My colleague Alex Ramsey asserts that “virgin viewers never see a visual aid exactly as we do when we prepared it in advance.” As the creator, we planned, developed and slept with it. Then revised and revised further. In our minds, the final visual is spot on in showing what we wish to convey. Unfortunately, the audience has never seen that visual until its unveiling. Their interpretations are many and varied. Alex has years of neuroscience supporting her assertion. I was a “C” science student, still I’ve personally experienced the phenomenon. Chances are you have too.
I recall MTV being all the rage when the channel launched in 1981. But many had mixed feelings. Including me. While the new music platform was then cutting edge, the video images were inevitably in stark contrast to my mind’s eye on the song lyrics. Art perhaps. Congruent message? Nope.
Ironically, Madonna’s Like a Virgin video (1984) was no different. A male lion strolling among ancient columns, juxtaposed with Madonna dancing in a gondola never had crossed my mind. The visual was nonsense to me.
You and I may not be Top-40 music video producers or directors, yet we are producers and directors of our own presentations. Only our visuals must be less “artsy.” Ours must aid conveyance of the intended message. If we are to achieve, we must place ourselves in the mindset of virgin viewers. How will they interpret the visual? I suggest going old school. Yep, white boards and flip charts in real time.
Before dismissing me as a dinosaur (though I did represent the purple PBS variety for some years), consider:
Technology is not a panacea – Just because technology is available doesn’t mean we must always use it. Technology has made us 24/7 accessible, but it has also rendered us lazy communicators, and the laziness creeps into our visuals. Presenters seem to have become overly reliant on canned technology, and often use it as a crutch to remember their presentations. A visual should complement the verbal, not duplicate it. Additionally, slick technology can be devoid of tactile realness. Failing to connect on a basic human level.
Technology often hinders rather than aids – The distractions are obvious:
- Fumbling with media devices shifts attention from the message to perceived ineptness of the presenter.
- PowerPoint and other pre-prepared visuals can shackle presenters, robbing them of effective spontaneity and adaptiveness in the moment.
- Aside from typical issues, which render virtual visuals illegible (e.g., tiny text, cluttered slides, low contrast or busy backgrounds, etc.), some presenters include so many “bells and whistles” one would think they’re seeking a special effects Oscar. Derailing the intended message.
Most of all, technology often deprives our audience of the story – Particularly when the visual is a diagram or illustration of some past action, an advance prepared graphic is akin to fast-forwarding to the story’s end. Whereas drawing on a flipchart or white board while presenting allows the audience to journey with you, to live the story as it unfolds. And physical movement in drawing the visual spurs energy in the room. Yours and theirs. All five senses are truly engaged. Much more interesting. Impactful. Indelible.
Bottom line, when we think like a virgin, our audiences might just be (in Madonna’s words), “Touched for the very first time.”
© 2015 Russ Riddle. All rights reserved.