We all know what a WIIFY is (what’s in it for you), but do you know what a WISC is? Thanks to Jacob Brier, who came up with this acronym for the phrase Why I Should Care (WISC). That’s the question that every audience member will ask him or herself during your presentation and your job as a presenter is to make them have the WISC, make them care.
In all of my other MBA classes I definitely did not look forward to presentation night. Not just because I was nervous about my own presentation but also because the presentations all ran together in a big clump culiminating into one loooong night of mostly forgettable presentations. Most likely others have thought the same of my own presentations. In each of those classes I suspect we all viewed the presentation night as a means to an end of getting the ‘A’ for ourselves and not to think about WIFFY or WISC.
Somehow, this class is different. I’m not sure if it’s because:
1) this is an elective so everyone is there because they want to be and are engaged so that makes me care more
2) the professor is obviously passionate about the subject and that makes me care more
3) we’re all thinking about WIIFY, logos, pathos, and ethos and that makes me care more
The point is I do care more and it is probably attributable to all of the above. For all of these reasons I owe it to my classmates to think about WISC and try to put myself in their shoes for every presentation prepared. I would say that each of my classmates made the same attempt during our presentations last week. They were, bar none, the best I have heard while enrolled at JWU.
In my all of classes from bachelor to graduate degree, professor always determine the topic which relates to some specialized issues and I am used to do a lot of researches and put into my presentation. Students may not interest in the topic, but it all relates to our subject. At that time, I don’t care WIIFY and WISW. I only did transfer, but not transformed. After taking Lisa’s class, I start to lean how to make a good presentation. A good presentation not only presents a lot of information to the audiences, but also cares of audiences and knows what the audiences’ benefits are. Therefore, I start to make my presentation more attractive and also ask myself “WIIFY” and WISW” which really help me do a better presentation.
Being an auditor, I have had to sit through some pretty pathetic presentations that, in all honesty, I didn’t get anything out of except the credits I needed to renew my certifications. However, in Dr. Sisco’s class it’s different. I am getting something out of it. I am learning about new presentation techniques and tactics that will help me sharpen my public speaking skills. My Director is constantly telling me that the one skill needed to succeed in all fields and at all levels is public speaking. I agree with him 100%.
I not only care because the class will help me further my career, I also care because all the presentations I have seen in the past few weeks (including Dr. Sisco’s lectures) have made me care. Each presenter has made me care in different ways. Whether you have shared stories or shocked me with unbelievable facts, you’ve made me care. I’m only three classes short of my MBA and these are some of the best presentations I have seen throughout my academic career.
Thanks for the entertainment.
Being in technology it is hard for me to care about presentations being I see so many of them and most are very boring. Also it is hard to make me care about a non-technology presentation but it would be nice if someone made me care. There was a presentation about heart disease which made me think and it was very good and it made me care. I like speaking in public and do not mind presenting I look at it as fun but never thought about making someone care about the topic. This class is opening many ways of thinking about presentations, it is helping me give better presentations and hopefully making people care.
If giving a presentation to a large group, it is important for the presenter to remember not everyone will care and they will have to find a way to grab the attention of everyone in the room. It is almost like a good salesperson selling you something you do not want or need. Engage them, be passionate and show them you care enough to share this information but turn it around to the audience so they also need to care. Why I Should Care? Because if you don’t your missing out on life, health or something I am selling.
In grad school, during these two years of study, we did lot of presentations. The difference between those in other classes and the presentation in communication class is very clear. The other presentations were out of WIIFY and the presentation we did on this class are more concerned to WIIFY.
This class has helped us to build a different skill of judging presentations, no matter by self or others. Now onward if I prepare for any presentation, the main focus will be for WIIFY or WISC. Everytime the presentaion will be looked for the benefit of others than just being made for the sake of making or presenting. If we remember the quote in Weissman’s book, we can reply him, ” you know what, those millions of presentations which fails every year has nothing for audience. Add WIIFY and care for WISC, and the presentations will be superb, as we did in last class.”
Prior to taking Advanced Communications and the WIIFY & WISC concepts alike, I now realized how uninteresting my past presentations were. In my prior presentations I was more focused on the presenting the information and content to the professor rather than putting on a memorable presentation that the entire class would care about. Presentations became very redundant and boring; the class was waiting for the class to end rather than waiting for the next presenter. During the informative speeches, I can honestly say that I was excited for the next presenter. Just observing each individual’s style and their utilization of the WISC concept made the presentations very interesting. Whether it was the emotional appeal to their topic or the visualization of their slides, each presenter had a unique manner of presenting their even more unique topics.
This course has been very beneficial because it focuses on giving good presentations in life, rather than academic presentations merely for classes. I used to think that I put on really good presentations, but during this class I realized the importance of thinking outside the box, and adding emotional appeal to each presentation. During my practice session for the informative speech, Jacob came up with “WISC” and we used that to critique each person’s presentation. Prof. Sisco informed me to add music to my presentation because otherwise it was reminiscent of a typical boring academic presentation for an interesting topic. After my college education, I will not be given and A, B, or C on presentations, they will be judged on whether the point was relayed as well as whether they care or not.
