The document provides guidance on how to give a successful presentation based on neuroscience research on how the brain processes information. Some key points include: capturing audience attention through novelty, emotion, and memorability; using stories, humor, and vivid examples; limiting presentations to 18 minutes; and practicing extensively to improve delivery skills. Effective nonverbal communication like eye contact and body language are also emphasized.

1. Dott.ssa Giorgia Pizzuti︎
www.formazionedivina.it︎

2. “THE PURPOSE OF A SPEECH IS TO MAKE YOUR AUDIENCE
SEE WHAT YOU SAW, HEAR WHAT YOU HEARD,
FEEL WHAT YOU FELT” (D. Carnegie)

3. That means we know “why-how-what” moves people!
jojopjopjoj
jojopjopjoj
Neuroscientists have learned more in the past 10 years about how we
process information than they’ve learned in all civilization to date.

4. EMOTIONAL
Touch my
heart
NOVELTY
Say something
new
MEMORABILITY
Present me contents
I won’t forget
The brain doesn’t pay attention to boring things.
And you know why?
And it is all about

5. What we should know about how the brain
works so to be a successfull speaker

6. STIMULUS
THALAMUS
AMYGDALA
HIPPOCAMPUS
DELIBERATE/INTENTIONAL
REACTION
NEOCORTEX
PERCEPTION
ATTENTION
CNV - VC
AUTOMATIC REACTION
[EMOTIONS – BODY
MOVEMENTS]

7. ATTENTION
[SRA]
PERCEPTION
MEMORY
Memorizing
Recalling

8. This is the reason why starting with “the why” works!

9. So how we work on the
“why-how-what” of a
presentation to make it
successfull?

10. EMOTION
“People will forget what you said, what you did, but will never forget
how you made them feel” (M. Angelou)
When the brain detects an
emotionally charged event, the
amygdala releases dopamine that
aids memory and information
processing. It’s like a mental post-it
that tells your brain: remember this!
Anything in a presentation that
elicits strong emotional response
(video, audio, story, humour) grabs
the listener’s attention and will be
remembered longer.
EMOTIONS

11. NOVELTY
Therefore during a speech
an unexpected twist on an
old idea, an unusual,
unfamiliar element hit the
audience attention and
“push” them out of their
preconceived notions.
Brain is wired to detect new stimulus in the environment for surviving.
A new input activates your limbic system and your brain’s natural “save button.”
NEW

12. MEMORABILITY
.
If your audience cannot remember what you said in your presentation
or recall your idea, it doesn’t matter how great it is!
Novelty, emotions, pictures, drive your attention and are also
recognized to be faster and stronger remembered than words
- the same with your cnv.
Working memory can manage
only 7bit of informations (phone
number is usually 7 digits: if you
ask people to remember 8…they
will forget the entire sequence!).
Incorporate the rule of 3 in your
presentations: divide it into 3
parts, discuss “3 benefits” of a
product, give your audience “3
action steps” they can take.

13. According to what we have seen so far,
what are the best practices for a successfull presentation?

14. You cannot inspire others unless you are inspired yourself. Passion is contagiuos
and will influence your audience perception of the idea presented.
Dig deep to identify your unique and meaningful
connection to your presentation topic.
SHOW YOUR PASSION

15. SHOW YOUR
VULNERABILITY
The most inspiring speakers are open,
authentic, and, at times, vulnerable.
Vulnerability connect with people.

16. Jaw-dropping momentis are anything that elicits a very
strong emotional response.
DELIVER JAW-DROPPING MOMENTS
Even B. Gates has radically transformed his public speaking incorporating
jaw-dropping moments in his public presentation (see TED talk on malaria).

17. USE HUMOR WITHOUT TELLING A JOKE
Humor lowers defenses making your audience more receptive to your
message. It also makes you seem more likable, and people are more
willing to do business with or support someone they like
Tell humorous anectodes, make provocative observations
about yourself, don’t take yourself too seriously.

