--- title: Presentation Rules using Visual Storytelling to sell Big Ideas description: Article discussing ideas from the book Brain Rules on the impact of our visual perception on sales presentations image: https://www.shift90.partners/hs-fs/file-14048038-jpg/images/attention_span.jpg --- [![WCS LOGO-01-cropped](https://www.shift90.partners/hs-fs/hubfs/WCS%20LOGO-01-cropped.png?width=928&height=377&name=WCS%20LOGO-01-cropped.png) ![WCS LOGO-01-cropped](https://www.shift90.partners/hs-fs/hubfs/WCS%20LOGO-01-cropped.png?width=928&height=377&name=WCS%20LOGO-01-cropped.png) ](https://www.whychangeselling.com/) #### [Sales Playbook As a Service](https://www.admarco.net/as-a-service) #### [Sales On-Boarding As a Service](https://www.admarco.net/as-a-service#on-boarding-service) #### [Sales Academy-as-a-Service](https://www.admarco.net/as-a-service#academy-service) #### [Channel Enablement As a Service ](https://www.admarco.net/as-a-service#channel-enablement-service) #### [Content](https://www.admarco.net/a-la-carte-services) #### [Sales Process ](https://www.admarco.net/a-la-carte-services#sales-process-service) #### [Training and Gamification](https://www.admarco.net/a-la-carte-services#training-gamification-service) #### [Events](https://www.admarco.net/a-la-carte-services#events-service) #### [Build](https://www.admarco.net/services-by-phase) #### [Launch](https://www.admarco.net/services-by-phase#launch-service) #### [Sustain](https://www.admarco.net/services-by-phase#sustain-service) ![zoom1920](https://www.shift90.partners/hs-fs/hubfs/zoom1920.jpg?width=1920&height=1280&name=zoom1920.jpg) # Why Change Selling Blog ##### SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES ###### 2 min read # [Presentation Rules using Visual Storytelling to sell Big Ideas](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/presentation-rules-using-visual-storytelling-to-sell-big-ideas) By [Mark Gibson](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/author/mark-gibson) on Mar 1, 2013 12:00:00 AM ###### Topics: [visual confections](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/topic/visual-confections) [brain rules](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/topic/brain-rules) [visual storytelling](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/topic/visual-storytelling) ![](https://www.shift90.partners/hs-fs/file-14048038-jpg/images/attention_span.jpg) ## Brain Rules I've just finished reading [Brain Rules, by John Medina](http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Rules-Principles-Surviving-Thriving/dp/0979777747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357163108&sr=8-1&keywords=brain+rules+12). It's an interesting and easy read and has a whole lot of insight on how we perceive and process information. This book could have easily been entitled "Presentation Rules" as it covers important [visual perception concepts ](https://www.shift90.partners/visual-confections/)relevant for salespeople making presentations in PowerPoint. Here are few relevant points: - The typical PowerPoint slide presentation has 42 words per slide. - Words and orally presented information suffer in comparison to the use of images; - If information is presented in bullet form with oral comment, typically 10% is remembered after 3 days - Simply add a picture and recall goes to 65%  - In one study, subjects were shown 2500 images for 10 seconds each and could recall 90% of them within several days and were able to remember 63% of them one year later.  - The brain is doing orders of magnitude more work to get the meaning from a sentence than a picture - words are in effect lots of small pictures that the brain needs to reconstruct and sequence to derive meaning from. - Pictures are stored in the brain as complete entities and available for instant recall. You don't have to construct an image of a clock-face nor a light bulb in your mind to recognize it, mere mention of them conjures the image that is already stored in your brain - so use more images. - Stories that evoke strong emotions at the time of the learning help with the encoding of that learning in memory and with the transfer of information from short-term memory to long-term memory. - The brain/mind is easily bored.  ![attention span](https://www.shift90.partners/hs-fs/file-14048038-jpg/images/attention_span.jpg)   ### Take-aways: 1. If you want your big idea to be remembered, then create a simple images to convey it.  2. Structure your presentation into 10 minute content chunks and tell brief stories for 30 seconds every 10 minutes to re-engage your audience. ## Visual Storytelling Webinar Relevant ideas from Brain Rules have been incorporated into a new visual storytelling webinar published in late December 2012, entitled "Your PowerPoint Presentations Suck - and what you can do about it", and I invite you to view it. This Webinar consists of the three 10 minute content chunks, - Visual Perception - Storytelling Basics - An introduction to visual storytelling. http://41475.sites.hubspot.com/your-powerpoint-presentations-suck-_-and-how-you-can-fix-them-_-webinar [![Webinar - Do Your PowerPoint Sales Presentations Suck?](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/41475/22d8704a-44f5-43f9-bd12-56b3c4f832f5.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/41475/22d8704a-44f5-43f9-bd12-56b3c4f832f5)   - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ###### [** Previous Post](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/content-is-your-product-marketing-content-capture-reuse-webinar) [![](https://www.shift90.partners/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sma_center_wp8.jpg) ](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/content-is-your-product-marketing-content-capture-reuse-webinar) ###### [Content is your Product - Marketing Content Capture & Reuse - Webinar](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/content-is-your-product-marketing-content-capture-reuse-webinar) ###### [Next Post **](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/one-for-the-golfers-george-peper-s-guided-tour-of-st-andrews) [![](https://www.shift90.partners/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/central_mg_small.jpg) ](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/one-for-the-golfers-george-peper-s-guided-tour-of-st-andrews) ###### [One for the Golfers - George Peper's Guided Tour of St Andrews](https://www.shift90.partners/blog/one-for-the-golfers-george-peper-s-guided-tour-of-st-andrews) ##### Title Goes Here Title Goes Here ##### Title Goes Here Title Goes Here ##### Title Goes Here Title Goes Here ##### Recent News ** ** ** ** ** ** [![CLEAN-logo-white](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/507386/hubfs/CLEAN-logo-white.png?width=70&height=35&name=CLEAN-logo-white.png "CLEAN-logo-white")](https://www.Shift90.partners) Copyright © 2020 Your Company, Inc. ** [![Shift90](https://www.shift90.partners/hs-fs/hubfs/Shift90%20logo%20RGB%20copy%20Large.png?width=213&height=35&name=Shift90%20logo%20RGB%20copy%20Large.png "Shift90")](https://www.Shift90.partners) Copyright © 2022 Why Change Selling - All Rights Reserved. **