to the right people who would buy your product or, more importantly, You.

We all have a story, , , find it, , , and tell it to the right people.  And they'll love you for it.

Enjoy,

Wayne

Go-Givers Sell More, Bob Burg and John David Mann

Go-Givers Sell More, Bob Burg and John David Mann

View more presentations or Upload your own.

Public speakers, , , here are some very quotable quotations.  Here in this slideshow I have included about 25, , , but this little framebreaking book is packed full of them.

Little, highly credible trueisms that will captivate your audiences and drive home your message.  So pick up a copy of Go-Givers Sell More Bob Burg and John David Mann's book today. Just one of these nuggets plugged into your next presentation can put you over the top with your audience.

Enjoy,

Wayne

Internal Story Making, Wayne Kronz

Internal Story Making, Wayne Kronz

View more presentations or Upload your own.

In year 2000, Alan Baddeley thought it necessary to further sub-divide the working memory. In the past, he and Graham Hitch had renamed the “short term memory,” The Working Memory, , , because of how busy this part of the human brain was.

At that time they identified three sub-divisions of The Working Memory, the phonological loop, the visual-spatial sketchpad and the central executive.

To Baddeley, something had to be added to account for the minds understanding of incoming information as an event or story. And so they added the Episodic Buffer.

So as a graphic designer, not a neurologist, I’m suggesting that it is instinctive to humans evaluating new incoming data, to attempt to make a story out of it all. It’s just the way we are.

We tend to want to make an “episode” out of everything.

So, I am suggesting five questions that we sub-consciously ask about all in-coming information.

I’m sure there are other questions, but these five will help you see what is going on in the human brain when we are listening and watching a speaker or presenter.  I hope this musical model helps you get the picture.

More later,

Wayne

Mark Lanier and Cliff Atkinson

Life is never-ending discovery. Even at the age of 74. It happened to me yesterday. Just as it does nearly every day that I put out my “bucket.”

Soon after Cliff Atkinson’s book, Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® 2007 to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire came out, I’ve known about his star case study, attorney Mark Lanier and his 253 million dollar wrongful death settlement with Merck.

You see, this case study fits into my visual aid research pattern. To look at Lanier’s PowerPoint opening statement (well over 200 slides and two and one half hours long) is an investigation into excellence and several note worthy lessons.

And, I only study the very best.

This guy just won 253 million from one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in the world, that had just spent a billion dollars on lawyers and expert witnesses in it’s defense.

Lanier (and his consultant, Cliff Atkinson) must have done something right.

And what ever that was, all we like PowerPoint users should take note and learn. (The heck with what the crazy dude in the cubical next to you says about using PowerPoint.) Lanier’s stuff works!

We should (study and) follow suit!

Back to my discovery! It was a series of 9 videos on YouTube.com. These videos were of Lanier speaking (I think, to group of Harvard law students) about that blockbuster trial, , , the one where his client won a settlement of 253 million dollars.

In it he shows some of the slides he used in his opening statement. Fellow PPT user, , , here is real value! His opening arguments were a two and one half hour speech, , , supported by well over 200 PowerPoint slides.

My observation is that such a presentation is a tasty recipe for a nap.

Not so here! Observers at this trail said that the jury of 12 were on the edge of their seats for the entire time. (Which is cool, in and of it self.)

But the results they delivered, , , 253 million bucks, , , is what really counts.

I have drawn several conclusions after watching all nine videos through twice. And I’ll discuss them with you in part two of this article.

For now, if you are a serious presenter in any field, I highly recommend that you watch this series through, at least twice. Here in this post is Part One of the series.  Then you can watch the rest of them one by one.

After you have watched this string of videos, then I’ll get back to you and we can see what we have learned.

Enjoy!

Wayne