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HBRGuideto
Persuasive
Presentations
HarvardBusinessReviewGuides
Armyourselfwiththeadviceyouneedtosucceedonthejob,fromthemosttrustedbrandinbusiness.Packedwithhow-toessentialsfromleadingexperts,theHBRGuidesprovidesmartanswerstoyourmostpressingworkchallenges.
Thetitlesinclude:
HBRGuidetoBetterBusinessWriting
HBRGuidetoFinanceBasicsforManagers
HBRGuidetoGettingaJob
HBRGuidetoGettingtheMentoringYouNeed
HBRGuidetoGettingtheRightWorkDone
HBRGuidetoGivingEffectiveFeedback
HBRGuidetoMakingEveryMeetingMatter
HBRGuidetoManagingStress
HBRGuidetoManagingUpandAcross
HBRGuidetoPersuasivePresentations
HBRGuidetoProjectManagement
HBRGuideto
Persuasive
PresentationsNancyDuarte
HARVARDBUSINESSREVIEWPRESS
Boston,Massachusetts
Copyright2012HarvardBusinessSchoolPublishingCorporation
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyform,orbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise),withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher.Requestsforpermissionshouldbedirectedtopermissions@hbsp.harvard.edu,ormailedtoPermissions,HarvardBusinessSchoolPublishing,60HarvardWay,Boston,Massachusetts02163.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData(Print)
Duarte,Nancy.
HBRguidetopersuasivepresentations/NancyDuarte.
p.cm.
ISBN978-1-4221-8710-4(alk.paper)
1.Businesspresentations.2.Persuasion(Psychology)I.Title.
HF5718.22.D8172012
658.4′52—dc23
2012019634
eBookdevelopmentbyeBookArchitects
QEDstandsforQuality,ExcellenceandDesign.TheQEDsealofapprovalshownhereverifiesthatthiseBookhaspassedarigorousqualityassuranceprocessandwillrenderwellinmosteBookreadingplatforms.
Formoreinformationpleaseclickhere.
WhatYou’llLearn
Doyoudreadgivingpresentations?Maybeyourmindgoesblankwhenyousitdowntogenerateideas,oryoustruggletoorganizeyourfragmentedthoughtsanddataintoacoherent,persuasivemessage.Isittoughtoconnectwithcustomersyou’rewooing,seniorexecutivesyou’rehittingupforfunding,oremployeesyou’retraining?Doyoufumblefortherightwords,getlostinyourslidedeck,runoutoftimebeforeyou’vehityourmainpoints—andleavetheroomuncertainyou’vegottenthroughtoanyone?
Thisguidewillgiveyoutheconfidenceandtoolsyouneedtoengageyouraudience,sellyourideas,andinspirepeopletoact.You’llgetbetterat:
Showingpeoplewhyyourideasmattertothem
Winningovertoughcrowds
Balancinganalyticalandemotionalappeal
Craftingmemorablemessages
Creatingpowerfulvisuals
Strikingtherighttone
Holdingyouraudience’sattention
Measuringyourimpact
Contents
Introduction
Planwell.
Section1:AUDIENCE
Knowyouraudienceandbuildempathy.UnderstandtheAudience’sPower
Youridea’sfateisintheirhands.
SegmenttheAudience
Focusonwhomattersmost.
PresentClearlyandConciselytoSeniorExecutives
Helpthemmakebigdecisionsonatightschedule.
GettoKnowYourAudience
It’seasiertoconvincesomeoneyouknow.
DefineHowYou’llChangetheAudience
Whatdoyouwantpeopletobelieve?Howdoyouwantthemtobehave?
FindCommonGround
Resonatethroughempathy.
Section2:MESSAGE
Developpersuasivecontent.DefineYourBigIdea
Clearlystateyourpointofview—andwhat’satstake.
GenerateContenttoSupporttheBigIdea
Whenyou’rebrainstorming,moreismore.
AnticipateResistance
Thinkthroughopposingperspectives.
AmplifyYourMessageThroughContrast
Createandresolvetension.
BuildanEffectiveCalltoAction
Getthingsdone!
ChooseYourBestIdeas
Sortandfilter.
OrganizeYourThoughts
Outlineyourpresentationbywritingclear,activeslidetitlesthathangtogether.
BalanceAnalyticalandEmotionalAppeal
Staycrediblewhileyoureelpeoplein.
LosetheJargon
Isyourlanguageclearenoughtopassthe“grandmothertest”?
CraftSoundBites
Goodonesgetrepeated,tweeted,andheeded.
Section3:STORY
Usestorytellingprinciplesandstructuretoengageyouraudience.ApplyStorytellingPrinciples
Makeyourpresentationstick.
CreateaSolidStructure
Storytellingprinciplesprovideaframework.
CrafttheBeginning
Establishthegapbetweenwhatisandwhatcouldbe.
DeveloptheMiddle
Buildtensionbetweenwhatisandwhatcouldbe.
MaketheEndingPowerful
Describethenewbliss.
AddEmotionalTexture
Decisionsarenotmadebyfactsalone.
UseMetaphorsasYourGlue
Memorablethemeshelprallyanaudience.
CreateSomethingThey’llAlwaysRemember
Driveyourbigideahome.
Section4:MEDIA
Identifythebestmodesforcommunicatingyourmessage.ChoosetheRightVehicleforYourMessage
Slidedecksaren’talwaystheanswer.
MaketheMostofSlideSoftware
It’snotjustforslides.
DeterminetheRightLengthforYourPresentation
Keepyouraudienceengagedbybudgetingyourtime.
PersuadeBeyondtheStage
Communicatebefore,during,andafteryourpresentation.
SharetheStage
Mixinginexpertsandmediaholdsinterest.
Section5:SLIDES
Conceptualizeandsimplifythedisplayofinformation.ThinkLikeaDesigner
Visualsshouldconveymeaning.
CreateSlidesPeopleCan“Get”inThreeSeconds
Dotheypasstheglancetest?
ChoosetheRightTypeofSlide
Bulletsaren’ttheonlytool.
StoryboardOneIdeaperSlide
Planbeforeyoucreate.
AvoidVisualClichés
Makeyourslidesstandout.
ArrangeSlideElementswithCare
Makeyourvisualseasiertoprocess.
ClarifytheData
Emphasizewhat’simportant,removetherest.
TurnWordsintoDiagrams
Useshapestoshowrelationships.
UsetheRightNumberofSlides
Sizeupyoursituationbeforebuildingyourdeck.
KnowWhentoAnimate
...andwhenit’soverkill.
Section6:DELIVERY
Deliveryourpresentationauthentically.RehearseYourMaterialWell
Rollwiththeunexpectedandfullyengagewiththeaudience.
KnowtheVenueandSchedule
Controlthemwhenyoucan.
AnticipateTechnologyGlitches
Oddsofmalfunctionarehigh.
ManageYourStageFright
Exercisestocalmyournerves.
SettheRightToneforYourTalk
Younevergetasecondchancetomakeafirstimpression.
BeYourself
Authenticityconnectsyoutoothers.
CommunicatewithYourBody
Physicalexpressionisapowerfultool.
CommunicatewithYourVoice
Createcontrastandemphasis.
MakeYourStoriesCometoLife
Re-experiencetheminthetelling.
WorkEffectivelywithYourInterpreter
Payattentiontochemistry,pacing,andculturalresonance.
GettheMostoutofYourQ&A
Plan,plan,plan.
BuildTrustwithaRemoteAudience
Getpasttechnology’sbarriers.
KeepRemoteListenersInterested
You’refightingfortheattentionofmultitaskers.
KeepYourRemotePresentationRunningSmoothly
Usethischecklisttominimizeannoyances.
Section7:IMPACT
Measure—andincrease—yourpresentation’simpactonyouraudience.BuildRelationshipsThroughSocialMedia
Engagewithuserssothey’llengagefullyandfairlywithyourideas.
SpreadYourIdeaswithSocialMedia
Facilitatetheonlineconversation.
GaugeWhetherYou’veConnectedwithPeople
Gatherfeedbackinrealtimeandafteryourtalk.
FollowUpAfterYourTalk
Makeiteasierforpeopletoputyourideasintoaction.
Index
AbouttheAuthor
IntroductionIfIamtospeakfortenminutes,Ineedaweekforpreparation;iffifteenminutes,threedays;ifhalfanhour,twodays;ifanhour,Iamreadynow.
—WoodrowT.Wilson
Weworkinafirst-draftculture.Typeane-mail.Send.Writeablogentry.Post.Whipupsomeslides.Speak.
Butit’sincraftingandrecrafting—initerationandrehearsal—thatexcellenceemerges.
Whyworryaboutbeinganexcellentcommunicatorwhenyouhavesomanyotherpressingthingstodo?Becauseitwillhelpyougetthosethingsdone.
Soasyouconceive,visualize,andpresentyourmessage,don’tskimponpreparation,evenifyou’regivingashorttalk.Itactuallytakesmorecarefulplanningtodistillyourideasintoafewkeytakeawaysthanitdoestocreateanhour-longpresentation(seefigureI-1).Andgatherlotsoffeedbacksoyou’llbeallthemoreeffectivewhenyoustarttheprocessagain.
Since1990,I’verunafirmthatspecializesinwritingandproducingpresentations—andthenIbecameapresentermyself.Thisbookisloadedwithinsightslearnedfromsupportingotherpresentersandgivingmyowntalks.But,trustme,I’vehadmyshareofembarrassingmoments,manyofwhichcouldhavebeenavoidedwithalittleplanning.Loadingthewrongpresentationontomylaptop.Walkingonstagewithmyskirttuckedintomyunderwear.Botchingmydeliverytoexecutivesatan$8billioncompanybecauseIhadn’trehearsedenough—andgettingcutfromtheircontinuingseriesofmeetings.Experienceisapowerfulteacher.
I’vealsolearnedalotfromsuccess.Whenaudiencescanseethatyou’veprepared—thatyoucareabouttheirneedsandvaluetheirtime—they’llwanttoconnectwithyouandsupportyou.You’llgetpeopletoadoptyourideas,andyou’llwintheresourcestocarrythemout.You’llclosemoredeals.You’llearnthebackingofdecisionmakers.You’llgaininfluence.Inshort,you’llgofartherinyourorganization—andyourcareer.
Specialthanksto:
ThewonderfulLisaBurrell,whoeditedmymessintocoherence
TheentireteamatDuarte,whosupportedmewithcasestudies
Members of the Twitterverse who answered my questions: @annzerega, @caddguru, @carolmquig,@catiehargrove, @charlesgreene3, @ckallaos, @conniewinch, @iamanshul, @karlparry, @managebetternow,@matthewmccull,@moniquemaley,@mpacc,@speakingtall,and@zupermik
Section1
AudienceDesigningapresentationwithoutanaudienceinmindislikewritingaloveletterandaddressingit“towhomitmayconcern.”
—KenHaemer,
PresentationResearchManager,AT&T
UnderstandtheAudience’sPowerWhenyouwalkintoaroomasapresenter,it’seasytofeelasifyou’reinapositionofpower:You’reupfront,perhapsevenelevatedonastage,andpeoplecametohearyouspeak.Inreality,though,you’renotthestaroftheshow.Theaudienceis.
Why?Thepeopleyou’readdressingwilldeterminewhetheryourideaspreadsordies,simplybyembracingorrejectingit.Youneedthemmorethantheyneedyou.Sincetheyhavethatcontrol,it’scrucialtobehumbleinyourapproach.Usetheirdesiresandgoalsasafilterforeverythingyoupresent.
Presenterstendtobeself-focused.Theyhavealottosay,theywanttosayitwell,andtheyhavelittletimetoprepare.Thesepressuresmakethemforgetwhat’simportanttotheaudience.Aself-focusedpresentermightjustdescribeanewinitiativeandexplainwhatneedstogetdone—outlininghowtodoit,whentodoit,andthebudgetrequired.Thenmaybe,iftheaudienceislucky,he’llhaveaslideattheveryendabout“whyitmatters.”Thisformatscreams,“Ipayyoutodothis,sojustdoit!”Thepresenterissoconsumedbythemissionthatheforgetstosaywhypeoplewouldwantorneedtobeinvolved.
Spendamomentinyouraudience’sshoes.Walkpeoplethroughwhytheinitiativematterstothemandtotheorganization,whatinternalandexternalfactorsaredrivingit,andwhytheirsupportwillmakeitsuccessful.Yes,getthroughthenitty-grittydetails,butsetupthevaluablerolethey’llplayinthescenarioratherthandictatealaundrylistofto-do’s.
Thoughpresentationsandaudiencesvary,oneimportantfactremainsconstant:Thepeopleinyouraudiencecametoseewhatyoucandoforthem,notwhattheymustdoforyou.Solookattheaudienceasthe“hero”ofyouridea—andyourselfasthementorwhohelpspeopleseethemselvesinthatrolesothey’llwanttogetbehindyourideaandpropelitforward.
ThinkofYoda—aclassicexampleofawise,humblementor.IntheStarWarsmovies,hegivesthehero,LukeSkywalker,aspecialgift(adeeperunderstandingofthe“Force”),trainshimtouseamagicaltool(thelightsaber),andhelpshiminhisfightagainsttheEmpire.
LikeYodaandothermentorsinmythology,presentersshould:
Give theheroa special gift:Give people insights thatwill improve their lives. Perhaps you introduce seniormanagersatyourcompanytoanexcitingnewwaytocompeteinthemarketplace.Ormaybeyoushowaroomfulofpotentialclientsthatyoucansavethemmoneyandtime.
Teachtheherotousea“magical”tool:Thisiswherethepeopleinyouraudiencepickupanewskillormind-setfromyou—somethingthatenablesthemtoreachtheirobjectivesandyours.
Help thehero get “unstuck”: Ideally, you’ll comewith an idea or a solution that gets the audience out of adifficultorpainfulsituation.
Soifyou’regearinguptolaunchanewserviceoffering,forexample,giveyourteamaclearroadmap(tool)andapromisetobringinconsultantsfortrainingandsupport(gift)—anddescribehowthesewillhelpeveryonerisetothechallengeahead.
SegmenttheAudienceIfyouseeyouraudienceasahomogenous,facelessclumpofpeople,you’llhaveahardtimemakingaconnectionandmovingthemtoaction.Instead,thinkofthemasalineofindividualswaitingtohaveaconversationwithyou.
Youraudiencewillusuallyincludeamixofpeople—individualsindiverseroles,withvariouslevelsofdecision-makingauthority,fromdifferentpartsoftheorganization—eachneedingtohearyourmessagefordifferentreasons.Decidewhichsubgroupisthemostimportanttoyou,andzeroinonthatsubgroup’sneedswhenyoudevelopyourpresentation.
Whenyou’resegmentingyouraudience,takealookat:
Politics:Power,influence,decisionprocess
Demographics:Age,education,ethnicity,gender,andgeography
Psychographics:Personality,values,attitudes,interests,communities,andlifestyle
Firmographics:Numberofemployees,revenuesize,industry,numberoflocations,locationofheadquarters
Ethnographics:Socialandculturalneeds
Afteryou’vesegmentedthegroup,figureoutwhichmemberswillhavethegreatestimpactontheadoptionofyouridea.Istherealayerofmanagementyouneedtoappealto?Isthereatypeofcustomerintheroomwithalotofswayovertheindustry?
Thenviewyourselfasacuratorofcontentforyourmostvaluableandpowerfulstakeholders.Picktheonetypeofpersonintheroomwiththemostinfluence,andwriteyourpresentationasifjusttothatsubgroup.Thepresentationcan’tbesospecializedthatitwillalienateeveryoneelse—you’llneedsomecontentthatappealstothegreatergroup.Buttailormostofyourspecificstothesubgroupyou’vetargeted.
Sayyou’representinganewproductconcepttotheexecutiveteam,andyouknowyouwon’tgettheirbuy-inunlessTrent,thepresidentoftheenterprisedivision,getsexcitedabouttheidea,becausetheyalwaysdefertohisinstinctsonnewinitiatives.AppealfirsttoTrent’sentrepreneurialnaturebydescribinghowexcitingthenewmarketis—whilekeepinginmindwhattheotherexecutiveswillcareabout.Here’swhereyoursegmentationworkwillcomeinhandy(table1–1).
Drawonyourunderstandingoftheteammembersasyouprepareyourtalk.InadditiontofanningtheflamesofTrent’sentrepreneurism,forexample,havedatainyourpockettorespondtoMarco,theanalyticalandrisk-averseCTO,whenheinevitablybalks.Andtrytoworkwith,notagainst,yourCMO’sarrogance:Askforhiscounselonakeymarketingpointortwobeforethegroupmeets,andhe’llbelesslikelytolashoutduringthepresentationorsittherequietlyplottingacoup,asishiswont.
TABLE1-1SegmentingyouraudienceExecutiveteammember Qualities
Bert,CEO Hierarchical,micromanager,dominant,fear-driven,needstobeliked
Carol,presidentofConsumerdivision
Visionary,creative,disruptive,scattered,wantstostandonownfeet
Trent,presidentof Entrepreneurial,designthinker,systematic,foundselfafter
Enterprisedivision near-deathexperience
Martin,CMO CEO’sfavorite,empiricallyminded,arrogant,sabotagesprojects
Marco,CTO Political,risk-averse,analytical,introverted,hasself-doubtWhatifsomeaudiencemembersarealreadyfamiliarwithyourideaandothersneedtobebroughtuptospeed?
(Thisismostlikelytohappenwhenyou’representingwithinyourorganization.)Considereveningthingsoutbygivingthenewbiesacrashcoursebeforeyouconductthelargerpresentation.Oryoumaydecidejusttodotwoseparatepresentations.
PresentClearlyandConciselytoSeniorExecutivesSeniorexecutivesareatoughsegmenttoreach.Theyusuallyhaveverylittletimeintheirschedulestogiveyou.Thoughthat’strueofmanyaudiences,whatsetsthiscrowdapartisthattheyneedtomakehugedecisionsbasedonaccurateinformationdeliveredquickly.Longpresentationswithabigrevealattheenddonotworkforthem.They’llwantyoutogettothebottomlinerightaway—andtheyoftenwon’tletyoufinishyourshtickwithoutinterrupting.(Nevermindthatyouwouldhaveansweredtheirquestionsifthey’djustletyougetthroughthenextthreeslides.)
Whenpresentingtoanaudienceofseniorexecutives,doeverythingyoucantomaketheirdecisionmakingeasierandmoreefficient:
Gettothepoint:Takelesstimethanyouwereallocated.Ifyouweregiven30minutes,createyourtalkwithinthattimeframebutthenpretendthatyourslotgotcutto5minutes.That’llforceyoutobesuccinctandleadwiththe things they care about—high-level findings, conclusions, recommendations, your call to action. Hit thosepointsclearlyandsimplybeforeyouventureintosupportingdataortangentialareasofimportancetoyou.
Givethemwhattheyaskedfor:Stayontopic.Ifyouwereinvitedtogiveanupdateaboutthefloodingofthemanufacturingplant in Indonesia,do thatbeforecoveringanythingelse.They’ve invitedyoubecause they feltyoucouldsupplyamissingpieceofinformation,soanswerthatspecificrequestquickly.
Set expectations: At the beginning, let the audience know you will spend the first 5 of your 30 minutespresentingyoursummaryandtheremainingtimeondiscussion.Mostexecutiveswillbepatientfor5minutesandletyoupresentyourmainpointswelliftheyknowthey’llbeabletoaskquestionsfairlysoon.
Createexecutivesummaryslides:Developaclear,shortoverviewofyourkeypoints,andplaceit inasetofexecutivesummaryslidesatthefrontofthedeck;havetherestofyourslidesserveasanappendix.Followa10%ruleofthumb:Ifyourappendixis50slides,devoteabout5slidestoyoursummaryatthebeginning.Afteryoupresentthesummary,letthegroupdrivetheconversation.Often,executiveswillwanttogodeeperonthepointsthatwillaidtheirdecisionmaking.Youcanquicklypullupanyslidesintheappendixthatspeaktothosepoints.
