Animation and the Presenter

January 15, 2009 by Jerry 

We’ve all been in the audiences of far too many presentations that unleash all the bells and all the whistles of PowerPoint animation with a frenetic, pyrotechnic display that challenges a Fourth of July celebration. This phenomenon is like putting a 14-year-old boy behind the wheel of a Ferrari Testarossa.

That such excess happens is no surprise. All the many options in the pull down menus and ribbons of PowerPoint animation (in Slide Transition alone, there are 58 effects grouped into five categories, with three speed options for each) are as tempting as are all the many buttons, levers, dials, and gears in the cockpit of a Ferrari. They cry out, “Try me!”

Uncontrolled, they can cause a crash of the car or of a presentation.

The obvious solution is to exercise restraint, but that is negative advice. What to do instead? There are three simple overarching rules that, if followed, will bring your presentation to life (after all, that is the definition of animation) and, more importantly, bring clarity, if not tranquility, to your audiences.

Rule One: Make the default direction of your animation left to right.
Text in Western languages is printed from left to right. This simple fact drives how human beings perceive visual stimuli. When your audience sees images move from left to right, it will feel natural and pleasing to their eyes – and make them more receptive to you and your message.

Rule Two: Use motion to express the action in your message.
If you want to show rising revenues, have your animation move from the bottom up; if you want to show declining costs, have your animation move from the top down. If you want to send a negative message – about your competition – reverse direction, and move your images right to left.

Rule Three: Allow your audience to absorb your animation.
The highly sensitive optic nerves in your audience’s eyes cause them to react involuntarily to light and motion. The instant your animation starts, all of their attention suddenly shifts to the screen and away from you. Because your audience is so focused on the animation, they do not hear what you are saying, nor do they see what you are doing. Therefore, whenever you introduce animation, stop talking, turn to the screen, and allow the animation to complete its full course of action.

The presenter’s actions and words, as well and the design and the animation of the graphics, must be closely integrated. They all come together in a technique called Graphics Synchronization, drawn from the world of television directing. If you would like to learn more about this unique skill, you can find it in Chapter Eleven of The Power Presenter.

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Comments

3 Responses to “Animation and the Presenter”

  1. ade on January 30th, 2009 3:53 pm

    I given a couple of presentations but to be honest I never thought that such a simple technique as pausing during slide transition. Thanks for the tip.

  2. Interacting With Slides « NACEF on June 9th, 2009 11:46 pm

    [...] to complete its full course of action. (For more about PowerPoint animation, please see my blog, “Animation and the Presenter.”) During your pause, look at the image as if you have never seen it, giving your audience time [...]

  3. BloggerDude on October 8th, 2009 5:18 pm

    I don’t know If I said it already but …Excellent site, keep up the good work. I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks, :)

    A definite great read….

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