During my undergrade, i took two communication classes , the first one was all about writing and the second one was oral . We did in this class a lot of public speech ,but i never cared during the prepraration of my presenation to include the WIIFY OR the WISC. I think that now that i know how important the audience is and how important to know why they should care that from now on i will always take in consideration the need of the audience and the reason why they should care about my presentation. if the audience doesn’t care , they definetly will not listen to my presenation . I have learned during the classes that i took so far with DR Sisco that it can be very easy to make the audience care . No body is born to be a good presenter ,but we can practice and use some techniques that will help in making the presentation more appealing and interesting . We can use as DR Sisco said real life examples because the audience always care about what other people went through in life , or make demonstrations . I think that if any presentation doesn’t have the WIIFY or WISC then it is not worth being presented.
I want to thank everybody for their presentations last week. I actually enjoyed sitting listening to all of them, seeing different people’s techniques and styles, and learning about some new things!
I think the biggest difference between our presentations last week and all our other presentations in all our other classes (aside from any other classes of this nature) is the purpose.
When I made a presentation for my Ethics class, I was presenting to show that I researched a topic and was able to communicate my findings orally, as well as written. When I presented for my conduct of inquiry class, it also had that same purpose.
In this class, the presentation is not the means to the end, but the end itself. I am giving a presentation to show that I have learned how to present. We can focus on the delivery more, and worry about minor factual details less. We aren’t worried about including EVERYTHING that is in our paper, because, well, there is no paper.
I think it also helps that the entire audience must be considered, rather than the professor, alone. It’s one thing to say “keep your audience in mind,” but the grade will be decided by me; and it’s an entirely different thing to say “the entire class’ level of caring will affect your grade.”
Being able to choose our own topic is a nice touch, too.
Presentations may have a significant impact on business life and when you find yourself in this situation you must act professionally and give your best. In my other classes, the same presentation routine was followed by the students and it did not improve our presenting skills much. However, Dr. Sisco explained her expectations of us and it resulted in a certain success with our presentations. WISC concept was taken into consideration by most of the students and the first presentations were far different and better than I expected. The presenters managed to attract the audience using different ways including PowerPoint style, involving students by asking questions, showing some videos and telling stories. Creating some activities can also make your presentation unique. For example, Kia was presenting about everybody can draw and she wanted to prove this by involving students drawing together at the same time. That one definitely made her presentation interesting and fun.
For a successful presentation attracting your audience is the most important part. I learned that instead of using many bullet points (that is so common), it is better to show some images that can generate emotional connection to the audience. Overloading information is another failure factor of a presentation. Adequate information with clear speech will be the best option to keep the listeners with you. Dennis and another student, who presents about health issues, made their presentations so to the point and clear that it was difficult to differentiate them from professionals. These kinds of presentations definitely answer the question of “Why I Should Care?”
I think as far as WISC is concerned, it’s a two way street. Yes it is important for the presenter to be interesting and to give a informative and thought provoking presentation, but it is also important as an audience member, to be receptive and open to what this presenter is sharing with you. A presenter is very vulnerable and in a way exposing a bit of their soul. So for an audience member to say “Why should I care?” it seems almost a bit insensitive. Thats not to say that a presenter should not consider their audience and should not think about the WIFFY. But, I feel as an audience member, we should be a little more sensitive to the presenter, then “Why should I care?”
I really like the idea of WIFFY and WISC, I think as a traditional presenter it is not thought of very often about your audience. But, I also don’t think the audience spends enough time thinking about the presenter.
Do You Have a WISC?
I think it is important to make the audience care. I often try to apply methods I have learned from work to school and vice versa. My boss while I sold cars was very street smart, however never fully got to use his full potential. He often told his sales staff to relate to the customer. In sales, this may sound cliché but it works, I never saw him lose at a sale. He was the best. He taught us that if the customer had a hat on with sports talk about sports; they came in with kids talk about their kids and so on. What ever you could find in common with the customer was what you focused on. After a general relationship was put in place it made it much easier to talk to the customer and build a relationship. This was when as a sales consultant I had to prove to the customer that the deal or car was superior to the competition and it was a benefit to them to purchase the car. In the same way I think that if you can’t make a relationship with your audience through your creditability, gaining their interest or making them believe there is some benefit for them, then your presentation was not effective to the audience members.
Why Should I Care? To be honest as an audience member there are some presentations that I do not care about. However, a strong delivery can yeild powerful effects that makes me care! This idea was discovered when reviewing class presentations in our informative speeches. “Why Should I Care,” has a very small amount to do with personal connections to the content. In my opinion presenters can establish the care factor by speaking to audience members that enjoy the topic at hand, or by delivering the presentation in such an enthusiastic manner that makes uninterested members care. The ability to use either strategy can be very powerful for presenters looking to establish the “Care” factor.