Rehearse:Beforepresenting,runyourslidesbysomeonewhohassuccessgettingideasadoptedattheexecutivelevel andwhowill serve as an honest coach. Is yourmessage coming through clearly and quickly?Do yoursummaryslidesboileverythingdownintoskimmablekeyinsights?Areyoumissinganythingyouraudienceislikelytoexpect?
Soundslikealotofwork,right?Itis,butpresentingtoanexecutiveteamisagreathonorandcanopentremendousdoors.Ifyounailthis,peoplewithalotofinfluencewillbecomestrongadvocatesforyourideas.
GettoKnowYourAudienceSegmentingyouraudiencememberspolitically,demographically,psychographically,andsoonisagreatstart,butconnectingwithpeoplemeansunderstandingthemonamorepersonallevel.Todevelopresonantcontentforthem,digfordeeperinsightsaboutthem.Askyourself:
Whataretheylike?Thinkthroughadayintheirlives.Describewhatthatlookslikesothey’llknowyou“get”them.
Why are they here? What do they think they’re going to get out of this presentation? Are they willingparticipantsormandatoryattendees?Highlightwhat’sinitforthem.
Whatkeepsthemupatnight?Everyonehasafear,apainpoint,athornintheside.Letyouraudienceknowthatyouempathize—andthatyou’reheretohelp.
Howcanyousolvetheirproblems?Howareyougoingtomaketheirlivesbetter?Pointtobenefitsyouknowthey’llcareabout.
What do you want them to do? What’s their part in your plan? Make sure there’s a clear action for youraudiencetotake.(See“BuildanEffectiveCalltoAction”intheMessagesectionofthisguide.)
Howmighttheyresist?Whatwillkeepthemfromadoptingyourmessageandcarryingoutyourcalltoaction?Removeanyobstaclesyoucan.
Howcanyoubestreachthem?Howdotheyprefertoreceiveinformation?Dotheyliketheroomtobesetupacertainway?Dotheywantmaterialstoreviewbeforethepresentation?Afterward?Whatatmosphereortypeofmediawillbesthelpthemseeyourpointofview?Givethemwhattheywant,howtheywantit.
Whengettingreadytopresenttoanaudienceyou’venevermet,dosomeresearchonline.Ifyouknowthenamesofstakeholdersinyouraudience,lookuptheirbios.Ifyouknowonlygeneralitiesabouttheaudience,findtheeventonsocialmediafeedsandreadwhat’sonthemindsofthosewho’llbeattending.Ifyou’llbepresentingtoacompany,findrecentpressmentions,lookathowthecompanypositionsitselfagainstcompetitors,readitsannualreport,andhaveGoogleAlertssendnewarticlesaboutthecompanytoyoure-mail.
Onetime,Iwaspreparingtopresenttobeerexecutives,andIdon’tlikebeerorknowanythingabouttheindustry.SoIhostedabeer-tastingeventatmyshop,readtheirannualreport,readrecentpress,studiedkeyinfluencers,andlookedupeachattendeeonline.DuringtheQ&A,aquestioncamefromoneofthetopexecutives(IknewhewasatthetopbecauseI’dlookedhimup)—andIansweredhisquestionwithtimelyexamples.
Whenyouraudienceisfamiliar—say,agroupofyourdirectreportsorcolleagues—thinkthroughthepressurestheyareunderandfindwaystocreateanempathicconnection.
Knowingpeople—reallyknowingthem—makesiteasiertoinfluencethem.Youengageinaconversation,exchangeinsights,tellstories.Usually,bothyouandtheychangeabitintheprocess.
Peopledon’tfallasleepduringconversations,buttheyoftendoduringpresentations—andthat’sbecausemanypresentationsdon’tfeelconversational.Knowingyouraudiencewellhelpsyoufeelwarmlytowardthepeopleintheroomandtakeonamoreconversationaltone.Speaksincerelytoyouraudience,andpeoplewillwanttolistentoyourmessageandrootforandcontributetothesuccessofyouridea.
DefineHowYou’llChangetheAudienceWhenyoupresent,you’reaskingthepeopleintheroomtochangetheirbehaviororbeliefsinsomeway,bigorsmall.Beforeyoubeginwritingyourpresentation,mapoutthattransformation—whereyouraudienceisstarting,andwhereyouwantpeopletoendup.Thisisthemostcriticalstepinplanningyourpresentation,becausethatdesiredendpointisthewholereasonyou’representinginthefirstplace,andpeoplewon’tgetthereontheirown.
Askyourself,“WhatnewbeliefsdoIwantthemtoadopt?HowdoIwantthemtobehavedifferently?Howmusttheirattitudesoremotionschangebeforetheirbehaviorcanchange?”
Bythinkingthroughwhotheyarebeforetheyentertheroomandwhoyouwantthemtobewhentheyleave,you’lldefinetheirtransformationarc,muchasascreenwriterplanstheprotagonist’stransformationinafilm.
Let’ssayyouworkinthedevelopmentofficeatauniversityandyou’redeliveringapresentationtopotentialdonors.Theaudiencetransformationmightlookliketheoneshownintable1-2.
TABLE1-2TransformingyouraudienceMoveaudiencefrom: Moveaudienceto:Skepticismthattheschoolwillmakegooduseofthemoney
Excitementaboutinnovativeresearchbyfaculty,students,andalumni—andanimpulsetogive
Changetypicallydoesn’thappenwithoutastruggle.It’shardtoconvincepeopletomoveawayfromaviewthatiscomfortableorwidelyheldastrue,orchangeabehavioralpatternthathasbecometheirnorm.Youarepersuadingmembersofyouraudiencetoletgoofoldbeliefsorhabitsandadoptnewones.Onceyouunderstandtheirtransformation,youcandemonstrateempathyforthesacrificestheymayneedtomaketomoveyourideaforward.
FindCommonGroundWhetheryouevokefrenziedenthusiasmorpuzzledstaresorglassy-eyedboredomdependslargelyonhowwellyourmessageresonateswiththeaudience.
Resonanceisaphysicsphenomenon.Ifyoutapintoanobject’snaturalrateofvibration,orresonantfrequency,itwillmove:Itmayvibrate,shudder,orevenplayasympatheticmusicalnote—thinktuningforks.Thesameistrue,metaphorically,whenyoupresenttoanaudience.Ifyoutapintothegroup’sresonantfrequency,youcanmovethepeoplelisteningtoyou.
Buthowdoyouresonatedeeplyenoughtomovethemtowardyourobjective?Figureoutwhereyouhavecommonground,andcommunicateonthatfrequency.Thinkaboutwhat’sinsidethemthat’salsoinsideyou.Thatway,you’renotpushingorpullingthem;they’removingbecauseyoutappedintosomethingtheyalreadybelieve.
Allthismaysoundhighlyunscientificandtouchy-feely,butyoucanfindyouraudience’sresonantfrequencybydoingalittleresearch.You’llwanttoexamine:
Sharedexperiences:Whatfromyourpastdoyouhaveincommon.Doyousharememories,historicalevents,interests?
Commongoals:Whereareyouallheadedinthefuture?Whattypesofoutcomesaremutuallydesired?
Qualifications:Whyareyouuniquelyqualifiedtobetheaudience’sguidingexpert?Whatdidyoulearnwhenyoufacedsimilarchallengesofyourown,andhowwillyouraudiencebenefitfromthatinsight?
Theamountofcommongroundyoudiscoverwilldependonthedepthofyourrelationshipwiththegroup.
Lotsofcommonground
Ifyouarepresentingtofamily,friends,clubmembers,orareligousgroup,it’seasytofindcommongroundbecauseyouknowthepeoplewellandtendtosharemanyexperiences,interests,andvalues.
Moderatecommonground
Withyourcolleagues,thechallengeisabittougher.Youknowthemabit,butnotasmuchasclosefriendsorrelatives.Yousharesomeinterestsbutpossiblyonlyaroundoneortwothings.Examinethosepointsofintersectionforawayin.
Let’ssayyou’reascientistworkingforabiotechcompanyandyou’vebeenaskedtospeakatanall-handsmeeting.Mostoftheaudiencememberswillbescientists,butyou’llalsobeaddressingexecutivesandadministrativeemployees.Tofindcommongroundwiththem,thinkaboutwhyyoudecidedtoworkforthiscompanyandwhatmotivatesyoutodoyourjobdaytoday.Maybeyouwantedtouseyourresearchandproblem-solvingskillstohelppeoplestayhealthy—amissiontheothersintheroomwillshareoratleastsupport.Findingsuchcommonalitieswillhelpyouconnectwiththem.
Minimalcommonground
Withabroadaudience—forinstance,agroupofseminarparticipantsfromavarietyoforganizationsandindustries—you’llhavemanytypesofpeopletothinkabout.Theoverlapwon’tbeimmediatelyevident,becausetherearesomanyperspectivesandbackgroundstoconsider.You’llneedtoworkhardtofindorcreateit,butthatworkwillpayoff.
BeforeIwenttoChinaonabooktour,forexample,IresearchedcommunicationandstorytellinginmodernandancientChineseculture.IidentifiedthreegreatcommunicatorsinChinesehistoryandanalyzedtheirspeeches.WhenIsharedmyanalysiswithaudiences,itwascleartothemthatIunderstoodthehistoricalcontextsurroundingthespeeches
—Icouldevenprovidedetailedanswerstotheirquestionsaboutit.IgotfeedbackmultipletimesonthattripthatpeoplecouldseeIcaredenoughtoreallystudyandunderstandtheirperspective.
Section2
MessageAreideasborninterestingormadeinteresting?
—ChipandDanHeath,
authorsofSwitch:HowtoChangeThingsWhenChangeIsHard
DefineYourBigIdeaYourbigideaisthatonekeymessageyoumustcommunicate.It’swhatcompelstheaudiencetochangecourse.(Screenwriterscallthisthe“controllingidea.”)Ithastwocomponents:
Yourpointofview:Thebigideaneedstoexpressyourperspectiveonasubject,notageneralizationlike“Q4financials.”Otherwise,whypresent?Youmayaswelle-mailyourstakeholdersaspreadsheetandbedonewithit.
What’satstake:You’llalsowant toconveywhy theaudienceshouldcareaboutyourperspective.Thishelpspeoplerecognizetheirneedtoparticipateratherthancontinuewiththestatusquo.
Expressyourbigideainacompletesentence.Itneedsasubject(oftensomeversionof“you,”tohighlighttheaudience’srole)andaverb(toconveyactionandelicitemotion).
Whenasked,“What’syourpresentationabout?”mostpeopleanswerwithaphraselike“Softwareupdates.”That’snotabigidea;it’satopic—nopointofview,nostakes.Changeitto“Yourdepartmentneedstoupdateitsworkflowmanagementsoftware,”andyou’regettingcloser.You’veaddedyourpointofview,butthestakesstillaren’tclear.Sotrythisinstead:“Yourdepartmentwillstruggletomeetkeyproductiondeadlinesuntilweupdatetheworkflowmanagementsoftware.”
Anotherexample:Ifyousayyourpresentationisabout“theFloridawetlands,”that’salsojustatopic.Addyourpointofviewandwhat’satstake.Forinstance:“WeneedtorestrictcommercialandresidentialdevelopmentinFlorida’swetlands,becausewe’redestroyingthefragileecosystemthereandkillingoffendangeredspecies.”
Peoplewillmoveawayfrompainandtowardpleasure.Prodthem(withwordslike“struggle”fromthefirstexample;“destroying”and“killing”fromthesecond)sotheyfeeluncomfortablestayingintheircurrentposition.Lurethemtowardyourideawithencouragementandrewards(thepromiseofmeetingdeadlines;protectionofendangeredspecies).
GenerateContenttoSupporttheBigIdeaNowthatyou’vearticulatedyourbigidea,it’stimetocreateyourcontent,butdon’tfireupyourpresentationsoftwarequiteyet.Softwareforceslinearthinking—oneslideafteranother—soit’snotthebesttoolforearlybrainstorming.
Instead,changeupyourusualenvironment.Movetoanewroom,turnoffyoure-mailandcellphone,maybeplaysomemusic.Usetactiletoolslikepaper,whiteboards,andstickynotes.
Generateasmanyideasaspossibleby:
Gatheringexistingcontent:Youdon’thave tostart fromscratch.Digupotherpresentations, industrystudies,newsarticles,reports,surveys—anythingthat’srelevanttoyourbigidea.
Building on existing content: Push on the ideas in the content you’ve gathered.Challenge them, or considerthemfromanewangle.Drawnewconnections.
Creatingnewcontent:Becurious,takerisks,andletyourintuitionguideyou.Experimentanddream.
Forbrainstormingtobesuccessful,youhavetosuspendjudgmentandstayreceptivetoseeminglyunrelatedideas—theymayleadtosomethinggreat.Increaseyourcreativeyieldbymovingbackandforthbetweenbrain-stormingaloneandbrainstorminginagroup.
Brainstormalone
It’sintimidatingtoapproachablankpieceofpaperorwhiteboard,butyouhavetostartsomewhere.Writedownakeywordandriffoffthat.Letyourmindmoveinrandomdirections.Thendrawconnectionswithlines.Keepbrainstorminguntilyouhaveamessywebofconceptsandrelationshipstoexplore.Thisiscalledmindmapping(seefigure2-1).Youcangetspecialsoftwaretodoit,butpaperorstickynoteswillworkjustaswell.
Brainstorminagroup
Whenyouworkwithothers,yougetmoregemstochoosefrom—andsomeoneelse’sideamaysparkevenmorecreativeonesinyou.Beextrakindtothefolkswithenoughgutstoputhalf-bakedorembarrassingideasoutthere.Treateveryideaasvaluable.Havesomeonefacilitateandcapturetheideassothediscussioncanmoveatafastclip(ifitslowsdown,peoplewillstarttoquestionandcensorthemselves).Oraskbrainstormerstoscribbleideasonstickynotesandpostthemonawall.Stickynotesaretheperfectbrainstormingtool.They’resmall,convenient,andmoveable—greatforcollectingandorganizingmaterial.Limityourselvestooneideaperstickynotesoit’seasiertosortandclusterthoughts.
Brainstormaloneagain
Taketheseedsofideasthatcamefromtherapid-firegroupsessionanddoanotherroundofquietbrainstormingonyourown.Thiswillgivethoselatentideasachancetodevelop.
Goforquantity,notquality.Youmayworkyourwaythroughfive,ten,twentyideasuntilyoufindonesthataredistinctiveandmemorable.Thisisnotthetimetoedityourself.Evenifanideahasbeenexpressedorusedbefore,addittothemix.Youmaylaterfindauniquewayofincorporatingit.
AnticipateResistanceAsapresenter,you’reaskingpeopletochangetheirbeliefsorbehavior.That’snotsomethingthey’llenjoyorfindeasy,soeveryaudiencewillresistinsomeway.Peoplewilladamantlydefendtheirownperspectivestoavoidadoptingyours.Whilelisteningtoyou,they’llcatalogwhattheyhear.Havingcomeintotheroomwiththeirownknowledgeandbiases,they’llconstantlyevaluatewhetherwhatyousayfitswithinorfallsoutsidetheirviews.
Sothinkthroughwhyandhowtheymightresist,andplanaccordingly.Herearethemostcommontypesofresistance,andhowtogetreadyforthem:
Logicalresistance:Canyoufindlogicalargumentsagainstyourperspective?Diguparticles,blogposts,andreportsthatchallengeyourstancetofamiliarizeyourselfwithalternatelinesofreasoning.Thiskindofresearchpreparesyouforskepticalquestionsandcommentsyoumayhavetofield—andithelpsyoudevelopadeeperunderstandingofthetopicandamorenuancedpointofview.
Emotionalresistance:Dothepeopleyou’readdressingholdfasttoabias,dogma,ormoralcode—anddoesyourideaviolatethatinsomeway?Hittingrawnerveswillsetoffanaudience,soproceedcarefully.Forexample,ifyou’reatamedicalconferencelaunchinganewHPVvaccinationforkids,alsoemphasizetheimportanceofabstinenceinyouth.
Practicalresistance:Isitphysicallyorgeographicallydifficultfortheaudiencetodowhatyou’reasking?Willittakemorefinancialmeansthanpeoplehave?Besensitiveifyou’reaskingemployeestohanginthereasyoutemporarilyfreezesalariestoweatherarecession,forinstance,orgivingyourteamadeadlinethatwilltakenightsandweekendstomeet.Acknowledgethesacrificespeoplearemaking—andshowthatyou’reshoulderingsomeoftheburdenyourself.Saythatyoursalarywillbefrozen,too.Orexplainthatyou’llbein24/7moderightalongwithyourteamuntilthebigprojectiswrappedup—andthateveryonewillgetcomptimeafterward.Prepareforthesetypesofresistance,andyou’llstandamuchbetterchanceofwinningoveranentrenched
audience.Youcanraiseandaddressconcernsbeforetheybecomementalroadblocks—forexample,bysharingatthebeginningofyourtalkthatyoutoowereskepticaluntilyou’dlookedmorecloselyatthedata,orbymeetingwithparticularlytoughcriticsinadvanceto“pre-sell”yourideas.Byshowingthatyou’veconsideredopposingpointsofview,youdemonstrateanopenmind—andinviteyouraudiencetorespondinkind.
Ifyou’restrugglingtocomeupwithopposingviewpoints,shareyourbigideawithothersandaskthemtopressure-testit.Youmaybesodeeplyconnectedtoyourperspectivethatyou’rehavingahardtimeanticipatingthemostsimpleandobviousformsofresistance.Useyourbossasasoundingboardasyoupreparetospeaktotheexecutivecommittee,forexample.Oraskakeystakeholderforarealitycheckbeforeyoupresenttoothermanagersinhergroup.
AmplifyYourMessageThroughContrastPeoplearenaturallydrawntocontrastbecauselifeisfilledwithit:Dayandnight.Maleandfemale.Loveandhate.
Askilledcommunicatorcapturesanaudience’sinterestbycreatingtensionbetweencontrastingelements—andthenprovidesreliefbyresolvingthattension.It’showyoubuildabridgebetweenothers’viewsandyours.
Trybrainstormingideasaroundpolaroppositessuchastheonesintable2-1.
TABLE2-1DynamicoppositesPast/present FutureNeed FulfillmentSpeed EnduranceAmbition HumilityStagnation GrowthRoadblocks ClearpassageSacrifice RewardBudget Quality
Supposeyoumanageanairline’smaintenancedivision,andyou’reaskingformoneytoinvestinanalytics.Table2-2showspairsofoppositesyoumightexploreasyoufigureouthowtomakeyourcase.
TABLE2-2UsingthetensionofextremesCustomercomplaints CustomersatisfactionWe’regettinglowratingsoncustomersurveysbecauseofflightdelaysandmissedconnectionscausedbysimplemaintenanceissues.
Whatifwecouldbetterscheduleourplanes’maintenancebydiggingintoourrepairdata?
Wecurrentlyfollowthemanufacturer’srecommendedmaintenanceschedule—andit’snotsufficient.Planesgetheldupatthegatewhilemechanicsdoroutinerepairs.
Bytrackingandstudyinghowoftenweactuallyperformcertainkindsofrepairs,wecancreateaschedulethat’smorerealistic.We’llbeabletopreventproblemsinsteadoffixingthemwhentheypopup.
Bytrackingandstudyinghowoftenweactuallyperformcertainkindsofrepairs,wecancreateaschedulethat’smorerealistic.We’llbeabletopreventproblemsinsteadoffixingthemwhentheypopup.Byembracingthetensionbetweentheextremes,youcanpropelyourmessage—andthemovementwillfeelnatural.
Thefamiliarwillcomfortpeople;thenewwillstimulatethemandkeeptheminterested.Generateplentyofcontentonbothsidesofthecontrastoryou’lllosemomentum—andyouraudience.
BuildanEffectiveCalltoActionPresentationsmovepeopletoact—butonlyifyouexplicitlystatewhatactionsyouwantthemtotake,andwhen.Areyouaskingthemtobedoers,suppliers,influencers,orinnovators(seetable2-3)?
