Have you ever considered how much time your employees spend in meetings and presentations? The answer could surprise you. An American survey showed people in middle management spend roughly 35 percent of their time in meetings. For upper management, it’s 50 percent! And many people consider that time to be wasted. In fact, executives consider more than 67 percent of meetings to be unnecessary, according to the same source. This leads to a disengaged audience as workers spend their time checking email and doing other work instead of participating.
How do you get them to tune in to your message? Think outside the box. Nix the PowerPoint® and try something new. Grab their attention using these creative presentation ideas. For a memorable touch, bring along presentation giveaways to use as props.
Use video
More than 69 percent of people prefer to watch a video while learning something new. Create 60-second videos and stagger them throughout your presentation to keep their attention. Use the videos to lead your discussion but don’t rely on them for the entire presentation. Too much video can also result in viewer disengagement. After your presentation, give attendees a USB drive loaded with the videos you shared. That way, they can reference them later or even share them with others.
Bring props
Props can bring life to a metaphor, help with role playing or even highlight a new product. Not only do props add realism to whatever you’re sharing, they also can be passed around to help build enthusiasm. Bring along presentation giveaways that double as props to enhance your message. For example, if you’re discussing health and wellness, hand out stress balls or water bottles that illustrate your point and serve as a giveaway.
Get artistic
Instead of relying on slides to illustrate your point, draw your ideas in real-time as you’re speaking. Even if you don’t consider yourself the best artist, drawing a simple line map or diagram will have the audience watching to see what you’re doing. Get comfortable with your creative skills by practicing your masterpiece before the presentation.
Ask questions
Engage your audience by asking them questions. Select respondents randomly or ask for volunteers. Questions should be fun, but still related to your topic of discussion. Take it one step further and turn your questions into a game. Ask the audience multiple-choice questions using a learning game app like Kahoot!®. Then, reward the person with the most correct answers with a presentation giveaway, such as a journal or ear buds.
Do something unexpected for your next big meeting with these creative presentation ideas. Employees will appreciate the change of pace and will remember what you had to say. Using presentation giveaways will drive home any point you need to make.