The document emphasizes the importance of face-to-face communication in fostering relationships and achieving organizational goals. It outlines strategies for effective presentations, including understanding the audience, engaging content, and the use of visual aids. Resources and techniques for enhancing communication are also provided to ensure messages are memorable and impactful.

1. A thousand conversations:
what’s so great about
face-to-face communication?
Sylvia Link,
Communications and Stakeholder Management,
Early Learning Division, Ontario Ministry of Education
Jim Grieve,
Assistant Deputy Minister,
Early Learning Division, Ontario Ministry of Education

2. A thousand conversations: what’s so
great about face-to-face communication?
When face-to-face communication is crucial:
culture major new bad relationship building
change program/ news building trust
initiative
Create a strategic face-to-face communication plan
to support organizational needs/goals, including:
• site visits
• individual or small group meetings
• focus groups
• town hall meetings
• community forums
• workshop style presentation
• keynote style speeches to large audiences
+ Plan your speech/presentation
Establish the presentation goal/purpose—after hearing the presentation:
• what will the audience know? (inform)
• what will the audience believe or feel? (persuade)
• what action will the audience take? (call to action)
Know your audience—do an analysis of your audience to determine:
• what is their current level of knowledge about the topic?
• what is their attitude or perception about the topic?
• so what? how is the topic relevant for the audience? what is the benefit to the audience?
• how do they prefer to receive information?
Use a variety of strategies to research your audience
• online survey
• interviews with representative audience members
• proxies
• “intercept” surveys
• secondary research
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3. Keep in mind the following “brain” rules:
ZZ 10
Z
we don’t pay the brain needs a visual trumps
attention to change of pace all other
boring things every 10 minutes senses
Brainstorm to plan how your presentation will:
• grab attention
• create meaning
• be relevant to your audience
• add value for the audience
• be memorable
• be fun
• tell a story
• lighten up, by using humour
+ Create engaging presentation material
Write an attention-grabbing presentation title and descriptor.
Prepare the components of your presentation:
• speaking notes
• audience handouts
• audience participation activities
• presentation visuals
Audience handouts can take many forms:
• reading material in advance
• print material on each chair/table before audience arrives
• “ushers” hand materials to audience members as they arrive
• “placemat” or workbook for audience to fill in their notes
• takeaway that’s given out at conclusion of presentation
• electronic documents emailed to audience or posted on intranet/internet
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4. + Resources
Books
• Boring to Bravo: proven presentation techniques to engage, involve
and inspire your audience to action, by Kristin Arnold
• Slide:ology: the art and science of creating great presentations, by Nancy Duarte
• Made to Stick: why some ideas survive and others die, by Chip and Dan Heath
• Brain Rules, by John Medina
• The Book of Awesome, by Neil Pasricha
• Presentation Zen: simple ideas on presentation design and delivery, by Garr Reynolds
Idea starters for your presentation/visuals
• The periodic table of visualization methods
http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html
• www.slideshare.net
• www.ted.com
Web-based resources
• www.polleverywhere.com – instant audience polls
• http://docs.google.com or www.surveymonkey.com – free online surveys
• http://youtubedownload.altervista.org – download and convert YouTube videos
• www.mentalfloss.com and www.brainpickings.org for speech material
• www.vsotd.com (Vital Speeches of the Day) for free speech of the week, blog
• www.ragan.com for free speechwriting news, tips
Photos/images
• www.google.ca – Search for “public domain images”
Contact us
Sylvia Link, Communications and Stakeholder Management, Early Learning Division,
Ontario Ministry of Education
416-326-1987
sylvia.link@ontario.ca
www.linkedin.com/in/SylviaLinkAPR
www.twitter.com/SylviaLink
Jim Grieve, Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Learning Division,
Ontario Ministry of Education
jim.grieve@ontario.ca
www.linkedin.com/in/JimGrieveADM
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