Presentation Pizzazz: How to Dance Your Way to Memorable Messages

Happy International Dance Day! Can you believe April 29th is dedicated to celebrating the magic of dance? Dance is a fantastic way to boost both physical and mental well-being.

I’ve been including Bollywood moves in my presentations for years now. Bollywood is vibrant, uplifting and just so much fun! Like Johnny Carson said, ‘People will pay more to be entertained than educated.’

Fifteen years ago, I used Bollywood dancing as an energizer; about 7 years ago I used it as a speaking point, and now I use it as a teaching point. It was a process of gentle discovery and for me, having the courage to lean into my identity and take risks.

When I use Bollywood dancing in my presentation, I use it only once. I choose a message I want my audience to remember when they return to work and tie in some dance.

I use dance not just because I love it (and I do), that would be self-indulgent. I use dance to teach because it is based on kinaesthetic learning principles, using movement and physical activity to anchor knowledge.

For example one of my messages is: ‘In business, your stories must have a purpose, support data and be authentic’. I teach my audience a Bollywood move, tied to each keyword: purpose, data and authentic.

Three words, three different moves to help remember these keywords.

The moves are simple, and anyone can do them, sitting if it is virtual or standing if we are face to face. Then we dance it out. The exercise takes less than two minutes and creates several moments of laughter, fun and connection and, most importantly, aid recall of the messages.

I track its success through formal evaluation, feedback, rebooking, and recommendations.

Most importantly my clients tell me they love it and the dancing helps people remember key messages, it’s fun and they are learning.

What have you tried to do differently in your presentations?