The only way that we know how to put content into our minds is through the five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. These five senses are the gateways for the information from the outer physical world to the inner mental world. Putting a book under our pillow and hoping the information will transfer from the pages of the book to the brain via osmosis doesn’t work. So, we are left with our five senses. 

About 75% of all the information we humans take in comes through our eyes; and 15% comes through our ears. That’s why we prefer presentations where we can see and hear the speaker. Listening only to - without seeing – the speaker is more difficult for the brain because it has to work harder to remain concentrated. The major input channel via the eyes is not being activated, so the mind tends to wander more quickly to other visual stimuli that is around us.

Good presenters deliberately invoke the other senses empirically through vocal imagery, e.g.:
• the bitterness of defeat - taste
• the smell of money - smell
• the feeling of success - touch

Painting pictures in peoples’ minds is essential for success. We think in stories and our words paint pictures in people’s minds. When we dream, we dream in imagery – and the pictures are not static – they move! Our brain does this all automatically. 

We’ve all heard of “Death by PowerPoint,” which implies a bad presentation including text-heavy slides, confusing graphics, monotone voice and conflicting visual and aural messages. The brain literally freaks outs and then switches off. We simply don’t pay attention to things when they are boring or confusing.

So, it’s important to identify brain-friendly elements that affect us, then look at how those elements can be implemented easily and quickly in our slides.

#Strategic Leadership