Togettothislistoffourthingsanaudiencecandoforyou,Ireadhundredsofspeechesandclassifiedtheircallstoaction.Whetheryouraudienceiscorporate,political,scientific,oracademic,thepeopleyou’readdressingshouldfallintooneofthesecategories.
Makeitclearwhatyouneedtoaccomplishtogetherandbreakthatdownintodiscretetasksanddeadlinesthatfeelmanageabletotheaudience.Let’sconsideranexamplewherethecalltoactionisto“innovate”—sincethatcanbetoughtopulloff.Supposeyouhaveanagingproductthatneedsreinvention.Notallgreatideashavetocomefromengineering.Soafteryousaythattheorganizationisopentoideasfromalldepartments,youmightbreakdownthetaskslikethis:
Identifyenthusiasticbrainstormersfromalldepartments.
Haveengineersfacilitateacross-departmentalbrainstormingsessionthatweek.
Assignateammembertotakenotes.
Filterideasattheengineeringsummitthefollowingweek.
Youmightaskeveryonetotakejustoneaction,oryoumightprovideafewactionspeoplecanchoosefrom.Eitherway,beexplicitinyourrequest—andabouthowitwillbenefittheaudience.
ChooseYourBestIdeasUptothispoint,we’vebeenfocusingonhowtogeneratepresentationideasandcontent.That’sactuallytheeasypart.It’smuchhardertotrimeverythingdownsoonlythemosteffectivemessagesremain.Butthequalityofyourpresentationdependsasmuchonwhatyouchoosetoremoveasonwhatyouchoosetoinclude.
Manyofyourideasmaybefascinatingandclever,butyoucan’tfitthemallin—andnoonewantstohearthemall,anyway.Connect,analyze,sort,andfiltertheideassoyouuseonlytheonesthatwillyieldthebestoutcomes.Designerscallthispartoftheprocessconvergentthinking,andtheyrefertoitsopposite,ideageneration,asdivergentthinking(seefigure2-2).AsTimBrown,theCEOofIDEO,explains:“Inthedivergentphase,newoptionsemerge.Intheconvergentphase,itisjustthereverse.Nowit’stimetoeliminateoptionsandmakechoices.”
Yourprimaryfiltershouldbeyourbigidea(see“De-fineYourBigIdea”atthebeginningoftheMessagesection).Everythingyoukeepinyourtalkmustsupportit.
Ifyoudon’tfilteryourpresentation,theaudiencewillhaveto—andpeoplewillresentyouformakingthemworktoohardtoidentifythemostimportantpoints.Cutmercilesslyontheirbehalf.Sayyou’representingabusinesscaseforacquiringacompany.Youmightbrainstormthingstocover,like:
Thecompetenciesyourcompanywouldgain
Estimatedreturnoninvestment
Lessonslearnedfromthelastacquisition
ThreatR&Dmightperceive
Bringingincultureconsultants
Receivablesareatnet45days
Needtoretoolthefactoryfloor
Alltheseideasfitintothebigideaexceptthefactthatreceivablesareatnet45days.Thoughthatmaybeimportant,itwouldbeadistractionduringthismeeting.Saveitforanothermeeting.
Evenifallyoudoissortandfiltertheideasyou’vegenerated,you’retechnicallyreadytopresent.Youcanplaceyourstickynotesontheinsideofafilefolderandusethoseasyourspeakingnotes,asIdidatalaunchpartyformybookResonate.Ihadonlytoglancedownonceinawhile.
Oryoucanbegintoputyourideasintothepresentationsoftwareofyourchoice.
OrganizeYourThoughtsBecausepresentationprogramssuchasPowerPointarevisualtools,weoftenjumptooquicklyintovisuallyexpressingourideaswhenweusethem—beforewe’vespentenoughtimearrangingourthoughtsandcraftingourwords.Whenmovingideasfromstickynotestosoftware,entereachpointyouplantocoverasaclearlywordedtitleinoutlineorslide-sortermoderatherthangoingstraighttoslide-creationmode(figure2-3).Thatallowsyoutoreadthetitlesinsequence,withoutthedistractionsofsupportingdetailsorgraphics,tomakesureyourpresentationflowsfrompointtopoint.
Askyourself,“Ifpeoplereadjustthetitles,willtheygetwhatI’msaying?”That’snotjustanacademicexercise.Youreallywanttoknowtheanswer,becauseyouraudiencemembersoftenwon’treadpastyourslidetitleswhenyoupresent.They’llscanthemthewaytheydoheadlinesofnewsarticles—andmakesnapdecisionsaboutwhetherthey’dliketolearnmore.Soconveyaclearmessagewitheachtitle,arrangetheminanorderthatwillmakesensetoyouraudience,andinfusethemwithpersonalitywhereyoucan.You’llwanttocomeacrossasarealperson,notanautomaton.Includeverbstoshowaction.
Comparetheexamplesshownintable2-4.
TABLE2-4ConveyclearmeaningwithtitlesVague,passive Clear,active
Marketoverview We’reneck-and-neckwithanaggressiverival.Productivitygains Productiontimeshrankfrom21daysto8.
Agonizeoveryourtitlesasmarketingcopywritersdointheircampaignstogetmoreclick-throughsandsales.You,too,aresellingsomething—yourbigidea—andthemorequicklyyougrabpeople’sattention,thehigheryour“conversionrate”willbe.
BalanceAnalyticalandEmotionalAppealNowthatyou’veoutlinedyourmessage,considerhowyou’llappealtopeople’smindsandhearts.
Strikethewrongbalanceofanalyticalandemotionalcontentinyourpresentation,andyouriskalienatingtheaudienceanddiminishingyourcredibility.Buthowdoyougetitright?Takeyourcuesfromthetopicandtheaudience.
Certaintopics—likelayoffsandproductlaunches—areinherentlychargedandnaturallylendthemselvestoemotionalappeal.Others—likescience,engineering,andfinance—invitemoreanalytictreatment.
Weighthesubjectagainstthegroupyou’readdressing.Supposeyou’remakingacaseforpersonnelcutstoagroupofmanagerswho’llsoonhavetodecidewhichdirectreportstoletgo.Theymayseeyouascoldandinhumaneifyoufocusprimarilyoncostsavings,withnaryawordaboutpeoplelosingjobs.Anumbers-basedapproachwillprobablygooverbetterwithagroupofexecutiveschargedwithimprovingthebottomline—thougheventheywillexpectyoutoatleastacknowledgethatlayoffsaredifficult.
Nopresentationshouldbedevoidofemotionalcontent,nomatterhowcerebralthetopicortheaudience.Inabusinesssetting,itmayfeelmorecomfortabletojust“statethefacts,”butlookthroughyourdeckandseeifyoucanaddemotionaltexturetoanycontentthat’spurelyanalytical(seefigure2-4).
Therearetwobasicclassesofemotion:painandpleasure.Determinehowyou’dlikepeopletofeelatvariouspointsinyourpresentation.Wherewouldyoulikethemtofeelhappy?Tocringe?Tobeinspired?
Ask“why”questionstounearthyourbigidea’semotionalappeal.Forexample,ifyou’rerequestingfundingtopayforcloudstorage,startbyasking,“Whydoweneedtobuycloudstorage?”Youranswermaybe“tofacilitatedatasharingwithcolleaguesinremotelocations.”Sothenask,“Whydoweneedtofacilitatedatasharingwithcolleaguesinremotelocations?”Eventuallyyou’llgettothehumanbeingswhoseliveswillbeaffectedbyyouridea,andthat’swhereyou’lldiscoveryouremotionalappeal:Maybeyouneedcloudstorage“tohelpthoseremotecolleaguescoordinatedisasterreliefeffortsandsavelives.”
Onceyouknowwhatthathookis,usewordsorphrasesthathaveemotionalweighttothem—like“savelives”inthecloudexampleabove.Tellpersonalstorieswithconvictionanddescribenotjustwhatpeopledid,buthowtheyfelt.(See“AddEmotionalTexture”intheStorysectionofthisguide.)
LosetheJargonHaveyoueverlistenedtoapresenterwhosoundedsupersmart—withouthavinganyideawhatshereallysaid?
Eachfieldhasitsownlexicon,filledwithwordsthatarefamiliartoexpertsbutforeigntoeveryoneelse.Evendifferentdepartmentswithinthesameorganizationusenichelanguageandacronymsthatmeannothingtoothergroups.Andthemorecompaniesandindividualsinnovatewithintheirareasofexpertise,thebiggerandgnarliertheirvocabulariesget.
Unlessyou’representingtoaroomfulofspecialistscutfromthesamecloth,don’tassumethateveryonewillunderstandyourjargon.Modifyyourlanguagesoitresonateswiththepeoplewhosesupportandinfluenceyouneed.Iftheycan’tfollowyourideas,theywon’tadoptthem.
What’smore,deliveringabstrusepresentationscanhurtyourcareer.AscommunicationscoachCarmineGalloputsit,“Speakingoverpeople’sheadsmaycostyouajoborpreventyoufromadvancingasfarasyourcapabilitiesmighttakeyouotherwise.”
Solosethejargon.Ifaspecializedtermiscentraltoyourmessage,translateit.Wouldyourgrandmotherunderstandwhatyou’retalkingabout?Reworkyourmessageuntilit’sthatclear.
Thepresenterinthefollowingexample(figure2-5)spoketoanaudienceof800peoplewhocouldfundhisideabutdidn’thavedeepknowledgeofthesciencebehindit.Thefirstcolumnshowswhathesaidduringrehearsal;thesecondshowswhathesaidatthepresentation,afterhegotfeedbackandreworkedhistalkforanintelligentlayaudience.
CraftSoundBitesYourwordsarenowclear—butaretheymemorable?Willpeoplesharethemwithothers?
Greatquotesgetpickedupandrepeated—whetheratthewatercooler,inblogposts,oronsocialnetworkingsites.Brilliantonesenduponthefrontpagesofnewspapers.Soembedwell-craftedsoundbitesintoeverytalk.
SteveJobsmadethisanartform.Hereliedonrhetoricaldevicestodrivehismessageshomeandgetpickupfromaudiencesandpressalike.Hereareafewthatheusedtogreateffect:
Rhythmicrepetition:Repeatedphraseatbeginning,middle,orendofasentence.
In2010,JobshadtodeliveranemergencypressconferenceabouttheperformanceoftheantennaintheiPhone4.Ifusersheldthephoneacertainway,itdroppedcalls.AssocialmediascientistDanZarrella,atHubSpot,pointsout,Jobsrepeatedthephrase“Wewanttomakeallourusershappy”severaltimesduringhistalk.Midwaythrough,Jobsflashedaslideshowingthattheantennaissueaffectedonlyafractionofusers.Soon,amessageappearedatthebottom:“Wecareabouteveryuser.”Afewslideslater:“Weloveourusers.”Then“Weloveourusers”appearedagainonthenextslide.Andthenext.Andthenext.“Weloveourusers,welovethem,”Jobsconcluded.“Wedothis[provideafreephonecasethatwillsolvetheproblem]becauseweloveourusers.”That“love”wasthemessagethepresstookawayfromhispieceof“crisiscommunication.”
Concretecomparison:Simileormetaphor.
InhisiPhonekeynotespeechatMacWorld2007,JobslikenedApple’sswitchtoIntelprocessorstoa“hugehearttransplant.”
Slogan:Aconcisestatementthat’seasytoremember.
AttheiPhonelaunch,Jobssaid“reinventthephone”severaltimes—andthesloganwasalloverthepressreleaseApplesentoutbeforehiskeynote.“Reinventthephone”endedupinPCWorld’sheadlinesthenextday.
AsJobsdid,taketimetocreaterepeatablesoundbites.Butdon’tdeliverthemwithalotoffanfare.Makethemappearspontaneous,sopeoplewillwanttorepeatthem.
Section3
Story[Stories]arethecurrencyofhumancontact.
—RobertMcKee,
authorofStory:Substance,Structure,Style,andthePrinciplesofScreenwriting
ApplyStorytellingPrinciplesStorieshavethepowertowincustomers,aligncolleagues,andmotivateemployees.They’rethemostcompellingplatformwehaveformanagingimaginations.Thosewhomasterthisartformcangaingreatinfluenceandanenduringlegacy.
Ifyouusestoriesinyourpresentation,theaudiencecanrecallwhatthey’velearnedfromyouandevenspreadtheword.Justastheplotofacompellingplay,movie,ornovelmakesawriter’sthemesmorevividandmemorable,well-craftedstoriescangiveyourmessagerealstayingpower,fortwokeyreasons:
Stories feature transformation: When people hear a story, they root for the protagonist as she overcomesobstacles and emerges changed in some importantway (perhaps a new outlook helps her complete a difficultphysicaljourney).It’sdoublypowerfultoincorporatestoriesthatdemonstratehowothershaveadoptedthesamebeliefs and behaviors you’re proposing—that is, showothers going through a similar transformation that youraudiencewillgothrough.Thiswillhelpyougetpeopletocrossoverfromtheireverydayworldintotheworldofyourideas—andcomebacktotheirworldtransformed,withnewinsightsandtoolsfromyourpresentation.
Storieshaveaclearstructure:Alleffectivestoriesadhere to thesamebasic three-partstructure thatAristotlepointedoutagesago:Theyhaveabeginning,amiddle,andanend.Itmakesthemeasytodigestandretell—andit’showaudienceshavebeenconditionedforcenturiestoreceiveinformation.Makesureyourpresentation—andanystoryyoutellwithinit—hasallthreeparts,withcleartransitionsbetweenthem.
Inthissectionoftheguide,you’lllearnhowtousestorytellingprinciplestostructureyourpresentationandincorporateanecdotesthataddemotionalappeal.
CreateaSolidStructureAllgoodpresentations—likeallgoodstories—conveyandresolvesomekindofconflictorimbalance.Thesenseofdiscordiswhatmakesaudiencescareenoughtogetonboard.
Aftergleaningstoryinsightsfromfilmsandbooks,studyinghundredsofspeeches,andspending22yearscreatingcustomizedpresentationsforcompaniesandthoughtleaders,I’vefoundthatthemostpersuasivecommunicatorscreateconflictbyjuxtaposingwhatiswithwhatcouldbe.Thatis,theyalternatelybuildtensionandprovidereleasebytogglingbackandforthbetweenthestatusquoandabetterway—finallyarrivingatthe“newbliss”peoplewilldiscoverbyadoptingtheproposedbeliefsandbehaviors.Thatconflictresolutionplaysoutwithinthebasicbeginning-middle-endstorytellingstructureweallknowandlove(figure3-1).
Thetipsinthissectionwillhelpyouweaveconflictandresolutionthroughoutthebeginning,middle,andendofyourpresentation.
CrafttheBeginningBeginbydescribinglifeastheaudienceknowsit.Peopleshouldbenoddingtheirheadsinrecognitionbecauseyou’rearticulatingwhattheyalreadyunderstand.Thiscreatesabondbetweenyouandthemandopensthemuptohearyourideasforchange.
Afteryousetthatbaselineofwhatis,introduceyourideasofwhatcouldbe.Thegapbetweenthetwowillthrowtheaudienceabitoffbalance,andthat’sagoodthing—becauseitcreatestensionthatneedstoberesolved(figure3-2).
Ifyouproposedwhatcouldbewithoutfirstestablishingwhatis,you’dfailtoconnectwiththeaudiencebeforeswoopinginwithyourideas,andyourmessagewouldlosemomentum.
Thegapshouldn’tfeelcontrived—youwouldn’tsay“Okay,I’vedescribedwhatis.Nowlet’smovetowhatcouldbe.”Presentitnaturallysopeoplewillfeelmoved,notmanipulated.Forinstance:
Whatis:We’refellshortofourQ3financialgoalspartlybecausewe’reunderstaffedandeveryone’sspreadtoothin.
Whatcouldbe:Butwhatifwecouldsolvetheworstofourproblemsbybringinginacoupleofpowerhouseclients?Well,wecan.
Here’sanotherexample:
Whatis:Analystshavebeenplacingourproductsatthetopofthreeoutoffivecategories.OnecompetitorjustshookuptheindustrywiththelaunchofitsT3xR—heraldedasthemostinnovativeproductinourspace.Analystspredictthatfirmslikeourswillhavenofutureunlesswelicensethistechnologyfromourrival.
Whatcouldbe:Butwewillnotconcede!Infact,wewillretainourlead.I’mpleasedtotellyouthatfiveyearsagowehadthesameproductidea,butafterrapidprototypingwediscoveredawaytoleapfrogthatgenerationoftechnology.Sotoday,we’relaunchingaproductsorevolutionarythatwe’llgainaten-yearleadinourindustry.
Onceyouestablishthegapbetweenwhatisandwhatcouldbe,usetheremainderofthepresentationtobridgeit.
DeveloptheMiddleThemiddleis,inmanyways,themostcompellingpartofyourpresentation,becausethat’swheremostofthe“action”takesplace.
Peopleinyouraudiencenowrealizetheirworldisoff-kilter—you’vebroughtthattotheirattentionandatleasthintedatasolutionatthebeginningofyourpresentation.Nowcontinuetoemphasizethecontrastbetweenwhatisandwhatcouldbe,movingbackandforthbetweenthem,andtheaudiencewillstarttofindtheformerunappealingandthelatteralluring.
Let’sgobacktothatQ3financialupdateexamplefrom“CrafttheBeginning.”Revenuesaredown,butyouwanttomotivateemployeestomakeupforit.Table3-1showsonewayyoucouldapproachthemiddleofyourpresentation.
Earlier,youbrainstormedaroundpairsofcontrastingthemes(see“AmplifyYourMessageThroughContrast”intheMessagesection).Tryusingoneofthosepairs—forinstance,sacrificeversusreward—todrumupmaterialtofleshoutthisstructure.
TABLE3-1Creating“action”inthemiddleofyourstoryWhatis Whatcouldbe
WemissedourQ3forecastby15%. Q4numbersmustbestrongforustopayoutbonuses.
Wehavesixnewclientsonourroster. Twoofthemhavethepotentialtobringinmorerevenuethanourbestclientsdonow.
Thenewclientswillrequireextensiveretoolinginmanufacturing.
We’llbebringinginexpertsfromGermanytohelp.
MaketheEndingPowerfulYourendingshouldleavepeoplewithaheightenedsenseofwhatcouldbe—andwillingnesstobelieveordosomethingnew.Here’swhereyoudescribehowblissfultheirworldwillbewhentheyadoptyourideas.
Let’sreturntoourQ3examplefrom“CrafttheBeginning”and“DeveloptheMiddle”inthissection.Youmightwrapupyourpresentationalongthelinesoffigure3-3.
Manypresentationssimplyendwithalistofactionitems,butthatisn’texactlyinspiring.Youwantthelastthingyousaytomoveyouraudiencetotacklethoseitems.Youwantpeopletofeelreadytorightthewrong,toconquertheproblem.
Byskillfullydefiningfuturerewards,youcompelpeopletogetonboardwithyourideas.Showthemthattakingactionwillbeworththeireffort.Highlight:
Benefitstothem:Whatneedsoftheirswillyourideasmeet?Whatfreedomswilltheaudiencegain?Howwillyourideasgivetheaudiencegreaterinfluenceorstatus?
Benefitstotheir“sphere”:Howwillyourideashelptheaudience’speers,directreports,customers,students,orfriends?
Benefitstotheworld:Howwillyourideashelpthemasses?Howwilltheyimprovepublichealth,forinstance,orhelptheenvironment?
Intheexampleabove,we’vecalledoutakeybenefittotheorganization(makingupforQ3revenueshortfall),plusthreebenefitstoemployees(bonuses,timeoff,and—probablymostimportant—thepromiseofasanerworkload).
AddEmotionalTextureNowstepbackandreviewallyourcontentsofar.Doyouhavetherightmixofanalysisandemotion?(See“BalanceAnalyticalandEmotionalAppeal”intheMessagesection.)Ifyouneedmoreemotionalimpact,youcanadditwithstorytelling.
