Visual Storytelling Techniques
4 Ted Talks to watch before creating your next presentation deck
1) How to Get Your Ideas to Spread
Seth Godin
Successful entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin tells you his thoughts on sliced bread and how sometimes the best ideas are the most ridiculous ones. Godin says we're living in an era of idea diffusion, one in which we have so many choices, the obvious thing to do is just ignore it all. In a media-saturated society, Godin hilariously advises on how to find your niche audience, interrupt the consumer mindset, and get them to listen to your message.
2) How Giant Websites Design for You (and A Billion Others Too)
Margaret Gould Stewart
Facebooks director of product design walks you through the many nuances of Facebook's design. From the large scale to the minute, decisions are made very carefully for the social site's iconic appearance. A lead art director estimated that he spent around 280 hours over the course of several months to complete the like buttons redesign. Kinda makes you think about how quickly you breezed through those first few intro slides in your old decks, right?
3) The Secret Structure of Great Talks
Nancy Duarte
CEO of her own presentation company and renowned national speaker, Nancy Duarte talks about the importance of great structure in presenting ideas. Calling upon Freytag's classic storytelling triangle, she maps the ups and downs of famous talks—from MLK Jr. to Steve Jobs—and proves that storytelling is still the most effective and memorable way to present your idea to the world. Stories allow other people to recall a specific sense or feeling and they'll be more likely to go forth and repeat it in their own lives.
4) A 12-Year-Old App Developer
Thomas Suarez
And finally, adorable and inspirational twelve-year-old Thomas Suarez takes you through his process in developing not just one, but multiple mobile apps, the most successful of which being a Justin Bieber whack-a-mole game. I'm fairly certain my biggest project as a twelve-year-old was creating a paper mâché elephant diorama. I think everyone can learn a thing or two from this guy.
About The Author
Molly Geoghegan is a writer, organizer, and film school dropout. She hikes frequently with her dog, Guinness, and signs up for too many email newsletters. Having lived in Chicago, Paris, Dublin and Galway, Molly has made her way back to the Rockies and calls Denver, CO home.
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