Why Do All Great Presenters Use Quotations?

Quotations may be used to not only support your assertions and increase your credibility, but they can also be used to stimulate the mind and create a more personal connection with your audience.

A brilliant quotation can clarify, enlighten, or inspire by encapsulating an idea or thought. It can also persuade your audience to join you, as the power of a well-crafted and memorable notion can have far-reaching consequences. When Leo Widrich, a cofounder of Buffer, began promoting his goods through the use of tales, his revenues skyrocketed. According to science, stories, poems, and quotes all have something in common when it comes to developing a connection with the listener. In this post, we'll look at the science behind why you should utilise quotes, as well as eight reasons why you can't afford not to use them, as well as five suggestions and a bonus on how to use them most successfully in your presentation.

How the Brain Reacts: Why Quotes Will Help You

Let's look at how the audience behaves during a presentation to see why quotes are beneficial in the first place. The Broca's region and the Wernicke's area of the brain are activated by PowerPoint presentations that are dense with information. Language is processed in these areas of the brain, which decodes words into meaning. That's all there is to it: a straightforward decoding procedure.

When we listen to stories, though, our brain reacts in a very different way. Our brains light up not only in the language centres, but also in other areas that we use when we experience experiences. "If someone tells us how tasty specific dishes were," says Leo Widrich, "our sensory cortex lights up." Our motor cortex becomes activated when it comes to motion. "A narrative can make your entire brain work."

Our memories are recorded events in our brain, such as the scent of coffee in the morning or the smoothness of our cotton bed sheets. When we hear a narrative, the insula, a region of the brain, goes to work looking for similar events. The insula is engaged in consciousness and performs a variety of activities related to emotion, allowing us to relate to others' joy, grief, and success.

This is why analogies, visuals, and quotes are so effective. It's because our brain automatically connects our previous experiences to new ones, actively engaging the brain with new information. As a result, if you combine a fascinating phrase with a powerful visual in your presentation, your audience will naturally establish connections.

10 Reasons You Can't Afford Not to Use Quotes

1. Your ideas should be reinforced. Quotes can help you reinforce your arguments, assertions, and ideas by adding a second voice to your presentation. The impact of a quote is usually determined by who said it or the impact of the quote itself. A basic notion expressed by a well-known figure may persuade the audience to see a subject in a new way.
2. Increase your trustworthiness. Assure your audience that you are an expert in the field, that you are a researcher, that you know your domain, and that you are up to date. Quoting other experts demonstrates that you are prepared and acknowledges the work of others, which may help to support your own assertions.
3. Inspire. Your goal, no matter what you're presenting on, should be to inspire and enthuse your audience about your ideas, ambitions, or products. What better method to accomplish this than by reaffirming your position with an inspirational quote? Put the icing on the cake.
4. Ideas for a Launch Inspiring quotes can also encourage your audience to come up with new ideas or new approaches to a project or an issue. When brainstorming and coming up with new ideas in a group situation, consider employing quotes.
5. Take the lead. Encourage your audience to follow a specific structure or path. Quotes can be very useful for indirectly addressing a problem and motivating your team to overcome barriers.
6. Summarize. Quotes might also add a wonderful summation to your claims. Return to the beginning of your conclusion and confirm what you've just said to your audience.
7. Mix it up a little. Let's face it: sometimes those long, heavy-duty, information-packed speeches require a wakeup call. Why not intersperse some encouraging, thought-provoking material? Keep it from getting too dry by mixing it up!
8. Make a lasting impression. Quotations are usually short and easy to remember. (Isn't that why we use quotation marks in the first place?)

Quotes: How to Use Them and How Not to Use Them Make your decision.

1. Opening your speech with a quote can be quite effective since you can utilise it to immediately engage your audience (and we all know how important the start of a speech is). However, exercise caution when selecting your quote. Make sure it's related to the topic you'll be discussing and that it's a powerful quote. Nothing is more irritating than a sloppy and poorly planned speech.
2. Quoting in the body of your speech is the most effective because it reinforces your arguments and adds to the credibility of your views. A quote at the end of a topic might be an excellent way to round off your argument. You may also use a quote to transition between topics. A quote in the middle provides variation to your presentation and makes it more enjoyable.
3. Avoid ending your speech with a quote because you should be able to trust that your own words are strong enough to express your argument's concluding thought. Closing using someone else's words can imply uneasiness and a lack of belief in your own position. It's fine to utilise a quote at the end of your speech, especially if it's related to your main message or connects to the beginning, but your final words should always be your own. Consider how the audience will remember you if you do this.
4. Be inventive. Enjoy yourself when delivering your quote. You can use it to build anticipation for your next topic or to choose a quote that adds humour to your speech, but be careful not to stray from the topic.
5. Get a drink and take a break. Use quotations to your advantage as well! Allow the audience to read the quote if you have a slide with a quote and a compelling visual image. (In any case, you shouldn't read from your slides.) This provides you a chance to catch your breath and drink some water before continuing.

Bonus:

Warm up your audience before your presentation by allowing them to read some quotes as they enter and seat down. Even before you begin your presentation, put yourself in a positive light! You may achieve this easily by having PowerPoint play a loop of amusing, impactful, and motivating statements. Make the most of your collection of quotes.

The few words that make up a quote are merely the tip of the iceberg, serving to enthuse and validate the quantity of substance that lies under the surface. Use clever quotations about business, marketing, customer service, innovation, leadership, creativity, change, motivation, sales, success, and teamwork to your advantage. Boost your voice and improve your presentation with the best PowerPoint design quality available.