Heard a conversation today discussing various translations of the Bible. One person commented, “When I hear someone reading from a different version than I have in front of me, I can’t read along. I just have to listen.” The problem is not limited to those of Biblical proportions. He could just as easily been talking about a typical technical business presentation.If what is displayed is different from the message, then there is a problem. If what the audience holds is not in sync with the slides, there is a problem. If the delivery style is not in sync with the words of the message, there is a problem. Harold Stolovich says that varying delivery styles and methods are not effective in reaching different learning styles unless they all support the same central message. Otherwise, the variance is counterproductive. Unfortunately, this describes a majority of business presentations.Strive to match your words, tone, displayed content, handouts, and reference materials. They should all be saying the same thing. If not, then you’re causing confusion, watering down your message, and perhaps even giving a message different from what you expected.
Put all your messages in sync. Give a unified message.