Amessagematterstopeoplewhenithitstheminthegut.Visceralresponse,notpureanalysis,iswhatwillpushyouraudienceawayfromthestatusquoandtowardyourperspective.Storieselicitthatkindofresponse.Whenwehearstories,oureyesdilate,ourheartsrace,wefeelchills.Welaugh,clap,leanforwardorback.Thesereactionsaremostlyinvoluntary,becausethey’regroundedinemotion.
Whileyou’redescribingwhatis,tellastorythatmakespeopleshudder,orguffawattheridiculousnessoftheirsituation,orfeeldisappointment.Whileyou’redescribingwhatcouldbe,tellastorythatstrikesalittleaweorfearintotheirhearts—somethingthatinspiresthemtochange.
Table3-2showsatemplate(withanexamplepluggedin)thatcanhelpyoutransformsupportinginformationintoastorywithemotionalimpact.
Youmaybethinkingthatpeopledon’tgotoworktofeel;theygotogetstuffdone.Butbymakingthemfeel,youmovethemtoaction—andhelpthemgetstuffdone.It’snotaboutissuingagushing,weepyplea.It’saboutaddingemotionaltexturetothelogicalcaseyou’vebuiltwithdata,casestudies,andothersupportingevidence.
TABLE3-2MakinganemotionalimpactwithdataPointyouwanttomake
Everycross-divisionalfunctioncouldbenefitfromasteeringcommittee.
STORYABOUTORGANIZATIONALCHANGE
BeginningWhen,who,where
Afewyearsago,thesalesteamtackledacrossdivisionalproblemwiththehelpofasteeringcommittee.
Middle Context Atthetime,allsalesgroupswereindependent.
Conflict Thismeanswewereconfusingcustomerswithmanydifferentrules,processes,andformats.
Proposedresolution Sowedecidedtocreateasalessteeringcommittee.
Complication Youcanimaginehowharditwastoreachagreementonanything.
End Actualresolution
Butweagreedtomeeteverytwoweekstofindcommonground.Overthenextyear,westandardizedallourprocessesandlearnedalotfromeachother.Thecustomersbecamemuchhappierwithourservice.
Source:GlennHughes,SMARTasHell.Personalstoriestoldwithconvictionarethemosteffectiveonesinyourarsenal.Youcanrepeatstoriesyou’ve
heard,butaudiencesfeelmoreaffectionforpresenterswhorevealtheirownchallengesandvulnerability.
Userelevantstoriesthatareappropriatelydramatic,oryoumaycomeacrossasmanipulativeoroutoftouchwithreality.Whengivinganupdateatasmallstaffmeetingonaprojectyou’releading,youwouldn’ttellamelodramaticstoryaboutthe“just-in-timedelivery”ofmultiplevendorsyoumanagedatyourdaughter’swedding.Itwouldwasteeveryone’stime.
ButoneU.S.governmentofficialdideffectivelytellastoryabouthisdaughter’swedding—togetnewremote-communicationtechnologyadoptedinhisorganization.Manyofhisrelativescouldn’ttraveltothewedding,soheused
acommercialversionofthetechnologytopushtheweddingpicturesquicklytotheremotefamilymembers,helpingallfeelmoreincludedintheevent.Hearguedthatadoptingtheenterpriseversionofthistechnologywouldsimilarlyincludedistantemployeesinthedevelopmentofimportantagencyinitiatives.Theseniorexecutivesnotonlyunderstoodthiswiththeirmindsbutfeltitintheirhearts.Theycouldrelatethisstoryaboutafatherdoinghisbesttoservehisfamilytotheiragencydoingitsbesttoservethecitizenry.
Takeoutanotepadandstartcatalogingpersonalstoriesandtheemotionstheysummon.Thisexercisetakestime,butitwillyieldmaterialyoucandrawonagainandagain.Doyourfirstpasswhenyouhaveanuninterruptedhourorsotoreflect.Youcanusethechecklistthatfollowstotriggeryourmemory.Asyourecallpastevents,jotdownhowyoufeltwhenyouexperiencedthem.
InventoryofPersonalStories
Importanttimesinyourlife:Childhood,adolescence,youngadulthood,lateryears
Relatives:Parents,grandparents,siblings,children,in-laws
Authorityfigures:Teachers,bosses,coaches,mentors,leaders,politicalfigures,otherinfluencers
Peers:Colleagues,socialnetworks,clubmembers,friends,neighbors,teammates
Subordinates:Employees,mentees,trainees,interns,volunteers,students
Enemies:Competitors,bullies,peoplewithchallengingpersonalities,peopleyou’vebeenhurtby,peopleyou’vehurt
Importantplaces:Offices,homes,schools,placesofworship,localhangouts,camps,vacationspots,foreignlands
Thingsyoucherish:Gifts,photos,certificates/awards,keepsakes
Thingsthathaveinjuredyou:Sharpobjects,animalbites,spoiledfood,allergens
Spendingtimewitheachitemonthislist,you’llunearthmanystoriesyou’veforgotten.Evenafteryou’veselectedstoriesforwhateverpresentationyou’recurrentlyworkingon,saveyournotesandcontinueaddingtothemhereandthere,asyoufindtime.They’llcomeinhandywhenyou’recreatingfuturepresentations.
UseMetaphorsasYourGlueMetaphorsareapowerfulliterarydevice.InDr.MartinLutherKingJr.’s“IHaveaDream”speech,about20%ofwhathesaidwasmetaphorical.Forexample,helikenedhislackoffreedomtoabadcheckthat“AmericahasgiventheNegropeople…acheckwhichhascomebackmarked‘insufficientfunds.’”Kingintroducedthismetaphorthreeminutesintohis16-minutetalk,anditwasthefirsttimetheaudienceroaredandclapped.
Presenterstendtooverrelyontiredvisualmetaphorsinsteadofusingpowerfulwordstostirhearts.King’sspeechwouldnothavebeennearlyasbeautifulifhe’dusedslideswithpicturesofbadchecksandpilesofgoldsymbolizing“freedomandthesecurityofjustice.”
Foreachpointyoumakeinyourpresentation,trytocomeupwithametaphortoconnectpeople’smindstotheconcept.Youmightevenweaveitlikeathreadthroughoutthepresentation.
Whendevelopingmetaphors,rejectoverusedthemeslikeracecarsandsportingevents—andavoidstockphotosalongthoselines.Ifyouwanttotellastoryoftriumph,digintooneofyourownstoriesfortherightmetaphor:Describe,forinstance,howitfelttostruggletothetopofYosemite’sHalfDome,runyourfirstmarathon,orwinthecitywideBoyScouttrophy.Identifymetaphorsthatwillbemeaningfultotheaudience.
CreateSomethingThey’llAlwaysRememberPlaceSomethingThey’llAlwaysRemember—aclimacticS.T.A.R.moment—inyourpresentationtodriveyourbigideahome.Thatmomentiswhattheaudiencewillchat(ortweet)aboutafteryourtalk.Itcanalsohelpyourmessagegoviralthroughsocialmediaandnewscoverage.Useittomakepeopleuncomfortablewithwhatisortodrawthemtowardwhatcouldbe.HerearefourwaystocreateaS.T.A.R.momentthatcaptivatesyouraudienceandgeneratesbuzz.
Shockingstatistics
Ifstatisticsareshocking,don’tglideoverthem—amplifythem.Forexample,inhis2010ConsumerElectronicsShowpresentation,IntelCEOPaulOtelliniusedstartlingnumberstoconveythespeedandimpactofthecompany’snewesttechnology.“Todaywehavetheindustry’sfirst-shipping32-nanometerprocesstechnology.A32-nanometermicroprocessoris5,000timesfaster;itstransistorsare100,000timescheaperthanthe4004processorthatwebeganwith.Withallrespecttoourfriendsintheautoindustry,iftheirproductshadproducedthesamekindofinnovation,carstodaywouldgo470,000milesperhour.They’dget100,000milespergallon,andthey’dcostthreecents.”
Evocativevisuals
Audiencesconnectwithemotionallypotentvisuals.Whenaskingdonorstohelpraise$1.7million,ConservationInternationalcontrasteddreamy,glistening,surrealunder-oceanimages(captionedwithphraseslike“90%ofouroxygen”describinghowdependentweareontheocean)withphotosofgrimyrubbishthatwashesuponthebeach(where“14billionpoundsoftrash”rollinonthewaves).Thatapproachtappedthepowerofevocativevisualsandshockingstats—andpeoplerespondedbygettingouttheirwallets.
Memorabledramatization
Bringyourmessagetolifebydramatizingit.AsBillGatesspokeabouttheimportanceofmalariaeradicationataTEDconferencein2009,hereleasedajarofmosquitoesintotheauditoriumandsaid,“Thereisnoreasononlypoorpeopleshouldbeinfected.”Itgottheaudience’sattention—andeffectivelymadethepointthatwedon’tspendnearlyenoughmoneyonfightingthedisease.Themosquitoesweremalaria-free,butheletpeoplesquirmaminuteortwobeforeheletthemknowthat.
Consideranotherexample.WhenMirranRaphaely,CEOofDr.HauschkaSkinCare,presentedtothecosmeticsindustry,shewantedtodrawasharpcontrastbetweenindustrialagricultureandbiodynamicfarmingpractices.Sheshowedtwophotossidebyside—acontainerofchemicalsandanherbcalledhorsetail—andcomparedthetoxicityofthetwosubstances.Inindustrialagriculture,farmersrelyonglyphosate,asyntheticchemicallinkedtocancerinanimalsandhumans.Inbiodynamicagriculture,farmerstreatcropswithanextractmadefromhorsetail.Holdinguptwoglasses—onefilledwiththechemicalweedkiller,theotherwiththehorsetailextract—sheaskedtheaudience,“Whichoneofthesewouldyouwantonthecropsyouconsume?”Aftertheaudiencefinishedlaughing,shetookasipofthebiodynamicsolution.
Emotiveanecdote
SometimesS.T.A.R.momentsaregrippingpersonalstories(see“AddEmotionalTexture”earlierinthissection).
Here’sonesuchstory,toldbySymantec.cloudgrouppresidentRowanTrollopeinMay2012,toencouragehisorganizationtoinnovate:
IwentmountainclimbingatMountLaurel,intheeasternSierras,withtwoofmyfriends.I’mnotveryexperienced,butbothofthemwereevenlessexperienced.We’dbeenclimbingforabout19hours.Wewereupat11,000feet,anditwasgettingdark.Fast.
Weneededtogetdownthesideofthismountain…andweneededtodoitfast.Descendingfirst,Igottoaledgeandstartedtogetourlineready.
Climberscarrytwoemergencypitonswiththemforjustthispurpose.I’dnever
usedthembefore,butIknewhowtheyworked.Itookoutmyhammerandstartedhammeringoneintotherock.Thebookstellyouthatyou’llhearthetoneofthehammerstrikechangewhenit’s“in.”Iheardaloudpingwitheachstrikeofthehammeranddecideditwasin“goodenough.”
Thebooksalsotellyou,though,toalwaysusetwo,soIusedtwo.AsIhammered
inthesecondone,Iheardasharp,high-pitchedpingattheend,soItiedtheknotsandgotourlineready.Bythistime,mybuddieshadreachedtheledge,andIstartedtohookusin.
Somethingwasbuggingme.Ilookedattheknotbetweenthetwopitonsandit
lookedlikethis[prop:climbingropewithtwopitons].Theproblemwithaknotlikethatisthatifonepitonfails,you’llfall.Youneedtotieitinsteadlikethis[prop:retieknot].
Mybuddieswereallclippedinandwantedtogetgoing.Itwasgettingdarker.
ThewayItiedtheknotseemedgoodenough,butsomethinginthebackofmyheadtoldmetostop.SoIdid.
Weallunclipped,andIretiedtheknot,andthenweclippedinagainandstarted
theclimbdown.
ThemomentIputweightonmyline,thefirstpitonpoppedoutandhitmesmack
inthemiddleofthehelmet.HadInotunclippedandretiedtheknot,Iwouldhavediedonthatledge.Myliferushedthroughmymind.AndIsuddenlyandirrevocablygotthedangerof“goodenough.”
WhenIpoundedinthatfirstpiton,Idecideditwasgoodenough.
WhenItiedtheknotthatfirsttime,Idecidedthatitwasn’t,soIdiditagain.
Istillhavethatpitonthatpoppedout.IbroughtitwithmetodaybecauseI
thoughtyoumightliketoseeit[prop:piton].Theotherone?Theonethatsavedmylife?It’sstillinacrackontheLaurelCliffs.Stilldoingitsjob.
Icamebacktowork,andeverythinghadnewmeaningforme.Retyingmyknots
becameasortofmetaphor.IrealizedthatineveryjobIdid,everyprojectItouched,Iwasmakingpitondecisionseverytime.Iwasdeciding,witheveryoneofthosemoves,whethergoodenoughwasgoodenoughforme.
IpickedthatstoryfortodaybecauseIthinkwe’refacingasimilarclimbasa
company.Andwe’remakingpitondecisionseveryday.Formybuddiesandme,there
wasnothingbutskybeneathus.WhenyouandIlookdown,weseethePCbusinesschangingdramatically.Wecanseephysicalthingsbeingdrivenintothecloud,andwecanagreethattheInternetisnotyetasecureplace.
Unfortunately,itwilltakemorethanonepitontoaddressthesedangers.ButI
thinkitstartsbyreawakeninginourcompanysomeofthequalitiesthatmadeusgreatinthefirstplace.Andtodothat,Ithinkweneedtochangehowweapproachourwork.
Section4
MediaPeoplewhoknowwhatthey’retalkingaboutdon’tneedPowerPoint.
—SteveJobs
ChoosetheRightVehicleforYourMessageNowthatyou’vecarefullyconsideredyouraudience’sneedsandtailoredyourmessageandcontentaccordingly,it’stimetodeterminehowthepeopleyou’readdressingprefertoprocessinformationsoyoucanselectthebestvehicleforreachingthem.Justbecauseyouhavesomethingtocommunicateandatimeslottofilldoesn’tmeanaformalpresentationwithslidesistherightchoice.Someaudiences—agroupofanalysts,forexample—mayfindathoughtfullywrittenmemomorepersuasive.Others,suchasyoungprofessionals,mightpreferavideo.
It’syourjobtodeterminethebestwaytoconnectwithyouraudience.Presentationsaren’tlimitedtoasingletimeorplaceanymore.Theycanbebroadcasted,streamed,downloaded,anddistributed.Slidesaren’tamust-have,either.Youcanuseprops,handouts,sketches,tablets,videos,flipcharts—prettymuchanythingthatwillhelppeoplereceiveyourmessage.
Beforeopeningyourpresentationsoftware,thinkaboutyouraudienceandvenue.Willyoubespeakingtoafewteammembersinanintimatesetting?Abigcrowdinanauditorium?Asmallgroupwhowillbeconnectingremotely?Thesizeofyouraudienceandthelevelofinteractionthatyoursettingallowsshoulddeterminewhichmediayouchoose.
Seefigure4-1forasamplingofideasonhowtodeliveryourmessagetoonepersonormany,inastagedormorespontaneoussetting.
There’salsoanelementofcommonsense.Deliveringastand-upformalpresentationinasmallconferenceroomjustdoesn’tmakesenseifyou’respeakingtotwoofyourdirectreports—butitdoesifyou’respeakingtoacoupleofventurecapitalistswhomayinvestinyourbusiness.
Althoughtechnologyhasopenedupnewwaysofcommunicating,alow-techapproachissometimesyourbestbet.Ifyoushowupwithaslickslidedeck,everythingseemsfinal.Butsketchingoutideaswhilepeoplewatchandlistensignalsthatyourthinkingisintheformativestagesandthattheaudiencecanstillweighin.
Maybethe“presentation”you’redevelopingshouldreallybeacarefullymapped-outconversationwithaplannedwhiteboarddrawing.Whenmyfirmwasbuyinganewdigitalstoragesystem,wemetwithtwopotentialvendors:Onebroughtadeckofslidesanddidn’tdeviatefromitsspiel.Theother,whichwonourbusiness,white-boardedoutafullstorageandnetworkplan.Thatrepcameacrossashavinglistenedtoourneedsandunderstoodwhatwewanted.Herpresentationfeltcollaborative,notcanned.
MaketheMostofSlideSoftwarePresentationsoftwareiswidelyreviled.ThepresshascalledPowerPointevil,andcorporationshavecriedforitsbanishment.Thesoftwareisn’tatfault.It’sanemptyshell,acontainerforourideas.It’snotabadcommunicationtoolunlessit’sinthehandsofabadcommunicator.
Sohowdoyouuseitwithoutabusingit—andyouraudience?Knowexactlywhatyou’retryingtoaccomplishandrelyonthesoftwaretoachievethat—andnothingmore.
Youcanusepresentationsoftwaretocreatedocuments,composeteleprompternotes,andvisualizeideas.ButkeepthosetasksseparatetoavoidthemostcommonPowerPointpitfalls.Thetrickistoshowaudiencemembersonlywhattheywanttosee,whentheywanttoseeit.
Createdocuments
Presentationsoftwareisgreatforlayingoutdensematerialineasy-to-readdocuments.Infact,thatfunctionalityisbuiltrightin—thedefaultsettingisadocumenttemplate,notaslidetemplate.Youcanswiftlycomposeandformatyourtextandmovesectionsaround—andbestofall,whenit’stimetoderiveapresentationfromthatdocument,youdon’thavetocopyandpastefromWord.
Thatsaid,don’tprojectyourentiredocumentwhenyouspeak.Noonewantstoattendaploddingread-along.It’sboring,andpeoplecanreadmoreefficientlyontheirown,anyway.Circulateyourdocumentbeforeorafterthepresentationsoyouwon’tneedtoprojecttext-heavyslides—whichGarrReynolds,authorofPresentationZen,aptlycallsslideuments.Ifyourcontentcanbedistributedandclearlyunderstoodwithoutapresenter,you’vecreatedadocument,notapresentation—andthat’sfineaslongasyoutreatitassuch.Thatmightbeallyouneedifyou’regivingastatusupdate,forinstance.
Ifyoustepbackandrealizeyou’vecreatedaslideument,itmaybeasignthatyouneedtodistributeadocument.Makesomeadjustmentssoitlooksandfeelsmorelikeadocumentbeforeyoucirculateit.Trydividingthecontentintoclearsections,creatingatableofcontentsthatlinkstoeachone,addingpagenumbers,convertingfragmentsandphrasesintocompletesentences,anddistributingthefileasaPDFratherthanaslidedeck.NolanHaims,thepresentationdirectorattheglobalPRfirmEdelman,setsupslideumentsinportraitlayoutinsteadoflandscapesoit’sverycleartostaffmembersthatthey’redocumentsinthemaking,notvisualaidstobeprojected.
Composeteleprompternotes
Whatifyouhavetodeliverseveralpresentationspermonth,eachcustomizedforadifferentaudience?(Thinkofsalespitchestailoredtocorporateclients,forexample.)Insituationslikethat,it’simpossibletomemorizewhatyou’llsayeverytime—andyoushouldn’thaveto.
Fordecades,greatoratorshavereliedonnotecards,notepaper,evenfullscripts.Youcanusebulletedslidesastelepromptermaterial—butagain,don’tprojectthem.You’llrunintothesameread-alongproblems(boredomandinefficiency)youencounterwhenyouprojectslideuments.SherylSandberg,theCOOofFacebook,didn’tshowanyslidesathereloquentTEDWomenpresentation“WhyWeHaveTooFewWomenLeaders.”Butwhenthecamerapannedtoherviewoftheaudience,youcouldseeherbulletedslidesonthecomfortmonitor.Thoseslideswereherteleprompternotes,andshewastheonlypersonintheroomviewingthem.
Ifyou’reusingPowerPointtocomposeteleprompternotes,writethemin“Notes”view,andthengoto“SetUpShow.”Afteryouattachyourprojector,select“PresenterView.”Everythinginyournoteswillappearonyourlaptopscreenorcomfortmonitor,andonlyyourslideswillprojectbehindyou.Bringprintoutsofyourteleprompternotesincaseanythingtechnicalgoeswrong.
