How To Make Your Presentation an Instant Success Using Cartoons

Presentations are not everyone’s cup of tea. Standing in front of a group of coworkers and talking about metrics and goals is not a synonym for “Fun” for most people.

But there are ways to overcome this and make the experience more enjoyable. One of the tricks many public speakers use is to break the ice and grab the attention of their audience right at the very beginning of their presentation. Some tell a joke, but others prefer to do it with a humorous visual – they include a cartoon.

Cartoons, generally speaking, combine perfectly the ease of viewing art with the art of conveying a message. They tell a story and connect people.

There are many ways to incorporate a cartoon into your PowerPoint presentation and engage your audience, but usually the strongest and most effective are:

1. In the beginning (Start your presentation off on an interesting note),
2. In the middle (“But here’s where it gets interesting!”) and
3. At the end of your talk (“That’s it, folks. Oh, one more thing…”)

Those cartoons will most definitely get a giggle or two, and will make the presentation more enjoyable and memorable.

Here are a couple of examples of where you can use cartoons in business presentations:

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Your point: “We’re facing some challenges…”

Whatever the challenges ahead are, here’s your solution – soften the situation with a funny image. You’ll immediately see the difference it makes.

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Your point: “We need to focus on profit”

Without question, profit is the bottom line for any business organization. Also, incredibly obvious and repetitive. So take this opportunity to improve on the situation with a laugh or two.

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Your point: “New ideas are vital to our company”

You’ve got that great idea! You’re excited to share it, but there’s a difference between having an idea, a crazy idea or an amazing idea. Often times, the craziest one is actually the BEST. The challenge is to sell that idea and make your coworkers excited about it. Use humour to its advantage and connect with your audience.

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Your point: “Do you have questions?”

That’s a trick question. Unless you enjoy an endless Q&A discussion at the end of your presentation, you can use a funny cartoon to divert the attention, get a laugh and wrap things up.

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In your next presentation, include a relevant cartoon or two and see the difference that will make.