Presentation about the Banquet Scene of Ashurbanipal
A few days ago I gave a talk to an audience about my project on the Banquet Scene of Ashurbanipal. As I’m in the middle of the project itself, I wasn’t really sure what to talk about. So I just told the story of how I got started, what I have done so far and where I am going from here. I was surprised at how entertaining it was and how well storytelling works as a way of presenting projects.
The presentation
So the presentation was rather short, only 20 minutes. But it helped me not to dwell too long on describing the object or talking about its significance. I started by talking about the first scan in London, which began as a collaborative project. Then, I talked about my own idea of completing the scan of the banquet scene with other fragments of the wider relief. I presented the results from Berlin, Leiden, and most recently London and how I obtained funding for them.
I then told the story of my search for other fragments and how I was successful at least once. But I also told the story of what did not work and that I will have to wait until 2028 to scan more fragments in London. I actually got some emotional responses from the audience (laughter, sympathy, encouragement). Although I couldn’t talk much about results in the classical sense, I felt that the presentation went quite well.
Telling stories
If you google or watch YouTube videos on how to give a good presentation, the advice is always to tell a story. I was always reluctant to do this because it is not usually done. Sure, if you find a treasure trove of gold, there’s a story to tell, but usually archaeology isn’t so much about exciting stories. But who says it has to be exciting? It just has to connect with people, because that is how they listen and remember.
If you look in bookshops, there are whole sections on storytelling. One book in my “still want to read” pile is by Matthew Dicks called Storyworthy. Engage, teach, persuade and change your life through the power of storytelling. The title sounds a bit click-baity, but after my experience this week I will read it soon. Perhaps it will confirm what I have described above and perhaps it will offer even more insight.
Have you ever told a story for a presentation?
