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The author, formerDirector of the IntelligentTransportation SystemsJoint Program Office,U.S. Department ofTransportation, isPresident and CEO,Shelley Row Associates,Annapolis, Maryland.This article is based on aTRB webinar presenta-tion in December 2014.

The colors are vibrant and the images graphicand emotion-filled. Within moments theunfolding story captivates the beholder.

The Bayeux tapestry, located in Northern France,is a stunning work of art and a masterpiece of com-municating a complex issue to an overwhelmed anddistracted audience. The tapestry, 231 feet long and20 inches high, was stitched in 1077 and depicts theBattle of Hastings, fought 11 years earlier.

The victors needed to communicate the battle’spolitical outcomes to an illiterate population. Thetapestry designers did not show data on the numberof soldiers or create detailed graphs of the battle plan.Instead, they crafted a story line that unfolds in vividcolors. A viewer can feel the pain of the men and thehorses. The effect is memorable. The designers of theBayeux tapestry knew the importance of communi-cating with interest, emotion, and fact.

A presenter today does not have to stitch a tapes-try or engage an illiterate audience. Typically, a pre-

senter collects the data, does the analysis, and devel-ops a well-thought-out recommendation. Neverthe-less, the public is disgruntled and will not listen, andthe boss makes a politically driven decision that runscounter to the analysis.

How can a presenter make the audience under-stand the inherent logic? The lessons from theancient tapestry advise the tactic of communicatingwith—not presenting to—the audience.

Advice on successful communication and pre-sentation skills is readily available; the focus here,however, is on applying insights from neuroscienceto understand how to make a presentation brain-friendly. Before a discussion of the five elements of aneffective presentation, consider two fundamentalbrain principles that establish a background.

Reward and ThreatThe brain has a reward center, the nucleus accumbens,and a threat center, the amygdala. Activating thereward center is preferable in most situations thatinvolve informing or persuading. In contrast, acti-vating the threat center causes people to behave emo-tionally, illogically, and even to lash out.

Several conditions activate either the reward orthe threat center—particularly control, certainty,connection, and clout:

u The perception of control activates the rewardcenter. Conversely, the perception of a loss of controlactivates the threat center.

u The same applies to certainty, a reward, anduncertainty, a threat.

u Connection is a sense of relatedness to others,a reward; the sense of disconnection from others cre-ates a threat.

u Clout is a feeling of status, a reward, or of theloss of status, a threat.

The skillful use of these conditions can have apositive or a detrimental impact on a presentation.

Five Tipsfor Developing a Brain-Friendly PresentationS H E L L E Y R OW

A detail from the 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry shows Odo, William theGreat’s half-brother, cheer-ing his troops in the Battleof Hastings, 1066.

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Cognitive LoadThe brain has an extensive memory capacity in itslong-term storage. In contrast, working memory,which includes the executive control function in theprefrontal cortex, is powerful but much more lim-ited. This part of the brain contains logic and rea-soning, and helps a person think through a problem.

Research shows that working memory holds onlyfour to seven items of information at a time. More-over, working memory is an energy hog in the brainand quickly tires. Because of this, a person often feelsfatigued after extensive focus—for example, after apacked day of Transportation Research Board (TRB)Annual Meeting committee meetings, sessions, ortraining. Making skillful use of this limited brainenergy is important for both a communicator and theaudience.

Five ElementsMindful of this background, a communicator shouldconsider five elements when creating a presentation,whether for a nontechnical audience or a technicalaudience:

1. Clear purpose,2. Knowledge of the audience,3. Structured content,4. Powerful materials, and5. Skillful delivery.

Clear PurposeThe creators of the tapestry knew their goal: Com-municate the history and the political outcome of the

Battle of Hastings to citizens. Today’s communicatorshould have similar clarity, whether informing agroup, seeking specific action, persuading to a view-point, guiding a decision, or simply listening.

Be clear about the purpose of the presentation.This may seem obvious but is an often underappre-ciated step, missed frequently. The meeting ends,and the participants are left wondering, “What wasthe point?”

