I Like to Movie it (Move it)

The human brain is designed to track motion. We may not be as bad as the T-Rex in Jurassic Park but we tend to fixate on things that move. On a recent episode of Nova: Science Now, they looked at how the brain works and one of the key points was that our brains key in on motion. "It's better to think you see a tiger stalking you and be wrong than to think there isn't one and be wrong."

We perceive things that move as more important and we even invent motion when it's not there. So when you think about a presentation, if you want the audience to pay attention to the screen, good use of motion, video clips, animation and transitions will capture the eyes of the people. They won't be able to help it.

If, however, you want the audience to pay attention to you, then you need to only use still images on the screen and you need to move. Get out in front of the screen. Move as you speak. Use your hands and body to communicate.

How can you use motion to direct the attention of your audience?