Visualizeideas
Theonlythingsyoushouldactuallyprojectareimages,graphics,andphrasesthatmoveyourideasalong—andcementthemintheaudience’smemorylongafteryourpresentationisover.Stripeverythingoffyourslidesthat’stheretoremindyouwhattosay;keeponlyelementsthatwillhelptheaudienceunderstandandretainwhatyou’resaying.
Developingclearvisualsthataddemotion,emphasis,ornuancetoyourdeliveryisnoeasytask—butwhenyoudothiswell,yourideaswillresonatewithyouraudience.(SeetheSlidessectioninthisguidefordetailedtipsoncreatingpowerfulvisualaids.)
DeterminetheRightLengthforYourPresentationIfyouaskaround,“Whatdogreatpresentationshaveincommon?”you’llgetoneconsistentanswer:“They’reshort.”It’snosecretthatpeoplevaluetheirtime.
Butmanypresentersdon’trealizethatitcoststhemtimetosavetheaudiencetime.It’seasiertoblatheronforanhourthantocraftatight,succinctpresentation.SomeofthemagicofTEDisinthe18-minutelimit.Agreattalkgoesbyquickly.Abadone—well,peoplecanendureitifit’sonly18minutes.
Peopleinyouraudiencewon’tscoldyouforendingearly,buttheywillforendinglate.Outofconsiderationforthemandtheday’sagenda,treatthetimeslotassignedtoyouassacred.Andkeepinmindthatpeoplehavea30-to40-minutepresentationtolerance(they’reconditionedbyTVshowswithcreativelyproducedcommercialbreaks).Golongerthanthat,andthey’llbegintosquirm.
Herearefivewaystotightenyourtalkandkeepyouraudienceengaged:
1. Plancontentfor60%ofyourtimeslot: Ifyou’regivenafullhour, takenomore than40minutes.Thatwill
leave time forQ&A, a panel, or some other formof discussion. It’s hard to keep people’s attention formuchlonger than40minutesunlessyou’vebuilt in interestingguest speakers,videoclips, interactiveexercises, andsuch.AsThomasJeffersonputit,“Speechesthataremeasuredbythehourwilldiewiththehour.”
2. Trimyourslidedeck: Ifyoucreatedanhour-longpresentationandwant todeliver it in40minutes,cutyour
slidesbyathird.Youcanworkinslide-sortermodeinPowerPoint,draggingslidestoa“slidecemetery”attheveryendofthefile.Don’tdeletethem,becauseyoumighthavetoresurrectoneormoreatthelastminute,whenyou’reansweringquestions.
3. Practicewiththeclockcountingup:Asyou’recuttingmaterial,rehearsewithaclockcountingup,notwitha
timercountingdown. Ifyougoover,youneed toknowhowmuchyou’reover.Givecriticalcontent themoststagetime;cutsectionsthataremoreimportanttoyouthantotheaudience.Keeptrimmingandpracticinguntilyou’reconsistentlywithinyourdesiredtimeframe.
4. Practicewithatimercountingdown:Onceyou’rewithinthetimeframe,beginpracticingwithatimercounting
down.Divideyourcontentintoquartersandcalculateatimestampfortheendofeachquarter.Forexample,ifyou’regivinga40-minutetalk,knowtheexactslideyoushouldbeonatthe10-,20-,and30-minutemarkssoyoucangaugethroughoutthetalkifyou’reontimeorrunningover.Thatwayyoucantrimmoreeasilyonthefly.
5. Havetwonaturalendingpoints:Createafalseending(asummaryoftheideascovered,forexample)andareal
ending—perhapsarousing,inspirationalstorythatdrivesthemessagehome.Ifyou’rerunninglong,youcandropthesecondendingandstillgetyourmessageacross.OnceataTEDeventinIndia,Iwasgivena15-minutetimeslotandhadrehearsedittoaT.Twodaysbeforethetalk,Icaughtaseverechestcold,soIwasheavilymedicatedwhenIwalkedonstage.BeforeIknewit,the“time’sup”lightwasblinking,andIwasn’tdone.Fortunately,I’dplanned two natural places to end my talk, so I wrapped things up with my first ending, citing a beautifulsalutationtothelandofIndiafromafamousIndianspeech.Asfarasthepeopleintheaudienceknew,thatwastherealending—andtheyrespondedwarmly.
PersuadeBeyondtheStageYourpresentationdoesn’tstartthemomentyouentertheroom;itstartsthemomentyou’vecommittedtospeak—anditcontinuesaftertheactualtalk,asyoufollowupwiththeaudience.Ifyoutakeadvantageofopportunitiestoreinforceyourmessageatallthreestages,you’remuchmorelikelytochangepeople’sthinkingandbehavior.
Before
Howyoupositionthetalkbeforeyouevendeliveritwillhaveabigimpactontheaudience’slevelofinterest.Considerthemosteffectiveformsofcommunicationtosendoutinadvance.Ifyou’representingtocolleagues,youmighte-mailthemasummaryofyourmessageandaroughlistofpointsyouplantocover,forexample,orsendameetingrequestwithadetailedagenda.Ifyou’regoingtospeaktopeoplefromoutsideyourorganization—conferenceattendees,forinstance—youmaypostyourbiographyandtalkingpointsonlineandprovidelinkstoprereadingmaterial(publishedarticles,abstractsofwhitepapers,andsoon).
Preparingstrongsupportingmaterialmaytakeaslongasdevelopingthepresentationitself.Howeveryouchoosetoorientyouraudiencemembers,makeitclearhowtheywillbenefitfromthistalk.
During
Ifyouneedtodistributehandoutsduringyourtalk,bringmorethanenoughcopiesandrecruitvolunteerstopassthemoutattherighttime.Youcanalsotapesecretmessagesunderpeople’schairsforretrievalatakeymomentduringyourtalk,haveaudiencemembersholdupcolor-codedcardstogiveyoufeedbackinrealtime,orgivethemallaproptointeractwith,suchasaproductprototype.
Andifyou’retryingtocreateexternalbuzz—aboutalaunch,forexample—postyourslidesonlinealongwithanyvideosorphotosthatsupportyourpresentation.Downloadableassetslikethesewillmakeiteasierforjournalists,bloggers,andfansinsocialmediacirclestowriteaboutyourtalk.Ifappropriate,usewebinarorstreamingtechnologytofurtherincreaseyouraudiencereach.
After
Followupwithathank-younote,asurvey,orsupplementaryreadingorviewingmaterialtokeepyourmessagefreshinpeople’sminds.Butdon’tovertlysolicityouraudience.Peopleshouldfeelthey’regettingadditionalinsightsandvalue—notdoingextraworkthatbenefitsyoumorethanitdoesthem.Forexample,ifyousendasurveytofindoutwhattheythinkaboutanewserviceyou’reoffering,makeitworththeirtime:Explainhowtheirfeedbackwillleadtobenefitsthey’llcareabout,andofferarelevant,attractivefreeproductinexchangefortheirparticipation.WhenIwrapupawebinaronpresentations,IsetupaURLwheretheaudiencecanaccessfreedigitalcontentfrommybooksonthetopic.Attendeeslovegettingfree,usefultoolslikethis.Morethanaquarterofthemdownloadthefiles.
Byaddingpointsofcontactbefore,during,andafteryourpresentation,you’llmakealastingimpressionandincreasethelikelihoodthatyourideaswillgaintraction.
SharetheStageAudiencesfindmonologuesboring.Thankstoadvancesinentertainment,they’vebecomeaccustomedtoquickaction,rapidscenechanges,intensevisualstimulation,andsoundtracksthatmaketheheartrace.They’renolongerwillingtositattentivelyforanhourwhileasinglespeakerdroneson.
Thekeytogettingandholdingtheirattentionishavingnewthingscontinuallyhappen.Youcandothatby:
Bringing in otherpresenters: Invite others to join you on the stage or by video. Considerwhich experts oranalystsinyourorganizationorindustrywouldaddmeatandcredibilitytoyourpresentation.Andlookforwaysyourteammemberscanplaytotheirstrengths.IfyourcolleagueSamisquickonhisfeet,forexample,havehimleadtheQ&A.
Mixingupyourmedia:Tryalternatingbetweenslidesandothermedia.Hangpostersandexhibitsonthewall,placetchotchkesonthetablethattieintothethemeofyourtalk,orhaveahelperunveilapropornewproductwhile you speak. Add video to inject humor, boost credibility through testimonials, or clarify concepts withanimatedinfographics.Ifyou’retalkingaboutaproduct,demoit—holdit,displayit,allowpeopletointeractwithit. Ifyou’reexplainingaconcept, trydrawingona flipchartorawhiteboard—itvaries thepaceandaudiencesoftenfinditendearingbecauseitmakesallbutthemostartisticpresentersvulnerableandthusaccessible.Oryoucanhireagraphicrecordertocaptureyourmessagevisuallyonalargestripofbutcherpaperwhileyoutalk.Shecansynthesizewhat’sbeingsaidinrealtime,creatingamuralthatmemorializesthetalk.Displayitsomewhereprominentinyourdepartmentasareminderofthegoalseveryoneagreedonatthelastvisionmeeting.
Youcanreengageyouraudienceseveraltimesduringyourtalkbyalternatingpresentersandchangingupyourmedia.Ofcourse,allthosemovingpartsrequireplanningandrehearsal—butthey’llalsokeeppeopletunedin.
Section5
SlidesAtourstudiowedon’twriteourstories,wedrawthem.
—WaltDisney
ThinkLikeaDesignerTomakethepointthatdesignthinkinggoes“hand-in-handwithfinancialsuccess”inbusiness,FastCompanycitedanintriguingDesignCouncilstudyinitsOctober2007letterfromtheeditor:“Aportfolioof63design-drivenBritishcompanies…trouncedtheFTSE100indexover13years.”
Achartliketheoneinfigure5-1accompaniedtheletter.
Whatdoesthishavetodowithpresentations?Alot.
Presentationsareoneofthemostpopularbusinesscommunicationtools,secondonlytoe-mail.Theyattractclientsandkeepemployeesontrack.Andthemosteffectivepresentersthinklikedesigners.Goodpresentersdisplaydataclearly,simply,andcompellingly,asinthechartinfigure5-1.Theyselectvisualsthatconveymeaningandbrandvalue.Theycreateandarrangeslidesthatpersuadeaudiencesandhelpthemsolveproblems.
AfterreadingthetipsintheSlidessectionofthisguide,youwon’tbeamasterdesigner—butyou’llmakebetterchoiceswhenconfrontedbytheemptyexpanseofavirginslide.
CreateSlidesPeopleCan“Get”inThreeSecondsAudiencescanprocessonlyonestreamofinformationatatime.They’lleitherlistentoyouspeakorreadyourslides—theywon’tdobothsimultaneously(notwithoutmissingkeypartsofyourmessage,anyway).Somakesuretheycanquicklycomprehendyourvisualsandthenturntheirattentionbacktowhatyou’resaying.
Let’ssayyou’reusingthedefaulttemplateinPowerPoint,andyoucompletelyfillinthefieldthatsays“ClicktoAddText”eachtimeyoucreateaslide.Thatfieldholdsabout80words,andtheaveragereadingspeedis250wordsperminute.So,ifyoudevelop40text-heavyslidesfora40-minutepresentation,peoplewillmissabout13minutes(one-third!)ofyourtalkjustbecausethey’retoobusyreadingyourslidestolisten.
Anotherimportantreasontokeepyourslidessimple:Researchshowsthatpeoplelearnmoreeffectivelyfrommultimediamessageswhenthey’restrippedofextraneouswords,graphics,animation,andsounds.Theextrasactuallytakeawaymeaningbecausetheybecomeadistraction.Theyovertaxtheaudience’scognitiveresources.
EachslideshouldpasswhatIcalltheglancetest:Peopleshouldbeabletocomprehenditinthreeseconds.Thinkofyourslidesasbillboards.Whenpeopledrive,theyonlybrieflytaketheireyesofftheirmainfocus—theroad—toprocessbillboardinformation.Similarly,youraudienceshouldfocusintentlyonwhatyou’resaying,lookingonlybrieflyatyourslideswhenyoudisplaythem.
Tocreateslidesthatpasstheglancetest:
Startwith a clean surface: Instead of using the default “Click toAdd Title” and “Click toAdd Text” slidemaster,turnoffallthemasterpromptsandstartwithablankslide.Andwhenyouaddelements,makesureyouhaveagoodreason.Doestheaudienceneedtoseeyourlogooneachslidetorememberwhoyouworkfor?Doesthatblueswooshaddmeaning?Ifnot,leaveitoff.
Limityourtext:Keepthetextshortandeasytoskim.Scalethetypeaslargeaspossiblesothepeopleinthebackoftheroomcanseeit.
Coordinatevisualelements:Selectonetypeface—twoatmost—fortheentireslidedeck.Useaconsistentcolorpalettethroughout(limityourselftothreecomplementarycolors,plusacoupleofneutralshades,likegrayorpaleblue).Photosshouldbetakenbythesamephotographerorlookasiftheyare.Illustrationsshouldbedoneinthesamestyle.
Arrangeelementswithcare:Whenyouprojectyourslides,they’llbemanytimeslargerthantheyareonyourlaptopscreen—sotheyneedtobetidy.(Blownup,unkemptslideslookdownrightchaotic.)Alignyourgraphicsandtextblocks.Sizeobjectsappropriately.Ifoneelementislargerthananother,theaudiencewillinterpretthattomeanthelargerobjectismoreimportant.
Takealookatthe“before”slide(figure5-2).Itfailstheglancetestbecauseit’spackedwithtext.
Butwhenyoustreamlinethetextandincorporatesimplevisualelements—asinfigure5-3—youhelptheaudienceprocesstheinformationmuchmorequickly.
Presentationsoftwaregivesusmanyshiny,seductiveelementstoworkwith.Butthere’sbeautyandclarityinrestraint.Thoughyoucandevelopyourvisualsensibilitybystudyingwell-designedpublications,youmayalsowanttoaskaprofessionaldesignertocustomizeatemplateforyousoyou’llhaveasolidfoundationtobuildfrom.
ChoosetheRightTypeofSlideIfyou’refeelingoverwhelmedbyendlesspossibilitiesasyou’recreatingslides,restassured—allslidescanbeboileddowntothefollowingtypes.Here’showtheywork,andwhenyou’llusethem.
Walk-inslide
Thisslideisalreadyupwhenpeopleentertheroom.Itcreatesthefirstimpression.Youmaywantittodisplayyourcompany’sbranding,forexample,oranimagethatsetsthetoneforyourpresentation.
Titleslide
Here’swhereyoushowthetitleofyourtalkand(ifyou’readdressinganexternalcrowd)yourname,title,andcompany.Includeatitleslideevenifyoudon’tstatethetitlewhenyouspeak;ithelpsorientandfocustheaudience.
Navigationslide
Thistypeofslidehelpstheaudienceseewhereyouareinthepresentation.Youcan,forexample,showsectiontitlesasyoumovefrompointtopointorperiodicallyshowanagendaslidethathighlightswhereyouareinyourtalk(seefigure5-4).
Bulletslide
Usebulletstoclusterrelatedideasintoalist,butdon’tdisplaythemallatonce.Ifyoudo,youraudiencewillgetaheadofyou—andgetbored.Instead,controlyourpacingwitha“build”(haveeachbulletappearasyoucoveritbyanimatingeachone).Ifthebulletsonyourslidedon’thavetobeassociatedtogether,giveeachpointitsownslide.
Big-wordslide
Thistypeofslideshowsasinglewordorshortphraseinlargetype—theonemessageorideayouwanttoconveyatthatmoment.SometimesIuseasinglewordtosetupavisualsurpriseonthenextslide.WhenIwasspeakingatahigh-techcompany’sannualsalesmeeting,forinstance,Itoldastoryaboutmyfirstsalesjob:sellingcandyfortheCampFireGirlsasakid.Ihadclippedanewspaperphotoofmytroopwithatrophyforsellingthemostcandy—butIwantedthatparttobeasurprise.Sofirst,Islippedinaslidethatsaid,“Victoryissweet.”Thistextnotonlyexplainedanimportantreasonwhypeoplesellbutalsoteedupthephotoshowingourgoofyfifth-gradesmilesandourskinnyarmsholdingupatrophythatwasbiggerthanwewere.
Quoteslide
Projectquotesbyexpertsorfromimportantdocumentstoaddcredibilityorfactualsupporttoyourmessage,butclearlyshowwherethematerialcamefrom.Usequotationmarksandincludeasourceline.Projectonlyonequoteatatime—morethanonewillmuddythefocus.Andtrynottoexceed30words.Thatallowsyoutofitinattributionwithoutsacrificingreadability.YoucanalsoborrowatechniquethatI’veseenseveralTEDpresentersuseeffectively:Supplementthevisualwitharecordingofthepersonyou’requotingor(ifthat’snotavailable)addvoice-oversotheaudiencefeelsasifit’sreadingalongwiththeauthorofthequote.
Dataslide
Youmayneedtodisplaydatawhenexplainingyourresearch,forexample,orreportingonyourbusinessunit’sperformance,ormakingacontroversialargumentthatrequiresproof.Bejudicious,though,soyoudon’toverwhelmpeoplewithnumberstheydon’treallyneedtoknow.Visuallyemphasizewhatpartofthedatayouwantpeopletolookatbyrenderingeverythingelseinthechartingray(see“ClarifytheData”laterinthissectionoftheguide).
Diagramslide
Diagramstranslateabstract,invisibleconceptsintosomethingpeoplecansee.Usethemtoshowconnectionsbetweenideasortoillustrateprocesses.Youmaywanttotransformsomeofyourbulletslidesintodiagramstoclarifythetypeofrelationshipyourpointsandsubpointshavewitheachother(see“TurnWordsintoDiagrams”laterinthissection).
Conceptualimageslide
Sometimesshowingismorepowerfulthantelling.Projectphotosorillustrationstoconveyconceptsorevencombinethem.Slaveryfootprint.orgusedthefamiliarimageofaclothingtagwithprovocativewordingtoopenconsumers’eyestotherealitiesofslavelaborinsupplychains(figure5-5).
Videoslide
Avideoslideprovidesanicebreakfromaseriesofstaticslides.Usevideosoftalkingheadstoendorseyourconcept,forexample,oranimatedinfographicstoexplainit.Manyimagesfromstockphotographyhousesalsocomeinvideoversions.
Walk-outslide
Leavepeoplewithsomethingusefulastheyexittheroom.Youmaywanttore-projectarousingcalltoaction,showyourcontactinformation,ordisplayanicelybrandedslideandplaymusicthatreinforcesthemoodyou’vecreated.
StoryboardOneIdeaperSlideFilmmakerssketchouttheirshotsbeforeproductionbeginstomakesurethey’llhangtogetherstructurally,conceptually,andvisually.Goodpresentersuseasimilarplanningprocessbeforetheysweatovertheirslides.
Sure,you’renotStevenSpielberg,butdon’tbeintimidated.Basicstoryboardingisn’thard,anditsavesyoumoretimethanittakes.
Whenyou’restoryboardingapresentation:
Keep it simple: Draw small visual representations of your ideas on 1.5″ × 2″ sticky notes (see figure 5-6).Constrainingyour ideas toasmall sketchspace forcesyou tousesimple,clearwordsandpicturesasproofofconceptbeforecreatingslidesinpresentationsoftware.Don’tbeembarrassedbyrudimentarysketches.Thisisanideationphase;doodlesworkfineaslongasyouunderstandthem(andifyoudon’t,theconceptisprobablytoocomplexanyway).
Limityourselftooneideaperslide:There’snoreason tocrowdseveral ideasontooneslide.Slidesarefree.Makeasmanyasyouneedtogiveeachideaitsownmomentonstage(asinfigure5-7).
Thesketchingprocesshelpsyouclarifywhatyouwanttosayandhowyouwanttosayit.AsDanRoam,authorofTheBackoftheNapkin,pointsout,“Alltherealproblemsoftodayaremultidimensional….Thereisnowaytofullyunderstandthem—thusnowaytoeffectivelybeginsolvingthem—withoutatsomepointliterallydrawingthemout.”
