From Snowstorms to Sunshine: Making Visual Presentations Shine in Malta! šŸŒž

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From Snowstorms to Sunshine: Making Visual Presentations Shine in Malta! šŸŒž

On 24 November 2024, I had the privilege of delivering a workshop at the annual IATEFL BESIG (Business English Special Interest Group) conferenceā€”a three-day event that brought together academics, educators, and publishers from around the world. Some participants travelled from as far as Argentina! A huge thank you to the extraordinary organising team led by Marjorie Rosenberg and Silke Riegler for creating such a memorable event.

Held on the picturesque island of Malta, the conference offered a warm, sunny reprieve from my snowy start back home (yes, including a 4.5-hour delay on the tarmacā€”thank you, winter!).

šŸŒŸ Workshop Highlights: Making Visual

Presentations that Work

My workshop, based on my Think Visually: Slide Design course, focused on practical strategies for crafting engaging and impactful visual presentations. We dived into five of my top 10 tips for designing slides that capture attention, communicate clearly, and support your message powerfully.

Why is this important?

Because good slide design isnā€™t just decorationā€”itā€™s an essential tool for communication. Whether you're teaching in a language school, presenting in a corporate boardroom, or delivering a keynote, your slides should work with your words to amplify your message.

Here are some key themes we explored:

  • How to make slides look good without overwhelming your audience

  • Clever slide layout ideas to keep your design professional yet creative

  • The importance of balancing visuals and text for clarity and engagement

Why Visuals Matter

Strong visual design helps your audience connect with your ideas more easily, regardless of their English proficiency or familiarity with the topic. It builds credibility and ensures your expertise is remembered long after the presentation ends.

Participants left the workshop with new ideas and a renewed sense of confidence to create visually impactful presentations for their students, colleagues, or clients. It was an honour to empower language educators, university lecturers, and entrepreneurs to take their presentation skills to the next level.

A Question for You

Take a moment to reflect: How visually engaging are your slides?
Are they doing the heavy lifting to captivate your audience and amplify your message?