Before walking in the door, a presenter should knowthe purpose and state it up front. What is the ideal out-come? What does success look like? What is the “ask”?State the purpose up front. This reassures the audienceand confirms expectations. Ask for confirmation fromthe audience or from key players that they understandand agree with the expressed purpose.

Neuroscience tip: Clarity of purpose creates cer-tainty for the audience. Asking for confirmation ofthe purpose creates a perceived sense of control. Bothcertainty and control activate the brain’s reward cen-ter—this makes for a good start to the presentation.

In addition, clarity of purpose reduces the cogni-tive load. The audience does not need to use preciousbrain energy to figure out the point. Make it easy—tell them. Preserve their brain power for more impor-tant tasks.

Know the AudienceThe citizens of 11th-century France were illiterate,poor, and spent their days eking out a living. To careabout a distant battle and its outcome, they neededto be engaged and intrigued. The tapestry creatorsknew that a story would capture their attention.

Skillful delivery and useof materials are key toeffective communication;scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock taps thesetechniques in a lectureon space travel at anInstitute of Physicsprogram in London.

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Analytical and scientific work focuses on facts,methodology, and analysis. For an important meet-ing, particularly involving a nontechnical audience,however, a communicator should make the effort tounderstand the audience and its needs. Create a con-nection. Apply the following practical tips:

u What’s in it for me? Each audience member isasking, “What’s in it for me?” A communicatorshould consider this perspective and answer thequestion. Some audiences already have opted in, asat a public meeting, a community association event,or a TRB session—the audience has chosen to bethere. Why did they take time to walk in the door?Know what’s in it for them when preparing the pro-gram.

u Character sketch. Create a character sketch ofthe decision maker or of the group. The more a pre-senter knows about the audience’s interests and moti-vations, the better the presentation can be tailored,with examples added to create a connection and toappeal to the reward center. Consider the followingfactors:

– The group’s interests, concerns, and history; – The political climate and the career trajectoryand risk profile of the decision maker; and– The consequences of the decisions: Are cred-ibility, embarrassment, power, or an election atstake?

u Cultivate a connection in advance. The messen-ger matters. People respond more readily to someonethey like and who is similar to them. A communica-tor should learn about the group and its concernsand reflect that understanding in the presentation.The audience will respond.

Of course, the presenter sometimes may not be

the most welcome person at a meeting—for example,when representing a project opposed by the com-munity. When the “high-powered consultant” cre-dential is not viable, a presenter may be able to finda respected community leader to accompany or tomake introductions. Persuasion is a social, not a log-ical, act.

Neuroscience tip: The brain is designed for per-sonal connection. When a person feels part of an in-group, the reward center is activated; empathy andcollaboration are enabled. The greater the connectionwith the audience and decision makers, the morelikely they are to listen.

When a communicator comes across as repre-senting the “out-group” and exhibits little under-standing of the audience, an audience member’sbrain registers distrust and alarm. As a result, eachmember of the audience has to overcome this resis-tance before even starting to listen.

The brain’s threat center is highly sensitive to any-thing that jeopardizes clout or status. If the decisionthat is sought puts the decision maker in a dilemma,the decision maker’s threat center is activated. Thecommunicator should find a way to reframe the rec-ommendation to build status.

A presenter only armed with data comes across astone deaf. Decision makers shake their heads and say,“They just don’t get it.” That assessment is correct,unless the presenter knows as much about the peo-ple as about the topic.

Content StructureBenjamin Franklin said, “I have already made thispaper too long, for which I must crave pardon, nothaving now time to make it shorter.” Ben was right—whittling a topic down to its essence takes time andeffort. For example, a briefing to the Secretary orDeputy Secretary of Transportation is allotted onlyone half-hour, often less. In such constraints, be crys-tal clear on the ask, know the what’s-in-it-for-me,and have a concise, organized structure—these areessentials. Following are the basics for an organizingstructure.

OpeningResearch shows that analytically inclined and highlyengaged people respond positively to facts and data.People who are less engaged respond to emotion-based information. Nonetheless, all people need aninitial reason to pay attention; a compelling openingthat connects at an emotional level accomplishes thismost effectively.

Yet 95 percent of TRB sessions open with thestatement, “Thank you for the opportunity to behere. I’m honored to be with my colleagues today.”

