(Plot+Characters)*Voice^2=Literature?

[Lalwendë]

I'm glad to see that these are common techniques!

audiences generally only take in a proportion of what they are hearing and need to have the key points rammed home to them

This is a point that many forget when giving any kind of oral presentation. How many times have we had to sit through a dull presentation which may be intended to convey something of importance but is delivered badly? If only all those who write presentations would learn from speech-writing. The rule of three is very sensible and ensures effective delivery of important points, but it also ensures that the speech keeps to the point. I think the average attention span is only something like 20 minutes (and much less after a large lunch ) so building in emphasis points is also vital.

The other skill which is often dwongraded is the ability to create an effective visual presentation. I'm quite nifty with powerpoint and time and again I'm asked to create slides which are for want of a better word, useless. They ought to be pithy and brief (as my writing tutor used to say, sometimes you need to write as though there is tax to be paid on your words), but all too often I am ordered to cram as much text onto them as possible. I have tried pointing out that this extra information ought to be in a supplementary handout, but do they listen? Do they heck...