I recently read a article by Bert Decker, CEO OF Decker Communications, Inc. and he stated that presenters have the the audiences attention the most during the introduciton and conclusion. Utlize these areas along with the remaining portions to make your audience care.
WISC is an interesting acronym. I have never heard of both the WIIFY and WISC. Through out my courses from undergrad and grad schools, I have given many presentations. However, only after this course, I have paid more attention to the audience factor of a presentation. I totally agree that we have to take the WIIFY seriously. However, in my opinion, making people care is not an easy thing to do. Professor Sisco has taught our class techniques and things we should do during a presentation to make people care. However, I think that using the WISC factor to determine the grade of presentation is not that all effective due to its limitations such as personal bias, cultural bias etc. In Sisco’s class, I have tried to keep both those factors WIIFY and WISC in mind. However, personally I think that trying to get people to care make me nervous and intimidating sometimes.
I believe all agree that evaluating the needs if the audience, establishing a benefit to audience members and making the audience care about the topic are well established thus far. In thinking about this yet again though, I began thinking that some of these same principles need also apply to the presenter as well. As a presenter, then, we should ask ourselves “What’s in it for me?” and “Why should I care if the audience enjoys and benefits from my presentation?” Think about it-I came up with several of my own.
First, as described so clearly in our readings, we should all determine the objective of our talk. Where do we hope to move the audience to upon completing the presentation? Why then, if we don’t have a purpose, do the presentation at all? Why also would you ever spend time on a project that doesn’t do the job it intended? And, as I often state, why do it at all if you are not going to give it your best effort?
I prepare for presentations on a daily basis in the work that I do. Although it is not quite the same as class, it is comparable on several levels. As a healthcare professional, I am responsible for educating and motivating individuals to make behavior changes that will positively impact a person’s health. I feel a sense of responsibility in meeting these objectives not only for the patient, but for the hospital and myself as well. The work that I do reflects on me professionally and I strive to ensure that people have the best experience possible. Even more to consider-the patients then make a choice to return for more information and/or communicate their experience to others. The ramifications, if negative, will ultimately reflect poorly upon me and my employer. Having kept all of this in mind, particularly more so in recent years, I have realized many rewards. I am continuously surprised by the number of individuals who have returned to see me, referred friends and family to visit, or recall a presentation from many years prior (some as far back as 10 years!) Thus, establishing your own WIIFY and WISC as a presenter should bear some thought as well.
I am very fond of the WISC concept; “Why I Should Care?” This idea is very effective, because allows presenters to practice the concept of effective influencing. We must all understand that as speakers we will not always be able to select our audience or our topic. What this means is that our audience will not always like what we are presenting on. However, it is up to us as effective presenters to make the best any situation and be able to influence or coerce our audience into becoming interested into what we are speaking about. Altogether, as speakers we have a job, and our job is to make our audience care, no matter the topic. Know Your Audience.
The concept of “WIIFY” and “Do you care” is something that was never given much thought as I created and gave many of my past presentations. What I’ve realized is, it really shows. There’s a reason that half of the class is asleep in every grad class on presentation night. It’s not that people are aware or doing it intentionally, but their presentations are flat-out boring! There’s no interest in whether the entire audience cares or has something in it for them, and that’s because the professor will make the whole class suffer through it regardless of whether it makes people care or not. After taking this class, I feel like I’ve become somewhat of a critic. I don’t want to listen to presentations that are boring, read verbatim off of slides, contain too much information, have irrelevant pictures, and never seem to get to the point. The sad thing is, I used to be one of those people. Never again though.
Now, I struggle to stay awake while listening to these bad presentations in my classes. The professor tells the group what a great job they did, and I find myself having to try extremely hard to resist the temptation to tell the professor that, no, that presentation was not “great”. I didn’t care about it, and there was nothing in it for me. But it’s hard to begin to fix that problem when many professors are themselves the ones allowing these bad presentations to become acceptable and expected.
In undergrad and grad school most presentations are done with the grade in mind not the audience. But in real life there are no grades so what are we gaining if only the teacher cares. Nothing!!! When you spend a lot of time and effort on your topic you feel a sense of pride so why not try to engulf your audience and have them feel the same way. The WIIFY and the WISC has taught me to readjust my focus off the grade and the teacher and make it all about my audience. It is sad to say but most people are selfish, they are only interested if it affects them personally which depending on your topic can be extremely hard to do. The best way that I think to get people to care is to play off their emotions and make them feel that if they do not listen they are losing out and basically harming themselves. I think the emotions that work the best for me are fear and humor. Fear can have huge impact if used correctly and change the most stubborn persons mindset. Humor on the other hand lightens the mood and brings people together. An added bonus of humor is that you keep them awake and engaged. Knowledge is power make it work to your advantage.