A quotation often serves an elegant and memorable purpose in a presentation. If well know, it strikes with resonance into the memory. If, unknown, its humanity can speak with clarity and emotion. Don’t put it on the screen. Let it speak for itself as you voice it. A quotation is valued if delivered well.
Some amazing people have encapsulated events, emotions, or concepts in a few words that themselves have become famous. The use of such a quotation in a presentation can be very valuable. It must be incorporated effectively. A large amount of text on a screen, read out verbatim whilst the audience reads ahead, is not effective, no matter who made the original quote. We must be careful when we use a quotation.
Brevity is essential. Whilst a quotation may run to a paragraph, its key for the presentation at hand should be limited. Define the speaker, establish the context and then use only those few words. “Voltaire, the French philosopher, famously said, ‘The enemy of good is perfect.’ Depending on the “why” of this quote, one might produce a slide as below. This conveys the provenance and quote. Once delivered, change to The Best Slide in the World, do not leave the image up, it will distract.
In qualitative research, the expressed opinion of participants is fundamental. Again, highlight key themes. “Participants regularly commented that they felt unheard. One said, ‘It was like they had me on mute!’ Do not cover the screen with multiple, paragraph-long statements. Do not read them verbatim. Consider very short audio or video.
A quotation is often worth a thousand of your words. It can be the foundation of a meme or a summary of a concept. Use it effectively, but remember that even famous words, on a screen, being read out, do not work. And you can quote me on that.