Ing. Jiří Šnajdar 2015

Advanced Presenting Techniques

L 9

Dramatic contrasts

Dramatic contrasts can be used to reinforce a point that´s being made.

„ Year ago we were the market leader. Today we are on the verge of going under.“

Making a point using two strongly opposing idea sis a great way of getting the attention of your audience.

Dramatic Contrast - reinforces point made - use of (simple) opposites - use of contrasting expressions.

„Ten years ago we were unknown to the public. Today we have a reputation for excellence.“

„While other universities have relied on traditional approaches, we have been adopting innovative techniques. Nothing will change, if we don‘t do something.“

The research shows that the use of contrast is one of the most powerful ways of prompting applause in political speeches. Many long-lived and memorable quotations use contrast. Here’s a couple you’ve probably come across:

„It is more blessed to give than to receive.“ (The Bible, Acts 20:35)

„I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.“ (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar)

Let’s dive into the anatomy of different types of contrasts so that you can create your own.

Contradictions: ‘not this but that’

One of the most famous examples of this type of contrast is from Martin Luther King:

„I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.“

The technique works just as well on more prosaic topics.

„The new filing system is based not on where you sit, but on what you do.“

Comparisons: ‘more this than that’

Take this very ordinary sounding sentence:

„The various points I have outlined in this presentation point to the need for us to do even better in the future.“

„So the important thing is not how good we are today but how much better we need to be tomorrow.“ Famous exampels:

„One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.“ (Neil Armstrong)

„The difficult: that which can be done immediately. The impossible: that which takes a little longer.“ (George Santayana)

Opposites: ‘black or white’

The fact that there are so many words with opposite meanings provides us with immense scope for producing stark and dramatic contrasts.

Here’s a political example of using an opposite:

„What the electorate gives, the electorate can take away.“ (Tony Blair)

Other rhetorical techniques

Contrast is just one of the rhetorical techniques, metaphor, rhetorical questions.

„Recent years have seen a widespread proliferation in the incidence of medical negligence cases, in which Health Authorities have incurred increased costs as a result of the greater legal sophistication with which cases are being argued.“

„Health Authorities are faced with a new kind of epidemic.“

„A once-rare disease has turned into a plague of litigation.“

„Medical negligence cases are now more frequent, more expensive, and more expertly argued than ever before.“

When to use these techniques

These techniques can be very powerful in the right context. But they come with a risk.

The risk is that your presentation will become a performance rather than a conversation.

The techniques rely on careful phraseology.

That means that you either have to memorize the lines, or have a script in front of you as you speak.

Therefore , use these techniques sparingly – for just a sentence or two in your presentation.

The use of contrast, in particular, will make your key message stand out and resonate with your audience.

Once you feel you can maintain a conversational and authentic style whilst using these techniques, they are a powerful tool to add to your toolbox.

Opposites attract. In the context of a presentation, simple opposites can be used as dramatic contrasts which will attract your audience’s attention.

„Just one year ago hardly anyone had heard of him. Today, the whole business world sits up and listens whenever he speaks.“

„While you were sitting in meetings thinking about taking action, we were out in the real world doing something about it!“

„To keep our customers we need to lose our arrogance.“

„Instead of sitting back and letting it happen stand up and fight for what you believe in.“

„It’s no longer a question of ‘if’ they enter the market it’s a question of ‘when’“

„If we don’t exploit our advantage our competitors will exploit it for us.“

Use of Contrast

The contrast between the positive and the negative emphasises and reinforces your point.

This can sometimes involve the use of : the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in changed order:

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going.„

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." (John F. Kennedy)

Or it can be a more basic use of contrast

"Those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can." (Barack Obama's Victory Speech)

"You turn if you want to, this lady's not for turning." (Margaret Thatcher)

A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-15)

"Not because the communists are doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right" (John F. Kennedy)

Effective communicators achieve contrast in two ways: through their content and their delivery.

You can create contrast in the content of your presentation through its structure. One way is by making your entire presentation a story. Stories are all about contrast—there is usually a conflict between what the protagonist wants and what is happening right now. The conflict keeps us tuned in, and the resolution is all the more satisfying the greater the conflict.

For many business presentations, the problem/solution structure is an excellent way to contrast the pain of the existing problem with the pleasure to be gained from your solution.

The yesterday-today-tomorrow structure provides forward flow by contrasting what is with what could be.

Another way is to structure your presentation with contrasting data types.

The presenter used bold visuals to highlight the fact that a problem existed, then put in a slide which contained several graphs that made his emotional appeal credible.

He did this several times in succession, and the contrast between highly visual and emotional slides and coldly logical ones kept the audience riveted.

Even individual facts can be contrasted, such as when you contrast the price of your solution with the cost to the client if their current situation is not resolved. Numbers have meaning only in comparison to other numbers, and as a presenter you get to choose the comparison.

You can also maintain attention through contrasts in your delivery. One of the most obvious ways is by varying aspects of your voice.

People who normally speak fast may want to slow down to emphasize a particular point, or to pause occasionally to let the audience digest what they’re saying.

You can raise your voice to highlight something important, although sometimes lowering your voice to a point that is just barely audible can make a dramatic contrast with what has gone before and really get people to sit up straight and listen.

Once in a while, why not move from one side of the room to the other as you switch from one point to the next?

Contrast

Contrast simply means difference. And for whatever reason—perhaps our brains think they are still back in the savannah scanning for wild predators—we are all wired to notice differences.

We are not conscious of it, but we are scanning and looking for similarities and differences all the time.

Contrast is what we notice, and it’s what gives a design its energy.

Contrast is one of the most powerful design concepts of them all because really any design element can be contrasted with another.

You can achieve contrast in many ways—for example, through the manipulation of space (near and far, empty and filled), through color choices (dark and light, cool and warm), by text selection (serif and sans serif, bold and narrow), by positioning of elements (top and bottom, isolated and grouped), and so on.

Making use of contrast can help you create a design in which one item is clearly dominant. This helps the viewer “get” the point of your design quickly.

Every good design has a strong and clear focal point and having a clear contrast among elements (with one being clearly dominant) helps.

If all items in a design are of equal or similar weight with weak contrast and with nothing being clearly dominant, it is difficult for the viewer to know where to begin.

Designs with strong contrast attract interest, and help the viewer make sense of the visual. Weak contrast is not only boring, but it can be confusing.

Every single element of a design such as line, shape, color, texture, size, space, type, and so on can be manipulated to create contrast. On the next page are some slides that make good use of contrast compared with slides that have weaker contrast.

The more strikingly visual your presentation is, the more people will remember it. And more importantly, they will remember you.