|
Planning
Successful Presentations
A good presentation should be
planned well before it is to be used. Before taking pictures or
trying to put the set "physically together, the presenter should
ask him/herself three important questions:
- What is the slide set trying to accomplish
- Who is the audience?
- Where will the slide set be used?
What is the objective of
your presentation?
Is the presentation merely to inform,
or are you trying to support an argument or thesis? For example,
do you want people to simply learn about life in another country,
or do you want them to do something with that knowledge
when you are finished? You would plan your presentation differently
if your aim is simply to inform people about life in Ethiopia,
than if you want them to support a particular relief agency.
Who is the audience?
You will probably
want to use a different approach with different audiences. Young
people, older people, farmers, urbanites, lower income, higher
income....these are all different audiences and you will need
to address each in a different manner. Their backgrounds, attitudes,
and level of knowledge and awareness about the subject matter
will vary. As a successful communicator, you need to "meet the
audience on their own level" by presenting the material in a language
they understand.
Where will the presentation
be given?
Will you be talking
to a small school group in a brightly lit room, or a darkened
hundred-person meeting hall? Each of these situations will be
an entirely different experience. You will probably not be able
to present the same show in such diverse settings. Try to make
each experience unique for the situation. This keeps it fun, and
more of a challenge for you. You may even be able to tie the talk
to a local event that has some relationship to your subject.
Just Do It!
Once you have
mulled over these questions and get an idea of the direction you
want to take, you're ready to go out and take your pictures. You
may find it helpful to make a list of the kinds of subjects you
wish to get. Remember that each of your pictures does not have
to "tell the whole story." You may find images that are open to
interpretation to be more helpful in giving the audience just
a hint of what is to come. Try using close-ups to effectively
"point" out specific ideas.
Now BURN some film
The effectiveness
of your presentation hinges to a large degree on how good your
photos look. Don't be afraid to "burn some film." It's always
easier to edit down a large selection of slides than it is to
find an appropriate visual when you are no longer traveling. Try
to give each photo you take the same care in composition, balance,
perspective, lighting and timing as you would a single news photo.
Pretend as if each image had to stand on it's own to tell a story.
Tell a Story
The images should
be arranged so that you not only tell the story, but manage to
do so in an interesting manner, with a rhythm and pace that takes
your audience THERE.
What About Music?
Consider collecting
music while you are in the country you will be talking about.
Music can really help to set the mood of talk. Obviously instrumental
music will interfere less than songs with words in them; but if
the language is unfamiliar to the audience, you shouldn't have
any problem.
Don't Be Afraid to Dress
Up
You might also dress
in a local costume. You could also show items that have some relevance
to the topic during the presentation, or have them available for
the audience to look at after the presentation.
Make It Interesting!
Try to vary the
types and styles of images. Intermix scenic views with people
shots, wide shots with close-ups. The pacing of the images can
either make or break a presentation. Don't leave one slide up
for two minutes while you talk about the same subject. Try to
make sure you have several images to cover all the points of your
talk. If you plan well, shoot creatively, and arrange the slides
in an interesting way, then you are sure to leave your audience
wanting to know more!
|