18. Researchers have discovered that “cognitive
backlog”- too much information - prevents the
successful transmission of ideas…
“18 min is long enough to be serious
and short enough to hold people’s
attention” (TED curator C. Anderson)
STICK TO THE 18 MINUTE RULE

19. ..it makes the mental load on your audience heavier and
heavier…until they forget everything you said.
Whenever you “feel” it is
n e e d e d . C h e c k y o u r
audience body languagge to
get when it’s the right time!
HAVE A BREAK

20. USE METAPHORS
They not only help explain a complex topic but also
create vivid images in your reader’s head
making it easier to understand and remember your message.

21. Metaphors engage the right brain by-passing rationality and
lowering defenses – just like stories…
“Wine is the poetry of the earth”

22. RMI reveal that stories stimulate and engage the human brain helping the
speaker connect with the audience and making it much more likely that
they will agree with the speaker’s point of view.
“Stories are just data with a soul” (TEDx Houston, 2010, B. Brown)
TELL A STORY: YOURS OR OTHERS

23. In every classic story, the hero fights the villain. The same
storytelling principle can apply to every presentation.
Introducing an antagonist (the problem, the other solution, decision, other data….)
could be a nice option. It rallies the audience around the “hero” – your message.

24. In 1984 when S.Jobs introduced the Macintosh,
Big Blue, IBM represented the villain.

25. “Best speakers give you the impression
to ad lib their speeches…
…as a matter of fact they set up everything
in detail” (J.F. Kennedy)

26. Great presenters visualize, plan and create ideas on paper
well before they start working on their presentation.

27. THINKING
ORGANIZING
IDEAS
BUILDING
SLIDE
REHARSING
1/3 of the time for collecting and sketching
ideas. 90 hrs for 1 hr presentation (30 slides)

28. Where did you start you content’s planning of your last presentation?
What were your criteria for selecting the contents?
Keep in mind: time at disposal, meeting room set, n° of
participants, sex, age, jobs and…

29. Gather informations about your audience (know how, expectations,
needs) before and during the speech. Ask questions and observe people
WHO IS GOING TO SIT IN FRONT OF ME ?

30. UDITIVEVISIVE KINESTESIC
We all have different preferred “learning channel” that you can detect
by focusing on the speech rhythm, the words used more frequently,
the breathing rythm.
So use Flipchart, Infographics, Sketchnote so so make all
participants involved in your presentation regardlessless their
own main representative system.

31. SketchNote allows the balance between left and right brain,
Rationality that Creativity.
Let’s see what happen when they don’t work together…

33. As we already seen, Neuroscience shows that concepts presented as
pictures are more likely to be remembered than words.
Hearing =
10% Retention
Watching =
65% Retention

34. ARROWS
FONTS
FRAME
PEOPLE
FACES
BULLETS
DIVIDERS
CONTAINERS
How do we create a sketchnote?

35. BUILDING SLIDES: BEST PRACTICES
Create visually intriguing slides. Open up your creativity. Dare!

36. MacBook Air. The world’s thinnest notebook.
ELIMINATE CLUTTER & KEEP IT SHORT
Ask yourself: “what’s the big one idea I want people to take away from
my presentation?”. If you selling a product or presenting a business
plan, what do you want your customers/investors to know about it?”

37. If you can express it in 140 characther or less, you’ll help your audience
make sense of your presentation and how it will benefit them
THINK LIKE
Challenge yourself to use fewer words and more visuals.
It does take more thought…but it’s much more effective!
CREATE TWITTER-LIKE HEADLINES

38. S. Jobs Macworld 2007 and B. Gates CES 2007 pieces of text were run
through a software tool intended to measure “lexical density”…
…Jobs’s words are simpler, phrases less abstract and
uses fewer words per sentence.

39. Apple is as big and thin as an envelope
USE METAPHORICAL IMAGES
Let’s try : use less than 40 words for describing your presentation’s goal
and find a metaphor – image or sentence!

