Learning from Books

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press, 2007, 544 pages.

OK, this book is not new, it’s not about presentations, and it wasn’t even targeted at adults. But it stands as one of the most satisfying and highly visual stories I’ve been exposed to in the past few years (theatrical performances aside).

Brian Selznick, the book’s author and illustrator, took a beautiful, well-crafted story-a story that could have stood strongly on its own with no visuals at all-and then, through the magic of his amazing, hand-drawn illustrations, transported the reader into the beautiful, gritty, harrowing and exhilarating world of Hugo Cabret’s Paris of the 1930s. Not only do the illustrations support the narrative, they actually are the sole medium through which many pivotal scenes and actions are communicated to the reader.

Unlike the typical children’s book or, for that matter, presentation, in Hugo Cabret the words and graphics do not mix. Instead, pictures are used to carry the plot forward and to convey texture, mood, and detail separately from the text. When the reader is reading words, he’s not distracted by graphics. And when absorbing the graphics, he’s not being pulled in another direction by words.

Targeted visuals
This use of illustration or graphics in a targeted, meaningful way is something I’m coming to appreciate more as a visual storyteller whose primary media is the live presentation. More and more-as an audience member-I find myself wanting a distinction between the times I’m supposed to be listening to important information, and the times when I should be absorbing, visually, something that helps the story along or that conveys information in a more succinct or visceral way.

I’ve seen a few presentations lately where I’ve detached from the slides completely (whether they were there or not) and focused solely on the presenter. Every once in a while I would look at the screen, if I was confused about something or needed more detail, but otherwise, the slides were extraneous. What I needed, I was mostly getting from the speaker.

Do you always need slides?
So I began to wonder, why have slides in those speaker-focused spots at all? I mean, sometimes I just want to hear what you have to say. What if presenters only put up slides when they actually needed to clarify, emphasize, or augment what they were saying? And what if, when those visuals were on the screen, the speaker actually stopped talking long enough for the audience to appreciate what they were seeing?

Of course one flaw with this idea is that just because I need clarification only at certain points doesn’t mean that everyone in the audience needs it right then, too. They might find themselves floundering somewhere else, or all the way through. Also, I could think I know what the speaker is saying, but actually be completely wrong. So as a speaker, erring on the side of caution is probably smart. Perhaps you don’t need to show visuals all the time, but show enough that the audience will be sure to know what you’re talking about.

Sometimes you do.
This kind of approach wouldn’t work in every situation, either. Sometimes graphics are, necessarily, somewhat complex, and they may need live explanation-a walk-through, if you will. Think of Hans Rosling’s TED presentation. There are parts where you couldn’t imagine him talking without visuals, or showing the visuals without talking-the graphics are integral to the story but wouldn’t make sense to us lay folk without a running explanation. Most graphics aren’t that complicated, but if you do have a complex graphic I hope you’re building it on in a logical sequence, so the audience isn’t overwhelmed and can follow along with your thought process.

Another situation where you might want a graphic or other visual device almost all the time is when the visuals add humor or irony to what you’re saying. Usually in these cases the visuals contradict the verbal story (e.g., “The Word” on the Colbert Report), or give a humorous example of what you’re saying. The key in these cases is to balance complexity with simplicity: if your narrative will require the audience to listen closely to understand, make your graphics as simple as possible, and vice versa.

Stay true to your world
As presenters we sometimes forget that, like actors on a stage, we are a part of the visual world we’ve set up. You’re not an off-screen narrator; if you’re standing in front of people, talking, they are going to be looking at you. If you have slides, they’re going to want to look at them, too. Be sure you give them the time to do both, and the visual cues-slide or no slide-to focus on the one thing that’s most important at the moment.

In The Invention of Hugo Cabret, graphics lead us into Hugo’s world, leaving us with a deeper understanding of characters, relationships, and plot. In a presentation they should do the same thing. Use pictures to help the audience understand your product or proposition, to visualize themselves doing what you want them to do, and to see what you’ve done so far. Use the power of words to sway opinions and cement a vision of you as a leader in the minds of your audience. Not words projected on a screen, but coming out of your mouth, as all eyes are focused on you. That’s using the power of a presentation effectively, and that’s how S.T.A.R. moments are made.

Topic: Book Reviews, Delivery, Design, Message
Tags: Add new tag, Brian Selznick, Colbert Report, Hans Rosling’s TED presentation, illustrations, Learning from Books, S.T.A.R. Moment, Slides, The Invention of Hugo Cabre, Trageted Visuals

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