Asyoustoryboard,you’llbeabletotellimmediatelywhichconceptsareclunkyoroverlycomplex(you’llrunoutofspaceonyourstickynotes).Eliminatethem,andbrainstormnewwaystocommunicatethosemessages.
Chancesaregoodyoucandevelopatleastacoupleofyourstoryboardingdoodlesintographicsordiagramsyou’llactuallyuseinthepresentation.Ifthey’llhelptheaudienceunderstandorrememberyourverbalmessage,they’reworthincluding.Butevenifyoudon’tdisplayanyimageswhenyoupresent,nicebigtypeonthescreenisbetterthandenseprose.
AvoidVisualClichésWhenyourCFOannouncesatanall-staffmeetingthatthecompany’sfinancialsare“rightontarget,”doeshetreatyouandyourcolleaguestotheall-too-familiarimageofabull’s-eye?
Nothinggetseyesa-glazinglikeavisualcliché.Ifyouwantyourpresentationtostandout(inagoodway)fromtheothersyouraudiencehasseen,throwoutthefirstvisualconceptsthatcometomind.They’retheonesthatoccurtoeveryoneelse,too.Brainstormseveralideasforeachconceptyouwanttoillustrate—andyou’llworkyourwaytowardfresh,surprisingimages.
TABLE5-1FindnewvisualmetaphorsConcept Cliché UniqueGoal Bull’s-eye Maze;thresholdPartnership Handshakeinfrontofglobe Reefecosystem;FredAstaireandGingerRogersSecurity Lockandkey Dobermanpinscher;pepperspray
Table5–1givessomeexamplesofvisualclichésandmore-creativewaystoillustratethesameconcepts.
ArrangeSlideElementswithCareBycarefullyarrangingyourslideelements,youcanhelpyouraudienceprocesstheinformationmoreeasily—andthat,aswe’vediscussed,freesuppeopletohearwhatyou’resaying.
Followthesefivedesignprincipleswhenarrangingelementstosimplifyyourslides.
Flow
Placementgovernsflow—thatis,howtheeyetravelsacrossaspace.Youcandirectpeople’seyestocertainareasofaslideandhelpyouraudiencegettotheimportantpointsquickly.Peopleshouldbeabletomovetheireyesacrossyourslideinoneback-and-forthmotionandbedoneprocessingtheinformation.
Infigure5-8,youreyetakesintheclusterofgrapes,thenmovestothetext,thenfocusesononeindividualgrape.
Thenextexample(figure5-9)showsoneofaseriesoffivepointsmade.Youreyemovesfromlefttoright:Youseethenumber5andthetitle,thenyoureyefollowsthepathtotheridgeline.
Contrast
Oureyesaredrawntothingsthatstandout,sodesignersusecontrasttofocusattention.Createcontrastthroughyourelements’size,shape,color,andproximity.
Lookatfigure5-10,wherethepresentercomparedcross-sectionsofskinandsoiltoshowthattendingtobothrequiresanunderstandingofthemicrobiologicalactivitybeneaththesurface.Noticehowtheblurredbackgroundimagessetoffthestarkwhiteillustrationsinhighreliefsotheycanbeprocessedquickly.
Whitespace
Whitespaceistheopenspacesurroundingitemsofinterest.Presentersareoftentemptedtofillitupwithadditionalcontentthatcompetesforattention.Butincludingahealthyamountofwhitespaceimpartsafeelingofluxury(advertisershavediscoveredthatitcreateshigherperceivedvalue)andsharpensviewers’focusbyisolatingelements.
Thatdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthateverythingisliterally“white”—justthatthedesignfeelsspacious.Seetheexampleinfigure5-11:
Ifwe’dpairedthequotewithalargerormoredetailedimage,youreyewouldn’tknowwheretobegin.Buried,thequote’smessagewouldhavelostitspower.
Hierarchy
Aclearvisualhierarchyallowsviewerstoquicklyascertainaslide’smostimportantelements.
Thesampleslideinfigure5-12,citingastatisticfromarecentMcKinseystudy,hasatop-downhierarchy:Youprocessthepicture,andthenthelargepercentage,andthenthesupportingcopy.
Unity
Slideswithvisualunitylookasthoughthesamepersoncreatedthemandmakeyourmessagefeelcohesive.Youcanachievethisthroughconsistenttypestyles,color,imagetreatment,andelementplacementthroughouttheslidedeck.
Theslidesinfigures5-13and5-14feelunitedforacoupleofreasons:Bothoftheirbackgroundsaredarkaroundtheedgesandlighterinthemiddle.Also,allthetypeandtheimagesareblack.
ClarifytheDataWhendisplayingdatainapresentation,pursueclarityaboveallelse.Thepeopleinyouraudiencecan’tspendextratimewithyourprojectedchartsorpullthemclosertoexaminethem,astheydowithchartsinprint.Theyhavetogetmeaningfromyournumbersatadistance,beforeyouclickaway.
Peoplewillinterpretyourdataslidesfirstbyreadingthetitles,thenbylookingattheshapesthedatamake,andthenbyreadingtheaxes.It’samultistepprocess,complextobeginwith.Soiftheinformationyou’redisplayingisvisuallycomplex,theaudiencewon’thavetimetocomprehendit.
Theserulesofthumbwillhelpyouclarify—andsimplify—yourdata.
Highlightwhat’simportant
Startbyasking,“WhatwouldIlikepeopletorememberaboutthedata?”—andgivethatpointvisualemphasis.Ifyou’reprojectingachartaboutsalestrendsoverfiveyearsbuttalkingspecificallyabouthowsalesareconsistentlylowinthefirstquarter,showthefirst-quarterbarofeachyearinarichcolorandotherbarsinaneutralcolor,likegray.Deemphasizegridlines,borders,axes,andlabels—you’llprovidethatkindofcontextwhenyouspeak,soyourvisualsdon’thaveto—andusecontrast(color,size,orposition)todrawtheviewer’seyetowherethemeaningis.
Noticeinfigure5-15(top)howthegridlinesandbordersallhavethesameweightasthedata,sotheeyedoesn’tknowwheretogofirst.Butthebottomimage—borderless,withmutedaxesandgridlines—takesviewersrighttothepoint:Theyseeimmediatelythatrevenueleveledoffafteraspikeearlyintheyear.
Tellthetruth
Thismayseemobvious,butmanypresentersplayfastandloosewiththeircharts.Ifyoudon’thaveaz-axisinyourdata,omit3-Deffects—thedepthcanmakeyournumberslooklargerthantheyare.Ina3-Dpiechart,forexample,thepiepieceintheforegroundappearsdeceptivelylargerthantherest.Also,don’taltertheproportionsofyouraxes.Doingsocanmakeachangeinthenumberslookmoresignificant(figure5-16a)orlessso(figure5-16b).Squaregridlines(figure5-16c)willkeepyourdatatrue.
Picktherightchartforthejob
Themostcommonchartsinbusinessarepies,bars,matrixes,andlinegraphs.Theyservedifferentpurposes,though.Usealinegraphinsteadofabarchartiftheshapeofthelinewilldrawattentiontoyourmostimportantpoint.Useamatrixinsteadofmultiplepiechartsifyouwanttoshowrelationshipsbetweenthedatapoints.
Forexample,theslideinfigure5-17usespiechartstoshowhowairlineticketsalesbreakdownbetweenthreedifferentsaleschannels:online,agents,anddirectsales.Butthere’snotmuchyoucandeducefromthesecharts,becausethey’revisuallysimilar.
Layoutthedatainamatrix,however,andsuddenlyit’sclearthattotalsalesforAirline3arealmostdoubletheothers(figure5-18).
Sometimesthebestchartisnochartatall.Ifanumberconveysyourkeymessagemostclearlyonitsown,showjustthatnumber—huge—ontheslide.
Findthenarrativeinthedata
Explainnotjustthe“what,”butthe“why”andthe“how”ofyourdata.Maybethenumberswentup,butwhatmadethemgoup?Whatimpactdidpeoplehaveonthem?Howwillpeoplebeaffectedbythem?
Useconcretecomparisonstoexpressmagnitude
Thebiggeranumberis,thetougheritistograsp.Millions,billions,andtrillionssoundalotalike,butthey’renowhereneareachotherinmagnitude.Helpyouraudienceunderstandscalebycommunicatinglargenumbersinconcreteterms.Forexample,ifyou’retryingtogetanaudiencetovisualizeabillionsquarefeet,holdupacarpetsquarethat’s12″×12″andtellthemitwouldtakeabillionofthosesquarestocoverManhattan.
TurnWordsintoDiagramsDiagramsaregreattoolsforillustratingrelationships.Theyclarifyconceptssoanaudiencecanseeataglancehowpartsofawholeworktogether.Forexample,ifyourorganizationismergingwithtwoothers,youcanuseadiagramofthreeoverlappingcirclestosignifyredundanciesbetweendepartments.Orifyouwanttoencourageyourteammemberstoinnovateiteratively,tryusingaflowdiagramthatloopsbackonitselfinseveralplacestoillustratetheprocessofworkingoutkinksinaprototype.
Whenyou’recreatingyourpresentationvisuals,tryturningsomeofyourwordsintodiagramsthatreinforceyourspeech.It’seasytotranslatewordsintodiagramswhenyouhaveavisualtaxonomyatyourdisposal—andI’mprovidingonehere.
Becausemyfirmhasvisualizedconceptsforcompaniesandbrandsformorethan20years,mydesigners’notebooksarefilledwithgreatbusinessdiagrams.Lookingforpatterns,Iclippedthousandsofsketchesfromthosenotebooksandsortedthemintothefollowingcommonlyused(anduniversallyunderstood)typesofdiagrams.
Thediagramsinfigure5-19illustratethesekindsofrelationships:
Network
Example:Ahub-and-spokesdiagramcanillustratethestakeholdersfromvariousdepartmentswhocometogethertomakeaninitiativesuccessful.
Segment
Example:Adonutcanshowhowseparateproductsfitintoasuiteofofferings.
Join
Example:Ahookdiagramcandepictarelationshipbetweensupplychainpartners.
Flow
Example:Parallelarrowscanshowtwoteamsworkinginconcerttowardagoal.
Stack
Example:Verticallayerscanillustratediscretefiscal-yeargoalsasbuildingblocksthatwillleadtoprofitability.
So,howcanyouusethesediagramsinyourpresentation?Lookthroughyourslidesandfindalistofbullets.Thosebulletsshould“feel”related—that’swhyyougroupedthemtogetherinthefirstplace.Circletheverbsornounsontheslideandconsiderhowthey’rerelated.Thatrelationshipwillmostlikelyfallintooneofthecategoriesinfigure5-19.Nowseeifyoucanuseoneofthediagramsinthatcategorytoreplaceyourbulletslide.Repeattheprocesswithothertextslides.
Considertwosetsofslides(figures5-20aand5-20b;figures5-21aand5-21b)showinghowalistofbulletpoints(“Before”)canbeturnedintoadiagram(“After”).
Thetaxonomyinfigure5-19isn’texhaustive,andthere’sroomforcreativitywithineachcategory.Youcanusedifferentshapesandstylesforthenodesandconnectors,andsoon(gotodiagrammer.comforthousandsofchoices).Butitcoversmostofthebases,soittakessomeofthepressureoffasyou’reworkingtomeetyourdeadline.
UsetheRightNumberofSlidesHowmanyslidesshouldyouhave?Thatdependsonyouraudience,thetechnologyyou’reusing,thesettingyou’rein,yourownsenseofpacing,andhowcomfortableyouarewithaclicker.Somepresenterscouldspendanhouronthreeslides;otherscouldgothrough200ormoreandyou’dneverknowit.
Considertheseslide-countvariablesasyou’recreatingyourpresentation.
Noslides
Ifyouneedtomakeaverypersonalconnectionwithyouraudienceoryou’redeliveringashorttalkinacasualenvironment,gowithoutslides.Theydon’tworkineverysituation.AsAndrewDlugansaysinhis“SixMinutes”blogaboutpublicspeaking,presentersshouldn’tuseslidesinacommencementspeech,aeulogy,aweddingtoast,oralayoffannouncement.Ifyou’reunsurewhetherthey’reappropriate,bringthemwithyoubutalsocarryaprintoutofyourslidenotesincaseyoudecidewhenyouarrivethatit’sbesttoleaveyourlaptopoff.
Moderateslidecount
Someexpertsrecommend1to2slidesperminute,or30to60slidesforanhour-longtalk.That’sabouttheaveragecountincorporatepresentations—butmostofthemcramtoomuchinformationoneachslide.Ifyou’vebrokenyourcontentdowntooneideaperslide(see“Story-boardOneIdeaperSlide”earlierintheSlidessection),youmayendupwithmorethan60.
Highslidecount
Somepresentersuse5slidesperminute.Thisrapid-firestylekeepstheaudienceextraalertbecausepeoplewillvisuallyreengagewitheachclick—butitrequiresalotofrehearsalandcarefulpacing.Ina40-minutetalk,Itypicallyuse145slides.(Ifyoucount“builds”withineachslide—whereIrevealbulletsoneatatime,andsoforth—Iclickupto300times.)ButwhenIaskaudienceshowmanyslidestheythinkIused,theyusuallysaybetween30and50.
Socialmediaslidecount
Themostpopularpresentationsonsocialmediasiteslikeslideshare.comhavemorethan75slidesthatyoucanreadin2to3minutes.Theyalsotendtobebuiltlikechildren’sbooks—sentence,visual,sentence,visual—tofacilitatequickclicking.
Don’tworryaboutslidecount.Justmakeyourslidescount.
KnowWhentoAnimateWhenthingsmove,eyesaredrawntothem.Soanimationisapowerfulcommunicationtool—butonlywhenappliedjudiciouslyandinawaythatenhancesyourmessage.
It’stemptingtoincludeeveryfeatureandflashyeffectthat’savailable—butthatwouldbelikeaddingrhinestonestoeveryoutfitinyourcloset.You’dbeblindedbyalltheblingwhenyouopenedthedoor,andyouwouldn’tknowwhattopick.
Effectiveanimation:
Showshowthingswork:Useanimationandmotiontocontroleyemovementasyourevealhowthingsareputtogether, explain changes, show direction, or illustrate sequence. If, for example, you’ve got a stack of boxesshowinghowpartsofyoursoftwareapplicationfittogether,youcanprovideinformationononepartatatime,withoutcrowdingthevisual:Whenyouclickonabox,havea“drawer”slideoutfrombehindittorevealdetails.
Createscontrast:Showmanyslideswithnoanimationsothatwhenyoudouseit,itstandsout.
Looksnatural:Justlikeactorsonastage,elementscanenteryourslide,interact,andthenleavethescene.Butthemovementshouldseemnaturalandcontrolled,notbusyandfrenetic.
Doesnotannoy:Mostcontentisn’tanyclearerifyoumakeitspin,twitch,ortwirl.Gratuitousfeatureslikethesejustgetonpeople’snerves,sodon’twastetimeonthem.
Section6
DeliveryGoldenRule:Neverdeliverapresentationyouwouldn’twanttositthrough.
—MottoatDuarte,Inc.
RehearseYourMaterialWellThere’snosuchthingasoverrehearsingyourdelivery.Notthatyoushouldmemorizeyourtalk—ifyoudo,you’llcomeacrossasstiffandstruggletoconnectwiththeaudience.Butknowyourmaterialinsideandout.Thatway,youcanadaptmoreeasilyiftheenvironment,audience,ortechnologysuddenlychangesonyou(somethingoftendoes).Also,audiencescantellifyoutrytowingit—andtheyfeelslighted.Itsendsthemessagethatyoudon’tvaluethemortheirtime.Perhapsmostimportant,rehearsingfreesyouuptobemorepresentinyourtalkandfullyengagewiththepeopleinfrontofyou.Whenyourehearse,leaveplentyoftimeto:
Gethonestfeedbackfromaskilledpresenter:Asthepresenter,you’resofamiliarwith(andprobablyattachedto)yourideasthatyoumaythinkyou’remakingeachpointmoreclearlyandpersuasivelythanyouare.Soaskaskilledpresentertogiveyouhonestfeedback.Giveheraprintoutofyourslidesandhaveherjotdownwhatyousaywell,whatyoudon’t,what’sessentialtokeep,andwhat’sdistracting.Shemightsaythingslike:“Whenyouputitthatway,peoplewon’tfollowyou,”and“Thattermsoundsderogatorytome,”and“Ithoughtyouexpresseditbetterlasttime,whenyousaid…”Theextrasetofeyesandearshelpsyouseeandhearyourselfastheaudiencewill.
Prepareashortversion:Manyvariables inapresentationcangowrong, leavingyouwith less time thanyouexpected.Thetechnologydoesn’talwayswork.Otherspeakersmightcutintoyourtimeslotbyrunninglong.Animpatientexecutivemayinterruptyouwithlotsofquestions.Prepareapresentationthatfitsyourscheduledtime,butalsocraftandrehearseaversionthat’smuchshorter,justincase.
Fiddlewithyourslides:Continuetotweakyourslidesuntilthedayyoupresent.Refiningabitoftexthereandaddinganimagethereisaformofrehearsal.Youbecomemoredeeplyfamiliarwiththecontentasyouengagewith your slides—so when you present, they feel seamlessly integrated with your message, not tacked-on ordisruptive.
Rehearsea few times in slide-showmode:Because slide-showmodedoesn’t allowyou to peek at the notesview, it forces you into an even greater familiarity with thematerial and allows you to focus on pacing andvisualizetheflow.Lookforchoppytransitionsfromslidetoslide,inconsistentgraphics,andawkwardbuildsasyourevealnewbullets,soyoucansmooththingsout.
Practiceoncamera:Recordsomeofyourfinalrehearsalsonvideo.Youdon’tneedaprofessionalsetup.Useawebcamor the camera on your cell phone or tablet. Pretend you are in front of an audience, and address thecameraasifit’saperson.Whenyou’redone,reviewthevideotoassessnotjustyourcontentbutalsoyourstagepresence, eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and ease of movement. Identify where you don’t appearnatural,relaxed,orincommandofyourmaterial—andworkonthoseareas.
KnowtheVenueandScheduleScopingouttheroominadvancewillhelpyounavigateit.Ifyoucan’tcheckitoutinperson,lookfordetailsonlineoraskthehosttodescribeit.Sometimes,ifyougetthisinformationearlyenough,youcanchangethesetuptomeetyourpreferences.Ifyou’releadinganoff-sitemeetingforateamofsix,forexample,andyou’vebeenassignedalargeconferencespace,seeifyoucangetacozierroom—oratleastasmallertabletoencouragediscussion.
Don’tmakeanyassumptionsaboutthespace.WhenIwasinvitedtospeakto70peopleatGoogle,inmyheadIpicturedrowsofchairs.ButwhenIgotthere,Iwastakentoatinyconferenceroomwith20peoplecrammedin—and50smallfacesofwebcamparticipantsprojectedonthewall.IfI’dknownwhattheroomwouldbelike,Iwouldhavepreparedtofacilitateaconversationinsteadofdeliveringaformalpresentation.Instead,Ifoundmyselfmakinglotsoflast-minutementaladjustments,likefiguringoutwheretostandandwheretofocusmyeyecontact,andthatthrewmeoffmystride.
Avoidsuchsurprisesbygettinginformationabout:
Floorandseatingplan:Howistheroomarranged?Doesithaveclassroomseating?Roundtables?Isthesizeoftheroomappropriateforthenumberofattendeesyouexpect?It’sbetterforpeopletositclosetogether,feedingoffoneanother’senergy,thantofeellostanddisconnectedinacavernousspace.Willyoubeelevatedonastage?Willtheaudiencebeabletoseeyouifyoustandonthesamelevelaseveryoneelsetomakeyourtalkfeellesslikealecture?Doyouhaveroomtowalkaroundandconnectwithpeople?Ifyou’llbeonstage,wherewillthelightshitthefloor?Markanypocketsofdarknesswithtapesoyoucanavoidthem(importantfortalksrecordedonvideo).Doestheroomhaveanypolesthatwillobstructtheaudience’sview?Dowhatyoucantoworkaroundthem.Isthereapodium?Removeit—it’savisualbarrierthatputsdistancebetweenyouandtheaudience—unlessyouneedaplacetoputyournotes.
