Sarah worked for a major government organization studying and recommending policy in the public health arena. Her presentation, intended for hospital doctors and nurses, was filled with numbers and statistics. I suggested that her audience, even though technically proficient, would have trouble absorbing the reams of information.

“I can’t appear to be dumbing-down or cherry-picking the data,” she replied. A critical concern. I suggested a simple, but very effective, 2-step technique.

I call it “becoming the tour guide.” I asked Sarah to imagine she is the equivalent of a tour guide for a group of folks in a strange city, half-way around the world. “How do you help them understand and retain the important points?” I asked her. Here is what I suggested:

Step 1: Show them the whole map — the complete data set you have developed whether it is in charts, tables or graphs. Your audience will understand that you have done the numbers — you have the credibility of having all the details. You might even suggest that you will disperse handouts if they want to go into all the details. Then…

Step 2: Show them what matters. It can be as simple as saying “Now, let me show you the critical information in all that data.” At this point change slides away from the large overwhelming data-sets to a slide that focuses on the few numbers and their meanings that are most important to the understanding of your message. This is the equivalent of you, as their tour guide, taking the group to the special museums and sites of the city that only you might know.

The benefits of this simple technique are that:

• You have shown all the numbers but haven’t bludgeoned your audience with an endless sea of information.
• As their tour guide,  you have distilled out the critical material you want them to retain.
• You won’t appear to have “dumbed-down” or cherry-picked the information
• You will be the super-star expert who has made sense out of a complex jumble of material

Use the “tour guide” technique for technical material and a technical audience: Show them the whole map — then show them what matters.

Long ago I realized that one of the big problems with most presentations is that they are unfocused. It is an error that starts right at the beginning of the creation process and can poison the entire effort. Without a focus for the presentation the speaker will wonder off into the land of “way too much information.” For the audience the result is that communication and retention are almost zero. Boredom and frustration are guaranteed.

The solution is to develop a “Big Idea” as the first process in building your presentation. The big idea is simply that one thing you must say to your audience to get them to go where you want them to go.

Think of it as a road trip. Know your audience — they are your passenger. Decide where you want to take them. Then develop your Big Idea as the vehicle that will get them there.

It is easier and more desirable than ever to add video to a PowerPoint (or Keynote) presentation. Video is a powerful way to deliver content and it has the added benefit of mixing up the pace of your presentation. For PowerPoint users, the 2010 and 2013 editions handle video files much more efficiently than in the past. The above is a video I sometimes use to demonstrate a couple of useful points when showing a clip from inside a presentation.

1. Try to run the video from within PowerPoint. This will allow you to just advance a slide and have the video begin smoothly. When it ends you can then advance to your next slide and continue. It can be very distracting if you have to fiddle with your laptop, open and close programs and try to figure out where the video file is.
2. Be sure of your technology. If you are running a video from the internet or are using an unusual laptop or computer (you may need to download additional drivers) make sure your program knows where to find the appropriate file. Do a test run on the actual equipment in the actual location if you can.
3. If your video has sound make sure it is of appropriate high quality. Viewers will forgive a poor image but they will not be very tolerant of hard-to-understand sound. Be sure the audio equipment you use will allow for clear reproduction. Laptop speakers will not carry clearly except for the smallest of groups.
4. Tightly edit what you are showing. Your video should be very focused on the activity or point you are demonstrating with little extra run time before or after. Your audience will not be patient if they have to sit through 20-30 seconds of unnecessary material just to get to the important point. Short, sweet and to the point is best.

Needless to say, a well shot, on-target video with good lighting and good sound is the ideal — but not all that easy! Learning to shoot and then perform some simple video edits will be beneficial. It will also give you an immense respect for the people that do this professionally.