A successful communica -tor considers theaudience, as well as thepurpose and content ofthe presentation.

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This is polite but boring. An opening subliminallytells the audience whether this presentation is thesame ol’ thing or something worthy of their brain’senergy.

A communicator should be thoughtful about thefirst sentences. Try a quotation, an attention-getting sta-tistic, or a story that connects the topic with the inter-ests of an audience wondering “What’s in it for me?”

For example, several years ago, a TRB session onthe state of the U.S. DOT Intelligent TransportationSystems (ITS) program highlighted advances sincethe first ITS Strategic Plan. The presentation opened:“The year is 1992. The Washington Redskins justwon the Super Bowl, and ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ was aBillboard hit. And the first ITS Strategic Plan wasjust released.”

Within seconds, the predominantly hometowncrowd of Redskins fans was hooked, and musichummed in their heads. But what was most impor-tant was that their attention was focused on the pre-sentation. Create an interesting, attention-gettingopening that connects with the audience and cap-tures their attention early, and they will be morelikely to stay focused on the presentation.

The One ThingWhat is the one thing that the audience shouldremember? Can that one thing be explained easilyand simply to anyone? If not, try again. A presentershould be clear about what the audience shouldremember. State the one thing, repeat it, repeat it, andrepeat it. Repetition is a key way of telling the brain

to store the information into memory.Neuroscience tip: Information has to compete for

space in the working memory, which can hold onlyfour items of active information at once. A presentershould be clear about what an audience member’sbrain should store, by stating the one thing clearlyand succinctly to place it into short-term memoryand reinforcing it frequently enough to embed in thelong-term storage—a process known as long-termpotentiation.

Use of TimeResearch confirms that people remember the firstand last points they hear. Use those prime-time slotsfor the one thing and for the conclusions, which maybe the same as the one thing. Time and again, a TRBpresentation starts with a detailed explanation ofdata collection, methodology, and analysis. Butbefore the results can be explained, the speaker says,“I am out of time and will flip quickly through thelast slides.” Methodology, data collection, and analy-sis are not likely to be the most important points fora nontechnical audience—the conclusions will.

Key PointsA clear organizing structure gives the audience aroad map for the presentation and creates a sense ofcertainty, activating a sense of reward. After a com-pelling opening that highlights the one thing, statethe presentation’s structure, including three to fivekey points.

A presenter should think about how to commu-

Benjamin Franklin,speaking to lords incouncil in London’sWhitehall Chapel,recognized theimportance of brevity incommunications.

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U.S. Agriculture SecretaryTom Vilsack answersaudience questions at acommunity meeting.Connecting with listenerson a personal level oftenhelps a speaker gaintrust.

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nicate each point effectively. Not everyone consumesinformation in the same way, complicating the pre-senter’s task. Highly motivated people will listen tofacts and analysis, but others need examples, a story,or an analogy.

The best option is to provide both for eachpoint—state the point succinctly and include a fact-based statement and an analogy. This approachincreases the likelihood that each point will be mem-orable from the analogy or story and will have cred-ibility through the facts.

ClosingQuestions do not have to wait until the end. The pre-senter can use questions throughout to engage inter-est and to track the audience’s understanding. If thequestions are deferred to the end, the presentershould leave time after the questions for a summaryand a memorable closing. The last words the audi-ence hears should be a compelling comment fromthe presenter that reiterates the what’s-in-it-for-meand the one thing.

Powerful MaterialsLike the color and artistry of the Bayeux tapestry, thedesign of presentation slides makes a difference inthe attention and retention levels of the audience. Acommunicator should pay careful attention to thefollowing elements.

Visual Images PowerPoint or Keynote slides do not constitute a script.Slides should not display complete sentences or texts.Text-filled slides serve no one—the audience least ofall. PowerPoint is a powerful tool for visual commu-nication. For retention, replace text with images.

Words that convey visual metaphors also can bepowerful. For example, in a recent presentation, U.STransportation Secretary Anthony Foxx discussed

moving 14 billion tons of freight and likened theamount to a “small mountain of freight”—an excel-lent use of visual language. Marrying the words to animage of a small mountain makes a memorablepoint.

