Five additional ways to make minutes count when presenting.

When presenting to any audience, large or small, it’s important for you to help your listener(s) break through the thoughts that already are running through their heads, so they hear what you say to them.

Suggestion: Use a metaphor, simile, alliteration, allegory, or rhyme to help them “connect” and retain what you say.

A Metaphor is a word or phrase that denotes an object or idea, but is used in place of another object or idea. Examples would be: “All the World’s a stage,” or “A boat without oars trying to get to shore.”

A Simile compares two unlike things and often is introduced by the words like or as.
An example would be: “The piles of paper looked like jagged mountains that no one could ever climb.”

Alliteration is the repetition of initial-consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. An example would be: “Reading, Writing, ‘Rithmetic.”

An Allegory is a story, fictional or otherwise, used to portray a truth or express a point. An example would be: “The smallest duckling said he’d rather swim on his own, but the mother duck told all the ducklings that they’d save energy and go much farther if they’d swim in a row.”

A Rhyme can be very effective if it helps solidify a point, For example, “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

The above five suggestions will help you and your message have more impact and influence in your presentations.

If you want more suggestions, you’ll find 76 tips in my book, “Capture the Moment.”