40. USE A FONT SIZE MIN 18
You can choose EVEN BIGGER!

41. INSERT SOME QUOTES
“We are not thinking machines that feel, rather we
are feeling machines that think” (A. Damasio)

42. ADD A VIDEO (max 3-4’)

43. DRESS UP YOUR NUMBERS
Numbers don’t resonate with people as long as they get lost in it!
Make those numbers relevant to something with which your
audience is already familiar with.
In 2001 iPod 2001 - 5GB of memory – was presented by
saying “you could carry 1,000 songs in your pocket.”

44. On June 9, 2008, IBM issued a press release presenting its
superfast supercomputer called “Roadrunner”.
It operates at”1 petaflop per sec”: able to make
one thousand trillion calculations per second.
IBM knew the number would be meaningless…

45. Petaflop is equivalent to 1,000 of today’s fastest laptops
1.5 MILES
HIGHER
So IBM added the following description to its press release…
What’s a petaflop?

48. Presenting data pictorially (or graphically) makes the
presentation eye-catching and more intelligible
USE GRAPHICS INSTEAD OF TABS

49. Identify and understand audience expectations and the most significant
data (or data relationship) you want to show: what is your key message?
No more than one key message for every chart. Print other data
or send them by email before or after the speech.

50. A lot of free creative software to make graphs available here!
http://www.creativebloq.com/design-tools/data-
visualization-712402
§ Keep in mind color resonance and use distinct but soft colors
§ Don’t use high contrast color combinations such as red/green
§ Keep it simple: don’t add unnecessary ornaments Use less than 6
colors in a single layout. The fewer the number of colours you use,
the better your chart becomes
§ Put a chart title that helps the reader to faster and better
understanding it
§ Do not use a legend when you have only one data series
§ When making pie charts, put the series name with the data labels
outside the pie itself. Do not create a legend. When using line
graphs, label the line graphs instead of putting a legend.

51. Based on what you have seen so far, what would you change in your
next presentation?

52. • Inhale and exhale gently for 5’
keeping your hand on your belly
• Stretch your neck, legs and
shoulders
• Pronounce a vowel by using your
diaphragm and make it last
BEFORE GOING ON THE STAGE
GET RELAXED

53. GET FOCUSED
• Remember your last successfull speech
• Immagine yourself well performing in next speech
• Listen to the music

54. Neuroscientists believe that 10,000 hours of practice is
required to become world class at a particular skill - whether
it’s surgery, shooting baskets or public speaking.
PRACTICE RESTLESSNLY
In front of a mirror or audio/video record it and watch it!

55. S.Jobs used to practice for 2 days before a presentation, asking for feedback.
“His sense of informality comes after grueling hours of practice.” Business week
Cdcs
He wasn’t born a public speaker. In1984 launched the first Mactintosh and gave a
good presentation. But his style was stiff compared to that of 2007 when he
introduced the iPhone. We can say the same about B.Gates…and M.Renzi!
When is the last time you devoted hours of practice to a presentation?

56. THE OPENING

57. Now that you know how the brain works, you can easily
understand why it’s so difficult to change the first
impression you give the audience!
Why is it so important? Think about
watching a movie or reading a book…

58. What is made of?
• The “actual” opening: first
words pronounced
• The entrance: walking,
eye contact, appearence.
How did you open
your last speech?

59. TYPICAL OPENING
“My name is…my job is..topic is”
Think about meeting people in a bar or a party…

60. …but what happen if he/she says “I have the sense to know you…
have we met before? I think we have a friend in common”
FIND SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

61. OPENING TIPS
that connect you to the audience
QUESTION THAT MATTERS THE AUDIENCE
A FACT THAT SHOCKS THE AUDIENCE
PERSUASIVE QUOTE
A PERSONAL/PUBLIC STORY
A METAPHOR
AN IMAGE, A VIDEO

62. Arms crossed or in your pockets, leaning on the desk, always moving
back and forward on the stage.
THE POSTURES TO BE AVOIDED

63. HOW TO KEEP AUDIENCE
ATTENTION ALIVE

64. § Talk to people using their first name
§ Ask people for personal experience or opinion
§ Tell a story and show your vulnerability
§ Alternate different technical device supports
§ Make an effective use of silence and break
§ Write down/quote audience experiences on a flipchart