Foodplan:Areyoupresentingnearamealtime?Findoutwhetherfoodwillbeprovided.Ifnot,buildintimeforpeople—includingyourself—togrababite.Orifyou’representingwithinyourorganization,bringsomesnacks.A hungry audiencewon’t focus on yourmessage.Will you be speaking during a sit-downmeal?You’ll needadequateamplificationsopeoplecanhearyouabovethesoundsofforksandknives.Orseeifyoucanwaituntilthefoodservicecrewclearsthedishesbeforeyouspeak.
Showflow:Whatwilltheorderofeventsbe?Checkwiththeorganizer.Willyoubeintroduced,ordoyouneedtoprepareyourownintroduction?Whowillspeakbeforeyouandafteryou?Whatmessageswillotherspresent?It’snicetoreferencethingsothersaresaying.Ifyou’retowardtheendofalonglistofspeakers,keepyourmessageshortandsimple—theaudiencewillalreadybetiredandoverloadedwithinformation.Andifyou’refollowingapresenterwithacontraryview,youcanpreparetoaddressanyseedsofresistancehemightplantintheaudience.Speakingataconference?Lookatsessionsinthesametimeslotasyourstofindoutifyou’llbecompetingwithapopularworkshop, for example,or a famousauthordoingabook signing.That’ll helpyougaugewhether theroomwillfillup.
Recording:Willyourtalkberecorded?Ifso,locatethecamerasandlookatthemoftentoconnectwithremoteviewersor listeners.Doyouwant to restrictdistributionofyour recordedpresentation?Make that clear to theorganizers.Once,whenIspoketoagroupof250professionalwomenaboutovercomingobstacles,IknewIwasbeingrecordedbutthoughtonlyattendeescouldaccesstherecording,viaapassword-protectedwebsite.AlocalTV channel ended up broadcastingmy entire presentation.My talk was very raw. I wouldn’t have gotten sopersonalifI’dknownitwouldgobeyondtheroom.
AnticipateTechnologyGlitchesEquipmentoftenmalfunctions—evenforpeoplewhoaren’tastechnologicallychallengedasIam.Soarrangeatechwalkthroughor,ifthat’snotpossible,giveyourselfatleast30minutestosetup.
Here’sachecklistI’vedevelopedafteryearsoftrialbyfiretoavoidlast-minutefrenzyfromtechglitches:
GettoknowtheAVperson:Learnhisnameandtreathimwell.He’llworkextrahardandextrafastforyouifhelikesyou.
Testalltheequipment:Doadryrunusingtheprojector,theclicker,andanyaudioequipmentbeforehand.Makesureitallworks.
Bringbackups: Ifapieceoftechnologyiscritical tothesuccessofyourtalk,request that itbeprovided—butalso bring your own. That goes for the projector, the cables needed to connect it, the clicker, and any audioequipment you’ll need. I travel with my own speakers because at-venue audio often doesn’t work. Venturecapitalistand formerApplemarketerGuyKawasakievenbringshisown in-earmicrophonewhenhepresents.Also,backupthecontentofyourpresentationondrivesandinthecloud—andmakeprintoutsofyourslidesandnotes.
Prerecordyourdemos:Ifyou’replanningtodemonstratesoftware,anapp,orawebsite,havearecordedversionofyourdemoonyourmachineincasetheInternetconnectionisslowordownatthetimeofyourtalk.
Testyourslidedeck:Click through every single slide.This is your last time to seewhat the slides look likeprojectedintheroom.Youwanttoconfirmthatyou’vegrabbedtherightversion,thateverythingislegiblefromthebackoftheroom,andthateachtimeyouclick,theslidesadvancetotherightcontent.Sometimesthedistancebetweentheclickerandthecomputerbackstageistoofarforthesignaltoreach,andtheAVteamhastomakeadjustments.
Tryoutthecomfortmonitors:Confirmthatyourcomfortmonitors(teleprompters)workandyoucanreadfromthem.Atatechnicalwalkthroughthedaybeforeapresentation,Idiscoveredthatmycomfortmonitorsweresosmall I couldn’t read anything from the stage. I wanted to use monitors rather than rely solely on printoutsbecauseI’dbequotinglengthyexcerptsfromfamousspeeches.Sothatnight,Idoubledthefontsizeandsavedmyselfalotofembarrassment.
Playallmedia:Whentransferringfilestoavenue’smachines,it’seasytoforgettograbvideoandaudiofiles.Double-checkthatyouhaveallyourmediainonefolderandthatthefiletypeswillplayonthemachinesyou’llbeusing.
Confirmtypeofprojection:Checkthescreen’saspectratio(usually16:9or4:3),andmakesureyourslidesaretherightdimensions.Alsoconsiderwhetherthey’llbefront-orrear-projected—andmarkthefloorwithtapesoyouwon’twalkthroughthelightbeamandhaveslidesprojectedacrossyourfacewhenyou’respeaking.
Findout ifpeoplewillattendremotely:Theoddsof technicalmishapsgowayup in remotepresentations—especiallyonesthatinvolvelast-minuteequipmentchanges.OnceItestedallmyvideosbeforewalkingonstage,onlytodiscovermomentsbeforeIbeganspeakingthattheAVcrewswitchedmachinestoaccommodatealargeremotegroup.Thecrewforgottocopyovermyvideofiles—soIdidmybesttodescribewhatpeoplewouldhaveseenifwehadthosefiles.
ManageYourStageFrightBeforeyoupresent,doesyourheartspeedup?Doyousweat?Doesyourmouthgodryandyourbreathingbecomeerratic?That’syourfight-or-flightinstinctkickingin.Yourbodyistellingyoutofleebecauseyourbrainperceivestheaudienceasapossiblethreat:Peoplemightjudge,challenge,orresistyou.
Youmayalsofearthefactthatpresentationdeliverycan’tbeundone.It’slive,andit’sfinal.
Alittlebitoffearcanbeagoodthing.IactuallydoabetterjobofpresentingwhenI’mmildlynervous—it’slikeashotofadrenaline.Butdon’tletitoverwhelmyou.
Hereareafewwaystomanageyourstagefrightbeforeyoupresent:
Quietyourmind:Stoptheself-criticalinternalchatterandthinkinsteadaboutsomethingthatcalmsyou.Takeashortwalkoutside.Listentosoothingmusic.
Breathe:Sitonachairorthefloor,breathedeeply,andholditin.Thentakeinonemoregaspofairtofillyourlungsevenmore—andletitalloutveryslowly.Bydoingthisfourtimesinarow,Icancalmmybodydowninlessthanaminute.
Laugh:Readyourfavoritehumorwebsiteorwatchafunnyvideo.Laughingdoesn’tjustdistractyoufromyourfear—itreleasestension.
Visualize: Communication coach Nick Morgan, the author of Trust Me, suggests my favorite fear-bustingtechnique:“Role-playinyourmindacommunicationbetweenyouandyourfavoriteperson….Formamemoryofwhatthatfeelslikephysically,notaboutwhatyousay.Noticeeverythingyoucanaboutyourbehavior….Whatareyoudoingwithyourhands?...Howcloseareyou?...Catalogueandrememberthebehavior,andthenusethatbehavior.”
Rememberyouraudience’s flaws:You’ve spent time thinking about how the people in your audiencemightresistyourmessage—andrightlyso.Theydohavethatpower.But,havingstudiedthem,youshouldalsohaveinsightsintowhatmakesthemhumanandfrail.Rememberingthatthey’rejustasflawedasyouarewillhelpcalmyournerves.
SettheRightToneforYourTalkYouraudiencewillsizeyouupbeforeyouutteraword—soit’scriticaltomakeapositive,message-appropriatefirstimpression.
What’sthefirstthingyouwantpeopletothinkorexperience?Whatmooddoyouwanttocreate?Settherighttoneforyourtalkbyattendingtothefollowingdetails.
Precommunication
Whenyouinviteotherstoyourpresentation,sendathoughtfullywrittenagendawithaconcisebuttellingsubjectline—andbeexplicitaboutwhattheaudiencewillgetoutofit.Allcommunicationleadinguptoyourtalkwillaffectyourcredibilityandimpact—soputasmuchthoughtandcareintoitasintothepresentationitself.(See“PersuadeBeyondtheStage”intheMediasection.)
Atmosphere
Specialtouchesintheroomletpeopleknowwhattoexpectandprimethemforthetypeofexperienceyouwantthemtohave.Ifyou’regivingacalculated,chillingspeech,acold,sparselyappointedroomworks.Usebrightlightingforacasualtalk;goabitdarkerforaformalone.Providerefreshments(evenforsmall,familiargroups)tomakepeoplefeelwelcome.Music,props,andprojectedimagescanalsohelpsetthetone.
Appearance
Asmuchasyouwanttheaudiencetolikeyouforyourmind,peoplewillmakequickjudgmentsbasedonyourappearance.Suituptoaddresspotentialclients,forexample,orinvestors.Dressmorecasuallywhenintroducingyourselftoanewgroupofdirectreports,tosignalthatyou’reaccessible.InEnchantment:TheArtofChangingHearts,Minds,andActions,GuyKawasakisuggestsmatchingyouraudience(ordressingfora“tie”).Ifyouunderdress,you’resaying,“Idon’trespectyou”;andifyouoverdress,you’resaying,“I’mbetterthanyou.”
Disposition
Themomentpeopleseeyou,yourdispositionshouldpreparethemforyourmessage.Foryourcontenttoringtrue,doyouneedtocomeacrossaspassionate?Humbledbythechallengesahead?Ifyou’reannouncingalayoff,besomber,notsmiley.Ifyourtalkisupbeat,chatwithindividualsasthegroupgathers;shakehandsifyou’remeetingforthefirsttime.Nomatterwhattoneyou’retryingtoestablish,beavailableandsincere.
BeYourselfTransparencywinspeopleover.Thoughyou’llwanttocomeacrossassmartandarticulate,it’sevenmoreimportanttobeopenandsinceresopeoplewilltrustyouandyourideas.
It’sOKifyou’renervous.Audiencesaregracious.AsbusinesscommunicationexpertVictoriaLabalmepointsout,they’ll“forgiveastumble,an‘um,’orasectionwhereyoubacktrackaslongastheyknowthatyourheartisintherightplace.”
Sheadds:“Youraudiencewantsyoutobereal.Soavoidsoundinglikeacorporatespokesperson—butdon’tportrayfalsehumility,either.Playingsmallandmeekwheninsideyouknow(andtheaudienceknows)you’reagiantwillnotwinyouanyfans.Authenticitymeansclaimingwhoyouare.”
Ifyoulovewhatyoudo,forinstance,letyourenthusiasmshow.
MicrosoftCEOSteveBallmerexplodeswithsomuchpassionwhenhepresentsthathissweaty,breathlessdancingbecameaYouTubephenomenon(figure6-1).
InaJanuary2012articleaboutBallmer,Business-Weekmused,“HeplaysthecheerleaderinpublicappearancesinanapparentefforttoprovethatnoonecantophisloveofMicrosoft—andhesucceedscringinglywell.”It’sover-the-top,butit’sallhim.Noonequestionshisauthenticity,andthemancanrallyhistroops.
Andthenthere’sSusanCain,whotooktheoppositetackwhenshegaveoneofthemostbuzzed-abouttalksatTED2012.Cainspokequietlyandconvincinglyaboutbeinganintrovertinaworldthatrewardsextroverts.Herstylesuitedher—andhersubjectmatter—perfectly.Sheseemedcomfortableonstage,butshecertainlywasn’tdramaticorevenpassionate.Thatwouldn’thavebeennatural,givenherpersonalityandhertopic.Instead,shedeliveredher
messageinawaythatwouldresonatewithfellowintroverts:“Theworldneedsyou,anditneedsthethingsyoucarry.SoIwishyouthebestofallpossiblejourneysandthecouragetospeaksoftly.”
CommunicatewithYourBodyPeoplewillreadyourbodylanguagetodecideiftheycantrustyouandyourexpertise.Constrictedandcontrivedgestureswillmakeyouseeminsecure.Largermovementconveysconfidenceandopenness.
Useyourphysicalexpressiontoitsfullestwiththefollowingtechniques:
Projectemotionwithyourface:Connectwiththeaudiencebyusingyourfacetoconveyyourfeelings.Smile,laugh,openyourmouthindisbelief.Beforeyoubeginyourtalk, trymovingeveryfacialmuscleyoucan—it’llhelpyouwarmup.
Peelyourselfawayfromyourslides:Ifyouturnyourbacktotheaudiencetolookatyourslides,youputupabarrier.Asmuchasyoucan,keepyoureyesonthepeoplewhohavecometohearyou.
Openupyourposture:Avoida“closed”stance,suchasfoldingyourarms,standingwithlegscrossed,puttingyourhandsinyourpockets,orclaspingyourhandsbehindorinfrontofyou.Itsignalsdiscomfort.
Exaggerateyourmovements:Fillthespacearoundyou,especiallyifyou’respeakinginalargeroom.Usethesametypesofgesturesyouwouldifyouwerehavingapersonalconversation—butmakethembiggerandmoredeliberate.Beforeyourpresentation,stretchyourarmsaswideasyoucanandastallasyoucan(evenstandonyourtoes).Thishelpsyouopenupyourchestcavityandpracticeexaggeratingyourgestures.
Matchgestureswithcontent:Gesturesshouldcomplementoramplifywhatyou’resaying.Ifyou’representingarecord year in sales, go “big” with your arms and your smile. If your team barely missed its targets, bringeverythingin,perhapsshowingatinylittlegapbetweenyourthumbandforefinger.
BrainscientistJillBolteTaylorcoordinatedhergesturesandcontentbeautifullywhenshedescribedinher2008TEDtalkwhatitwasliketohaveamassivestroke.Shethrewherarmsupwardtoconveytheunexpectedrushofeuphoriashe’dfeltastheleftsideofherbrainshutdown(figure6-2a);shebroughtthembackdownwhenshedescribedhowshe’dsurrenderedherspirit,readytotransitionoutofthisworld(figure6-2b).
Whenyoutapeyourselfinrehearsal,youmayidentifygestures,movements,orfacialexpressionsthatlooklacklusterorunnatural.Re-createthosegesturessoyoucanphysicallyfeelthem,andthenpracticenewonesthatwouldbeappropriatereplacements.Aswithgolf,focusonhowitfeelsasyoudoitsoyoucancreate“musclememory”ofwhatworks.
CommunicatewithYourVoiceYourvoiceismultitalented.Itcansound:
Assertive:Firm,unyielding,significant,focused
Cautious:Measured,enunciated,understated
Critical:Harsh,angry,upset,pointed,caustic
Humorous:Comedic,light,novel,irreverent
Motivational:Uplifting,encouraging,friendly
Sympathetic:Emotional,moving,personal,delicate
Neutral:Casual,technical,dispassionate,informative
Anditdoesallthisthroughpitch,tone,volume,pacing,andenunciation.
Manybusinesspresentershaveadispassionatevocalstyle,assumingthatitmakesthemsoundobjectiveorauthoritative.Butaflatdeliverywillboreyouraudience.Instead,createcontrast—andemphasis—throughvocalvariation.Youcandothisonyourownorbytag-teamingwithsomeoneelse.WhenmyhusbandandIcopresentourcompany’svisioneachyear,ourcontrastingstylescomethrough:He’ssoft-spokenandcharminglyfunny,whereasI’mdramaticandpassionate.Thatmixworkswellforourcontent.Hegetseveryonetoreflectonthefirm’ssuccess,andItalkaboutthefuturewithboldenthusiasm.
Toensurethatyourcontentcomesthroughclearly,identifyandremoveverbaltics.Becausesilencemakesmostspeakersuncomfortable,theytendtousewordssuchas“um,”“uh,”“youknow,”“like,”and“anyway”tofillupspacebetweenpoints.They’dalmostalwaysbebetterservedbyapause,whichgivestheaudienceachancetoreflect.
Ididn’tthinkIhadanyverbalticsuntilIwatchedmyselfonvideo.Aftereachkeypoint,Isaid,“Right?”withanannoyingliltinmytone.Itdidn’ttakemelongtoremovethatfrommyrepertoire.Iwatchedthevideoseveraltimestocementitinmymind.Atmyverynextspeakinggig,Isaidit.Once.ThiswordIdidn’tevenknowIusedsuddenlysoundedlikefingernailsonachalkboard.Icaughtmyselftwomoretimesabouttosayit—andstopped.Becomingself-awareandreallyhearinghowbaditsoundedhelpedmecorrectmyselfinthemoment.
MakeYourStoriesCometoLifeThebeautyofanhoneststory—whethercomedicordramatic—isthatittouchespeople.(SeetheStorysectionfordetailsonhowtoapplystorytellingprincipleswhencraftingandstructuringyourcontent.)Buteventhemostcompellingstorieslosetheirpowerifthey’renottoldwell.Howdoyoumakeyourscometolife?TrythefollowingtwotipsfrombusinesscommunicationexpertVictoriaLabalme.
Reexperienceyourstories
Broadwayactorsrelivestorieseachtimetheyperform.It’showtheykeeptheirmaterialfreshandengageaudiencesshowaftershow.Youcandothesame.Ifyou’retalkingaboutthetimeyougotlostinastrangecityatnighttomakeapointaboutfindingyourwaywhenthere’snoonearoundtoguideyou,re-createthatscene.Don’tbemelodramaticorridiculous.Butnarratethestoryasifyou’restillinthemoment,andyou’llincreaseitsimpactonyouraudience.Useevocative,descriptivewords.Enhancethemwithyourstanceandgestures.
OneCEOreenactsthemomentwhenhisCFOcameintohisofficeandrecommendedthattheynotinvestinsubprimemortgages.Thestoryisrivetingpartlybecauseaudiencesknow,inhindsight,howhighthestakeswere—butalsobecausetheCEObringspeopleintothescene.Hedescribesthewood-paneledroom,theviewoutthewindowonaclearday,andthemomentofhisrazor’s-edgedecision—adecisionthatultimatelysavedthecompanyhundredsofmillionsofdollars.HethenacknowledgeshisCFOforhissageadviceatthiscriticaljuncture.
Rarelydoessomeoneapproachaspeakerweeksafterapresentationtosay,“Ilovedyourthirdpointonleadership.”Whatpeopledosay,however,is“Istillthinkofthestoryyoutold…”
Usesensorydetailstosetthescene
Themoreyoucaninvokethesenseswhentellingastory,thebetter.Paintavisualpicture,ortheaudienceisleftwithablankcanvas.Alsodescribesounds,tastes,smells,andhowthingsfeeltothetouch.“Iwaitedinachilly,mildewedalcovethesizeofanelevator”saysalotmorethan“Iwaitedinasmallroom.”Bygroundingyourselfinsuchdetails,you’llavoidflowery,emptylanguagereminiscentofgreetingcardsandembroiderypillows.You’llgiveyourstoriescredibilityandstayingpower.
WorkEffectivelywithYourInterpreterAscompaniesdobusinessfartherandfartherfromhome,presentersincreasinglyneedtranslation.Andworkingwithaninterpreteralwayscomplicatesthings.Youcanmakeiteasier,though,withpreparation.
Startbypickingtherighttypeofinterpreterforyoursituation.Threetypesareavailable:
Simultaneous: The interpreter sits in a soundproof booth while you present without disruption. Audiencememberswhoneed translationwear earphones.When I spoke to a large group of business leaders inTaiwan,more than half the audience used earphones. As a result, I got through a lot ofmaterial with little time lost.Simultaneousinterpretationrequiresmoreoverheadthantheothertypesdo,sinceitinvolvestechnology.
Consecutive:Theinterpretersharesthestagewithyou.Afteryoumakeapoint,youpauseforhertorelaywhatyou’vesaid.Youcanusethisapproachinless-formalsettingsorifyoudon’thavethebudgetforsimultaneousinterpretation.
