Today's sophisticated AV equipment offers corporate executives a dazzling array of technology and state-of-the-art effects to dramatise, excite, entertain, inform, motivate and inspire. Indeed a professional audio-visual mix of "show business" and your business can be stunning and effective, unfortunately however, it is all too easy to put to much "show business" and too little “business” in. The result a “big bucks production” that look sensational but in reality says little.

Here are some issues to bear in mind.

Fancy photography, dramatic special effects and loud music are no substitute for

content. Start planning your AV presentation with the same attention to detail as you would when developing a marketing strategy. Produce a detailed script which defines specific goals and relates step-by-step to the who, what, why and how.

2. Forgetting the real reason for using visual media in the first place.

When introducing new products or strategies, you want to promote attitude and

behaviour changes. In short, you want to sell. So with this in mind let the images and visuals in your AV presentation do the talking, and when you do use words, choose words with power and use them with economy.

3. Fuzzy objectives.

Unclear objectives will allow you to create a great presentation, but won’t achieve much,  sure your audience will be impressed, but with the presentation, not what you are trying to say. Think precisely what you want your audience to feel, think or do. Then plan the theatrical elements to meet that end, that way you end with an audience impressed with both your presentation and your message.

 

4. Remember “What’s in it for me?”.

Many companies use the power of the AV presentation to sing their own praises, pushing their successes at the audience again and again. This is as big a mistake in visual presentations as with print adverts. Your audience are there with one thought in mind,  "What's in it for me?", so make sure you tell them…

Many visual productions have been made without giving real thought into the audience they are trying to impress. You must know your audience inside out, their ages, interests, lifestyles and tastes. Appeal to viewer's perceptions of themselves and remember their perceptions of you. Walk a mile in their shoes, talk their language,  appeal to the  heart and to the head. Always target visual productions as carefully as you target potential  prospects.

Many businesses budget for a single "one show does it all" production, but this rarely

works. If you have a limited budget, invest it in the most important area or create one set of visuals to be presented with some audience specific narration. These separate soundtracks will then allow you to use the same visuals for different purposes, thus getting the very most out of your £.

 

Razzle dazzle is easy to produce with today’s technology, but quite often this “razzle can baffle”, especially when it is the end rather than the means. So many companies use

special effects for the sake of special effects, dramatic photography without relevance and music that fights or drowns out the narration, all simply for “effect”. Unfortunately, the only effect that they are likely to achieve is a bemused audience, or one that says “Great Presentation, but what was the point again?”

 

8. Keep It Simple (Stupid)

KISS is applicable here too, don’t try to give too much information. Refine your data into one clear, concise message. Keep it simple. Keep it short. Allow the power of the visual medium to "give them a taste, but to leave them a thirsty." Save the details for the follow up meetings.

9. Numbers , Numbers, Numbers...

Statistics should be used as “convincing material”, not as the basis for the show. Pare figures down to the bone. Surround your statistics with some facts or industry news to make them more interesting . Focus on what the numbers mean, and yes, do use charts, graphs, colour and special effects to “animate” statistical information, but remember only do this if it helps put the message across..

10. Keep it Short & Interesting.

It is not how long you make it, it is how long you make it feel. A good film can last for ages and the audience won’t notice the time, but a bad film can seem to have been on for days after just a few minutes. So plan this visual communications to appear on screen only as long as you need to deliver the message, plan it to be truly interesting, and if you do have a long presentation, vary the pace of narration as well as the tempo of the music.