65. NON VERBAL
COMMUNICATION

66. What does non verbal communication truly convey?
EXTENDS OR CONTRADICTS VERBAL CONTENTS
[SPEAKER TRUSTWORTHINESS]
SPREADS, COMMUNICATES EMOTIONS AND ENERGY
[AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT, ATTENTION]
SHOWS HOW CONFIDENT WE ARE IN WHAT WE SAY
[PRESTIGE, GOOD STANDING]
GIVES INFO ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER
[RELATIONAL MESSAGGES]

67. INTIMATE
[0-­‐/5
cm]
PERSONAL
[0,5/1,2
m]
SOCIAL
[1,2/3,5
m]
PUBLIC
[>3,5
m]
PROXEMICS
Why it is so important?
What is made of?

68. We all know someone that we consider “intrusive” or “detached”.
We can use the same words to define different speakers depending on the way
they use the space around them during the speech.
§ LEVEL OF INTIMACY
§ HIERARCHY/ROLES
§ COLLABORATION/ANTAGONISM
[Restaurant - Meeting]

69. • Use all the space you have at your disposal
• Dont’ move up and down neither be static
• Get closer/more distant to people according to their body language
• If you can, arrange the seats in semicircle

70. PARAVERBAL
“VOICE” INSTRUMENT

71. A clear and well audible voice is like a nice handshake:
it’s a way to get in contact with your audience
and make it easier for your to get rid of all the adrenaline in excess
Sdadas
Great speaker vary voice tone, rhytm and volume accorindg to different
contents, stage and purpose of the speech

72. THE BODY LANGUAGE
HEAD
RECLINED
OBJECT
IN
FRONT
OF
FOOT
TOWARDS
THE
MAN
FOOT
TOWARDS
AN
EXIT
FOOT
TOWARDS
AN
EXIT
HANDS
IN
POCKET
FOOT
TOWARD
STHE
MAN

73. Why it is so important?
§ 70/80% of the stimulus reach the brain through the
eyes vs 10/15% thourgh ears
§ As we have already learned, nvc can either amplify or
contraddict your verbal message

74. FACIAL
MICROEXPRESSION
EYE CONTACT
POSTURE
GESTURES
What is made of?

75. GESTURES
What gestures “say” and how to use them persuasively
Convey rhythm to what we say.
REGULATORY
EMBLEMATIC
Have a cultural shared meaning and replace verbal
communication [ok, shut up, back off etc.]
ILLUSTRATIVE Illustrate, clarify , or contraddict verbal contents.

76. [Self, Other, Objects]
MANIPULATIVE
Idiosyncratic gestures that express anxiety,
discomfort, lack of self confidence, boredom
(audience attention index).

77. TOUCHING THE NECK - COVERING, TOUCHING THE CHEST - PLAYING WITH
HAIR OR NECKLESS - BRUSH THE FACE, SHOULDER, LEGS, BEAR
The higher is the distress, the more intense these gestures will be.
Check the audience manipulative gestures frequency!

78. HOW TO HANDLE THE AUDIENCE
Basic rules

79. THE SILENT GUY
Try to engage him: “What do you think
about…? What is your opinion”

80. THE CHATTY GUY
Try to engage him in the discussion; Call for a break or
gently express your discomfort in a one-to-one chat

81. THE WISE GUY
Welcome the interference and refer to the agenda and timing

82. THE FAULTFINDING
Welcome the interference and ask the others; tell
you will answer later; talk to the guy during a break

83. ENDING A PRESENTATION

84. Ask yourself “what would I like to hear
if I were part of the audience?”, “what do I want them to do?”
If needed, summarize the
main contents
but always close with a call to action and
something “emotional”.

85. “A person can have
the greatest idea in the world.
But if that person can’t convince
enough other people
it doesn’t matter” (G. Berns)

86. IT.LINKEDIN/GIORGIAPIZZUTI
GIORGIAPIZZUTIBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM
WWW.FORMAZIONEDIVINA.IT