{"id":109,"date":"2015-01-05T00:39:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-05T00:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ffolliet.com\/staging\/2015\/01\/05\/increase-signal-to-noise-ratio\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T11:57:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T11:57:37","slug":"increase-signal-to-noise-ratio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ffolliet.com\/staging\/increase-signal-to-noise-ratio\/","title":{"rendered":"Increase signal to noise ratio"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the key concepts in improving your presentation is to increase the signal to noise ratio. This applies to all parts of the presentation; p1, p2 and p3. It’s like tuning the radio properly, the clarity of the message improves.<\/span>

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

In p1, the story, it is essential that you communicate the “so what<\/a>” about the facts and less of the “what?” that distracts from the message you are trying to convey. Too often there is belief that simply reciting a load of data is effective communication. What is required is to strip that down to a message that is clear and memorable.<\/span>

<\/span>The supportive media, p2 should similarly support your message not detract from it. That means a similar clarity in the slideset. That means illustrating your message rather than annotating it,<\/a> taking out icons from every slide, creating clear and simple data slides and even considering turning the slides off to allow the audience simply to listen.<\/span>

<\/span>Lastly, the delivery p3 needs to clear. “Noise” in delivery are the filler words<\/a>, speaking too quickly, body language of turning to face the screen rather than the audience<\/a>, failing to practise<\/a> effectively, reading from the slides or a script all of these behaviours distract from the clarity of the message.<\/span>

<\/span>Reducing the noise in a presentation allows the message to be clearly heard.<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
With thanks to Ben Schulz @bnschlz who pointed out that we need to increase signal, which increases the ratio! I’m better at presentations than maths.<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the key concepts in improving your presentation is to increase the signal to noise ratio. This applies to all parts of the presentation; p1, p2 and p3. It’s like tuning the radio properly, the clarity of the message improves. 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