Neuroscience tip: The brain’s language center acti-vates when a person is reading or listening to speech.The language center, however, does not multitaskand cannot focus on reading and listening simulta-neously, only on one task or the other. Filling thescreen with text invites the audience to switch fromlistening to reading the text. Should the audience belistening or reading? They can do only one.

Neuroscience tip: Images activate the visual centerin the brain. The visual center and the language cen-ter work well together. When both are active, mem-ory is heightened. Highly skilled presenters thereforeuse images that visually reinforce the spoken points.

Charts and GraphsNot everyone can read a graph or chart quickly. Donot make the audience feel lost. Instead, design achart or graph that communicates one key point.For example, allow the graph to become background

Michael Arrington ofTechCrunch poses aquestion to the DisruptSF 2014 conferenceaudience.

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Diagnostics for All cofounder Hayat Sindi usesimage-heavy PowerPoints—as well as a physicalmodel—to describe new point-of-care diagnostictools microfabricated from paper.

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and highlight the key point in the foreground.Clearly and visually identify the point for the audi-ence to grasp—they should not have to work to fig-ure it out.

Bullet SlidesDo not use slides with bulleted points. If bullet slidesare necessary, make them interesting—but not bychanging the bullet from a black dot to a check mark.At a minimum, use color for the key words. ThePowerPoint SmartArt tool offers a handy and simpleway to convert bullets into colorful graphics.

Handouts A PowerPoint deck should not serve as the handoutfor the presentation. An effective visual presentationloses its effectiveness as a slide-by-slide handout.Instead, design a companion handout that includesmore detailed information for the analytically ori-ented, plus references, website addresses, completegraphs and charts, and other details. A handoutshould be a value-added complement to the pro-gram, providing additional relevant information andimproving retention.

Skilled DeliveryCommunication is a two-way process. The com -municator is not presenting to an audience but communicating with them. Even in a formal pre-sentation, as at a TRB Annual Meeting session, aspeaker can communicate interest through eye con-tact and engagement. Think of the presentation as aone-on-one conversation, with one in the front, onein the back, one on the right and one on the left.

Engage the audience throughout the program.Ask for input by raised hands responding to ques-tions. Attendees who are actively engaged pay atten-tion and are not distracted. Multitasking decreasesthe accuracy of each of the multiple tasks by 20 to 50percent. A multitasking audience therefore absorbseven less of what is being communicated.

In contrast, learning and retention soar withactive engagement. The more the communicatorinvites the audience to consider and apply the pointsto their own situations, the more learning takesplace.

Neuroscience tip: No matter how skilled the pre-senter, the audience will forget most of what wassaid. Studies show that retention improves dramati-cally with interaction and follow-up reminders. Opti-mally, allow for interaction every 10 minutes or so.Raising a hand, responding to questions, or sharingan observation with a neighbor or with the speakerenhances an audience member’s learning and reten-tion.

For follow-up, e-mail a summary to participantsa few days after the program, as a reinforcement. Forexample, after a community association meeting, e-mail a summary to the organizers to share in thecommunity newsletter or website. The follow-upmay include the main points and a summary of theinput for the attendees.

Neuroscience tip:Working memory captures infor-mation in the moment, but the information is notembedded in long-term memory until later. Memoryconsolidation happens best during periods of deepsleep. Consequently, follow-up reminders work bestwhen delivered the next day or a few days later.

Effort and TimeEmbroidery may not be needed for a TRB presenta-tion or for a city council briefing, but the communi-cation lessons from an 11th-century fabric version ofa PowerPoint deck still apply: Be clear about the pur-pose, know the audience, organize the content,develop powerful materials, and skillfully deliver theinformation.

Presenters invest time in understanding the mate-rial but generally spend less time in understandingthe audience and the audience’s needs. Developing abrain-friendly program requires effort and time, buta presenter owes it to the audience to make thateffort. What is all that research and analysis for, if theaudience does not understand and apply it?

By the way, the French won the Battle of Hastings.Vive la France!

U.S. TransportationSecretary Anthony Foxx—shown here at the 2015TRB Annual Meeting—uses vivid language andeffective imagery whenhe speaks.

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