What I Learned About Presentation Design from my Days in Motorsports

I started my career at NASCAR and had the opportunity to travel all over North America, work with some amazing people and be a part of exciting projects. (Note - I had never been to a race in my life until the Daytona 500 the week I started, and yes, as a Cincinnatian, “Junior” will always be Ken Griffey to me.) 

My favorite project was the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which involved an extensive interdisciplinary team of world-renowned architects, best-in-class general contractors, city of Charlotte government officials and the incredible museum exhibit design team from Ralph Applebaum Associates. 

The team at RAA taught me something about how people interact with exhibits that I carry with me today and help clients apply to presentation design. 

In the museum world, museum goers fall into one of three categories: streakers (no, not that kind of streaker), strollers, and studiers. 

Streakers will quickly breeze through the entire museum. They’ll check it off their list and move on to the next thing. 

Strollers spend more time in the museum, interacting with some exhibits while passing by others. 

Studiers will read every placard of every exhibit and take their time to make sure they absorb everything the museum has to offer. They arrive first thing in the morning and are the last ones to leave.

These same categories generally apply to the people who are going to interact with your presentation, which is important to consider as you design your slides.

Streakers will breeze through your presentation to get the headlines. You can help them by ensuring the title of every slide reflects the key takeaway of that slide. When you are delivering your presentation in person, the same holds true - get to the main points. You’ll notice they might appear restless or ready to move on. This doesn’t mean they are not paying attention - they are prioritizing the information that’s most important. 

Strollers will spend more time with some sections of your presentation over others. When you are speaking, you’ll see them tune into parts that interest them, and you’ll likely see them taking notes or highlighting certain points. They will leave other pages blank. When considering strollers, it’s important to make sure the title of each slide captures the main point and the slide contains a balanced amount of supporting information. 

Studiers will pour over every word on every page of your presentation. When you are speaking, they will likely be listening intently and taking notes throughout the presentation. They will circle, highlight, and ask detailed questions. The appendix can be your friend when it comes to studiers. This helps you include more detailed information without bogging down your primary slides. 

Now that you know about these engagement styles - you’ll start to see them in real life. Take some time and observe people the next time you go to a museum, the grocery store or even out to a restaurant to eat. You’ll also start to recognize it when you are delivering your pitch and be able to cater to your audience accordingly. 

Your goal is to design and deliver a pitch that engages your target audience and ultimately gets them to convert. When you design with streakers, studiers, and strollers in mind, you’ll end up with a better chance of success. 

We’d love to help with your presentation design and pitch delivery. Click the button below if you are interested in learning more about how.