Achieving the Sticky Factor

Modern methods of presenting information can include so many different variables that it can seem impossible to develop the most effective presentation for a given audience. Some audiences are live and others virtual. Some presentations are slides shows that advance while the speaker talks to a crowd and others are a recorded narration of a digital poster or infographic accessible on a blog or web site. The combinations of web-based tools, software, and digital resources in creating a presentation are endless. The end goal remains achieving the highest impact on the listeners. A presentation is most effective if it generates "maximum effect on the audience" and contains "a great deal of writing that never shows up on the slides" (Hicks, 2013, p. 67). When fully-developed, the presentation should actually leave out quite a bit of the information that will be saved for the speaker. This along with several other components all build a characteristic of the whole presentation called its 'stickiness.'

Sticky Factors of Presentations

Stickiness factors are the qualities that should be evident in a presentation and should be included in the assessment of a student presentation (p.73). The more of these factors used, the stickier and more engaging the content will be for the audience.There is a unique power that comes along with audience anticipation and curiosity. Choosing words, images, videos, and animations that fully harness that power is a crucial task for any presenter. Sitting through long, boring, one bulleted-list slide after another presentations is not engaging or effective for listeners, but we have all been through it. We identify places that a speaker could have added a related image, a short video, a frame, or background to enhance the topic or idea. Those extra efforts can really make the difference in the sticky factor and how an audience reacts to the content. I often wonder why presenters show a slide with a paragraph of text and then proceed to read it to their audience. This tends to give people a sour taste of presentations and they often blame the digital tool itself, i.e. PowerPoint (p.63). Each presentation service has its pros and cons, but with PowerPoint, I believe most people just do not spend enough time learning about its full features and making effective use of its components. If nothing else, it is a jumping off point to get your presentation started and create slides that are usable in other web-based presentation makers. The focus should not be on the tool used to create it but its overall effect on the listeners. When creating the presentation it can be a distraction to have to learn a new tool or lose connection if your tool is web-based. The result ends up being less stickiness, less quality, and more disappointed viewers when the presentation lacks certain components.

Infographics provide a unique option to the traditional presentation and can be very effective when it comes to stickiness. Piktochart is a free Web-based tool that lets users create an infographic using a template or a blank slate. The combination of text, graphics, video, and color make a lasting impression on the viewer. When considering overall impact on the audience, our goal might be to make a memorable impression or to inspire some type of action. Originally stickiness was related to product advertising and marketing goods in such a way that buyers would make purchases. Hicks adapts these principles, that were established by authors Chip and Dan Heath, to digital authoring and writing instruction to give us guidance in developing presentations that will 'make a lasting impression' on our listeners.

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres.

Infographic Live Presentation URL https://magic.piktochart.com/output/3103649-new-infographic