Whispering:Here,theinterpreterwhisperstranslationtoyouwhenaudiencemembersmakecommentsorraisequestions.Thisapproachworksbestifyouarefamiliarenoughwiththelanguagetounderstandmostofwhat’ssaidbutneedhelphereandtherewithspecificwordsandphrases.
Onceyou’vesortedoutwhichkindyouneed,here’showtochoosetherightpersonandworkeffectivelywithher.Ifyoucan,allowuptoamonthtodothefollowing:
Test your chemistry: Some interpreters bring energy to the presentation; others can drain you. Spend timespeakingwith yours before youhire her. If youhave time to interviewa fewcandidates, all the better.You’llknowsomeone’sagoodfit ifshemakesyoulaugh,forexample,orcalmsyoudown.Theinterpretershouldn’tagitateyouinanyway—publicspeakinginadifferentcultureishardenoughasit is.Youshouldtrustthatshevaluesyourmaterialandwillrepresentitwell.
Callinreinforcements:Ifyoucan’tfindanexcellentinterpreterwho’salsoasubjectmatterexpert(ararebreed),usetheprofessionalinterpreterasyourprimarysourceoftranslation—butalsoenlistanexpertwhospeaksbothlanguages to help out. That way you’ll have someone who can correct the interpreter if she makes contentmistakes here and there, in real time, or who can simply step in at a point where the material gets highlyspecializedortechnical.
Preparehalfasmuchmaterial:Ifyouaregivenanhour,prepare30minutes’worthofmaterial.Ittakestwiceaslongtoconveyyourmessagewithaconsecutiveinterpreter—andevenwiththeothertypes,you’llneedextratimetotranslateanyQ&Adiscussion.
Sendyournotes:Aweekaheadoftime,sendoveryournotesoratranscriptofasimilartalksotheinterpretercanpractice.Evenifyoudon’tdeliveryourpresentationexactlythesameway,she’llgetafeelforyourmaterialandstyle.
Workthroughidiomsandmetaphors:Manyphrasesandsayingshavenodirectcorollariesinotherlanguages.
Ifyou’vesentyournotesoratranscriptinadvance,yourinterpreterwillhavetimetoflaganythingthatdoesn’ttranslateclearly.Shecanthensuggestregionalstoriesandmetaphorsthatwouldworkinherculture.
Practicepacing:Rehearsewithyour interpreterwhenyouarrive togetasenseofhowmuchmaterial shecantranslateatatime.Havehercoachyouonyourspeedofdelivery,soshecankeepupandaudiencememberscanprocesswhatyou’resaying.
Completeeachthought:Eachburstofcontentshouldbeaconcisebutcompletethought.Otherwise,you’llleavepeoplehangingmidphrasewhile the interpreter translates the first half ofyourpoint.Keepingyour statementsshortandsweetmakesiteasyfortheaudiencetofollowyouandengagewithyou.
GettheMostoutofYourQ&AAQ&Aisapowerful,interactivewaytoaddressyouraudience’sconcernsanddriveyourpointhome.AlwaysallowtimeforQ&Ainabusinesspresentation—trimyourtalkifnecessary.Whenpeopleleavetheroomwithburning,unansweredquestions,theywon’tadoptyourideas.GetthemostoutofyourQ&Aby:
Planningwhenyou’lltakequestions:Establishearlyonifyouwanttofieldquestionsthroughoutyourtalkorsavethemuntiltheend.Ifyouneedtobuildathoroughcase,askpeopleattheverybeginningtoholdquestionsuntiltheend.Butifyou’remakingaseriesofpoints,youcantakequestionsaftereachone,whilethey’refreshinpeople’sminds.
Anticipatingquestions:Youcanspendhourspreparingapresentationanddeliveritbeautifully—andthenundoallyourhardworkandundermineyour credibilityby fumblinga response to anun- expectedquestion.Thinkthroughanyquestionstheaudiencemightraise,fromthemundanetothehostile.(See“AnticipateResistance”intheMessagesection.)Prepareanswersaheadoftimesoyouwon’tbethrownoffyourgamewhenalleyesareonyou.Rehearsethoseanswers,butstillbementallypreparedforcurveballs.Somequestionersmayfeelaneedtopubliclychallengeyouridea.Whenthathappens,it’simportanttokeepyourcomposure.Knowingyourmaterialinside-outwillhelpimmensely.
Listeningempatheticallyforsubtext:Answerquestionsdirectly,butalsotrytoidentifyandaddressanydeeperonesbehindthem.(You’lloftenfindalargerissueorunspokenmotivelurkingintheshadows.)Sayyou’reinHRandyou’rehostinganorientationforemployeesfromarecentlyacquiredcompany.Ifpeopleaskwhytheydon’tgettohavemonthlyemployeebirthdaypartiesanymore,youmaybetemptedtobrushthatoffassilly—butthepartiesareprobablyasymbolofabiggerunderlyingproblem.Thequestionbehindthequestionmightbe:“Theculture we used to have isn’t valued here. How can we hang on to some of the traditions that made ourorganizationfeellikeafamily?”
Admittingwhenyoudon’tknowsomething:Don’tfakeananswer.Ever.Youraudiencewillseerightthroughit.Ifyoudon’tknowtheanswertoaquestion,saythat—andoffertodosomeresearchafterthepresentationandgetbacktothegroup.
Keepingatightreinonlargeortoughcrowds:Ifyou’representingtoalargegroup,askaQ&Amoderatortograciouslytakethemicrophonebackaftereachquestionisasked.Thatway,oneaggressivequestionwon’tturninto a barrage. Or, if you don’t have amoderator, let the audience know up front that you’re answering onequestionperpersonsomorefolkswillhaveachancetoparticipate.
WhenItookdeliverytrainingclasses,Ilearnedtoacknowledgequestionsfromangryinquisitors—buttolookatotheraudiencememberswhenansweringthemsoit’seasiertomoveontothenextpersonandkeepthediscussionconstructive.Ifyourtopicisemotionallychargedoryou’readdressingacrisis—asafetyrecall,forexample—haveafacilitatorfilterthequestions.Hecancompileamixoftoughquestionsandlighteronesthatmightgetalaugh,andomitthosethatstrayofftopicorseemtohaveapersonalagendabehindthem.Hecanalsoplantquestionstheaudiencemightbetoointimidatedtoask—forinstance,“Willpeoplelosetheirjobsifwedon’tmakeournumbersthisyear?”
Leavingastrongfinalimpression:Don’tendabruptlyaftertheQ&A—itfeelsincompleteandunsatisfyingtothe audience, and you’ll miss an opportunity to reinforce yourmessage.Wrap up the discussionwith a brief
summarythatrecapsthe“newbliss”you’rehelpingtheaudienceachieve.(See“MaketheEndingPowerful”intheStorysection.)
BuildTrustwithaRemoteAudienceThankstoeasilyaccessiblewebinarandteleconferencetechnology,about80%ofcorporatepresentationsaredeliveredremotely,accordingtoseverallivesurveysI’veconductedwithaudiencesatlargecompaniesinarangeofindustries.That’sastunningpercentage.Anytimetechnologyrevolutionizeshowwecommunicate,there’satrade-off:CommunicationtheoristMarshallMcLuhanpointeditoutwhenheproposedhissystemforexaminingtheimpactofnewmediaonsociety.Usehissystemtoexamineremotepresenting(figure6-3),andyou’llseebothpositiveandnegativeoutcomes.
Eventhoughit’sdesignedtoconnectpeopleremotelyandevenglobally,thetechnologyisolatesparticipantsfromhumancontact.Sohowdoyousolvethatproblem?Howdoyoubuildtrustwithyourremoteaudience?Thatdependsonwhetheryouincorporatevideostreaming.
Withvideostreaming
Whenyou’revisibletotheaudience,yourbodylanguage—particularlyeyecontactandgestures—canhelpyouconnectwithpeople(see“CommunicatewithYourBody”earlierinthissection).Ifyouglanceatyournotesorslidestoooften,youreyeswilllookshifty,sokeepthemtrainedonthecameraasmuchaspossible.Placethecameraateyelevelsoyouandtheaudienceareonevenground.Lookingdownatitforcesviewerstolookupatyou.Cinematographersusethattricktoshowacharacter’ssuperiority—butthelastthingyouwanttodoisappearcondescending.
Ifyoucan,deliveryourpresentationstandingratherthanseated.Thisallowsyoutomovenaturally—useyourhandsfreely,leanforward,stepback—whichputsviewersatease.Overall,makeyourmovementsexpansivetoconnectwiththepeopleintheroom.Butwhenyouwantremoteviewerstoseecertaingestures,keepthosehandmotionsclosertoyourchestsothey’llstayinthevideoframe.Useahigh-qualityvideorecorderandlightyourselfwell:Aprofessional-lookingsetupmakestheaudiencefeelvalued.
Withoutvideostreaming
Yourvoiceisyourmostvaluabletoolforbuildingtrustwhentheaudiencecan’tseeyou.Butagain,standup—you’llsoundmoreopenandrelaxedthanifyou’rehunchedoveryourcomputer.Holdpeople’sattentionbyvaryingyourvolume,pitch,andtone(see“KeepRemoteListenersInterested”inthissection).Butdon’toverdoit—melodramadoesn’tearnanyone’strust.
Youcanalsobuildtrustthroughthevisualsyoupost.Createslidesthatconveyan“open”feelbyusingtypethat’seasytoreadandkeepingthegraphicssimpleandclean.Also,inthespiritoftransparency,letyouraudiencedownloadyourdeck.
KeepRemoteListenersInterestedWhenpeopletuneintoawebinarordialintoateleconference,youcan’tseethem,sotheirtemptationtomultitaskisgreat.
Myfirmrecentlysurveyedalmost400peoplewho’veattendedawebinarwithinthelastyear,anditturnsoutthatmoreofthemcheckede-mailthandoinganyotheractivity—includingwatchingthewebinar(figure6-4).Thatmakespeople’sin-boxesyourbiggestcompetitor.
Sowhatcanyoudotolurepeopleawayfromtheirothertasks?
Breakthecontentdownintosmallbites:Feedparticipantssmall,tastymorselsonebyonesotheystaytunedin.Move through your points quickly—don’t spend a long time explaining concepts.And if you have slides,changethemupaboutevery20seconds.
Makeyourpresentationinteractive:Createusefulactivitiesforaudiencememberstodo, likespendingafewminutes researching something and posting their findings in the chatwindow for everyone to see. If you askpeopletotakeasurvey,makesuretheresultswillbeofinteresttothem.Andrewardparticipantsforpayingcloseattention.WhenIwasaguestonmarketingconsultantChrisBrogan’svideoblog,Iplacedasignbehindmethatsaid,“FirstonewhopostsonTwitterthattheysawthissignwinsafreebook.”
Enjoyyourownmaterial:Yourenthusiasmneedstocomethroughinyourvoice,especiallyiftheaudiencecan’tseeyouonvideo.Smileasyoushareyourmaterial—andyourvoicewillautomaticallytakeonamorecheerfultone.Andifyousaysomethingfunny,laughabitevenifnoone’sintheroomwithyou—itinviteslistenerstolaugh,too.
Varythevoices:Bringinothervoicesforinterest.Trycohostingyourpresentationwithanothersubjectmatterexpertandbanteringlikemorningshowhosts.Theaudiencewillreengageeachtimeanewspeakertalks.
Pause strategically:When audiences tune out remote presenters, the presentations sound like white noise tothem.Sprinkleinpausesbeforepointsyoureallywantpeopletohear.That’llcutthroughthewhitenoise.Whenyoubeginspeakingagain,peoplewillnotice.Sometimespausingalsomakestheaudiencethinkthere’saproblemwiththetechnology—andpeoplereengagetofiddlewiththeircomputers.
Pictureyourlisteners:Rememberthatyou’retalkingtopeople,notmachines.Picturetheirfacesinyourmindandimaginethatyou’rehavingaliveconversationwiththem.WhenIfirststartedtopresentremotely,Istruggledwithtalkingnaturallytothecamera.SoItookphotosofmysmileystaffmembers,cutouttheirfaces,andtapedthemabovemymonitor(figure6-5).ThisservedasavisualreminderthatIwasspeakingtorealpeople.
KeepYourRemotePresentationRunningSmoothlySinceremoteaudiencesaresosusceptibletodistraction,evenminorannoyancescanderailyourpresentation.Keepthingsrunningsmoothlywiththefollowingchecklist:
Provideclearinstructions:Whenyousendoutaninvitationexplainingwhatthepresentationisabout,spellouthow to register and log in, and explain any technical requirements up front so people don’t sign up only todiscoverlaterthattheydon’thavetheequipmenttoparticipate.
Plan for technology snafus: Give the audience contact information for technical questions. E-mail handoutsaheadoftime,andhaveslidesinahandylocationonlinejustincasethewebinartechnologyfails.
Testyourslides:Somewebinarsoftware“breaks”yourslidesbynotproperlydisplayinganimations,builds,andtransitions.Manypath-basedanimationsdon’tworkoraresochoppytheyareineffective.Colorcontrastcanfade,and photos become pixilated. Test your slides on the exact same machine you’re presenting from, becausedifferentoperatingsystemsandsoftwarebehavedifferently.Clickthrougheachslideinthesoftwareandfixanyproblems.
Startontime:Setupatleast30minutesinadvancetomakesureyouraudioandvideoareworkingproperly.Youdon’twantattendeestothinkyou’reillpreparedastheylistentoyoufusswithtechnologyissues.
Reducepersonalnoise:Remove loud jewelry likebanglebracelets or earrings that canbang loudly against aheadset.Minimize fidgeting.Don’tdrumyour fingers, clickpens, shufflepaper,or take sipsofwaternear themicrophone.
Reduceenvironmentalnoise:Closeyourdoorandturnofffansandmusic.Closeoutofcomputerapplicationsthathavealertnoises.Muteyourmicrophoneintheremoteappwhensomeoneelseisspeakingsopeoplewon’thear your breathing or throat clearing. Turn off your cell phone, and put your office phone on the “Do NotDisturb”setting. Ifpeoplearedialing in fora teleconference,don’tputyourphoneonhold—they’llhearyourholdmusic.Muteit.
Reducevisualnoise:Hide unnecessary software applicationwindows and icons onyour computer desktop tohelpfocustheaudience’sattention.Useyourmouseasapointingdevice;don’tfranticallyzingthearrowaroundyourslides.
Reduce communal noise: Remote listeners can hear just one person at a time, so don’t have multipleconversationsgoingatonceduringa teleconference. If someone inyour roomasksaquestion, repeat it so theremoteaudiencecanhearit.
Use a facilitator:Relieve some of your pre-presentation stress by asking a facilitator tomanagemany of thedetails, likewrangling the technology, setting up the room, sending out the agenda and slides ahead of time,monitoringchatrooms,conductingsurveys,andmakingsurepeopleinalllocationsgetachancetobeheard.
Section7
ImpactWearecompetingforrelevance.
—BrianSolis,
principalanalystatAltimeterGroup
BuildRelationshipsThroughSocialMediaSocialmediachannelsgiveyouraudiencealotofcontroloveryourPR.Peoplecanbroadcastbitsofyourcontenttotheirfollowers—quotingyou,synthesizingyourideas,addingtheirowncomments.Evenifyouhaveonly30peopleinfrontofyouwhenyouspeak,hundredsmore—perhapsthousands,ifyouraudienceishighlynetworked—mightcatchaglimpseofwhatyou’resayingandwhatothersthinkofit.
Whenthecommentsarepositive,yourideasgaintraction.Atoneevent,agroupofnewattendeescametomytalkabout15minutesafterIstarted.Ifoundoutafterwardthatanaudiencememberhadtweetedaboutmysession,sosomeofhisfollowerscametocheckitout.
Butsometimesthecommentsaren’tpositive.Lookatthesesampletweetsthatwentoutduringahigher-educationconferencepresentationinMilwaukee:
@jrodgersStartingtoseetheOMGIAMTRAPPEDlooksonfaces.
#heweb09
@jShelKWeneedadrinkinggameforeverytimehesays“actually”and“actionable.”#heweb09
@stomerWeneedatshirt,“Isurvivedthekeynotedisasterof09.”#heweb09Withinhours,someonecreatedashirtonCafePressandshareditwithconferenceattendees(figure7-1).
InTheBackchannel,communicationconsultantCliffAtkinsonwritesaboutsocialmedia’simpactonpresentations.Hepointsoutthatthe“backchannel”—thestreamofchatterbefore,during,andafteryourtalk—isconstructivewhenit:
Enrichesyourmessageaspeopletakenotes,addcommentary,andsuggestadditionalresourcesonthetopic
Providesavaluablearchiveofinformationtoreviewafterthepresentation
Connectspeopleintheroom,buildingacommunityaroundtheideas
Allowspeoplewhocan’tattendyourlivetalktofollowdispatchesandengageinconversationsaboutit
Increasesyourreachtomorepeople
It’sdestructivewhenit:
Distractsaudiencememberssotheypaymoreattentiontothebackchannelthantoyou
Steerstheconversationtounrelatedtopics
Excludesaudiencememberswhoareunawareofthebackchannelorunabletojoin
Limitspeople’sabilitytoconveynuanceorcontext,becauseofthebrevityoftheposts
Injectsarudeorsnarkytone,sincepeoplefeelcomfortabletweetingthoughtstheywouldn’tsayoutloud
Yourgoalistoavoidabackchannelrevolt,wherepeoplerallyoneanothertorejectyourmessage.How?Bymakingthefolksonlinefeelheard.
Withorwithoutyourinvolvement,they’llhaveconversationsaboutyou.Soparticipate.Engagewithpeoplelikeaskilledconversationalist,andthey’llengagemorefullyandfairlywithyourideas.
Buildrelationshipswiththemby:
Observing their behavior: Pay attention towhat else they’re commenting on.Active socialmedia users canpointyoutohotspotsonline—aLinkedIndiscussiongroup,forinstance,orabrand’sfanpage—whereyoucanbeginorjoinconversationswithpotentialcustomersoradvocates.
Providingachannel:CreateaTwitterhashtagforyourpresentationandinviteaudiencememberstouseittochatwithyouandoneanotheraboutyourmessage.(Ofcourse,thisisappropriateonlyforexternalpresentationswithbroad audiences. Youwouldn’t broadcast content from confidential companymeetings, for example, or clientsalescalls.)Encourageattendeestousethebackchannelbefore,during,andafteryourpresentation;displayyourhashtagonanintroductoryslide.
Askingfortheirinput:Trypresentingapartiallydevelopedideaandaskingpeopletohelpyourefineitthroughsocial media. I do this all the time and get useful replies.When I don’t knowmuch about an audience I’mpreparingtoaddress,I’lldosomediggingonmyown—butI’llalsoaskmyTwitterchannelwhatmightbeonthemindsofpeopleattendingacertainevent,forinstance,orworkingforaparticularcompanyorindustry.
SpreadYourIdeaswithSocialMediaUsesocialmediacontentthewayyouusestories,visuals,andsoundbites:toreinforceandspreadyourmessage.
Youcanwriteblogentries,postphotos,commissioninfographics,andproducevideosthatenhanceyourideassoyouraudiencefeelscompelledtosharethemwithothers.Ifyouwanttogetstartedbutdon’tgeneratealotofcontentyet,tweetlinkstootherexperts’articlesandblogpoststhatsupportyourtalk.
Socialmediaactivityusuallyspikesduringapresentation,withmoderatechatterbeforehandandafterward.Facilitatetheconversationatitspeakby:
Streamingyourpresentation:Posta livevideostreamofyour talksopeoplecanattendremotely.This is themost directway of extending your reach online, because the fullmessage comes through, not just the chatteraroundit.
Time-releasingmessages and slides: Craftmessages and slides expressly for socialmedia channels, and usetechnology to automatically push them out at keymoments during the presentation.You can download socialmediatoolstoprogramthetime-release.Oryoucanadd140-characterphrasestoyournotesfieldinPowerPointandsetthemtoauto-tweetwhenyouadvancetheslides.
Selectingamoderator:Assignsomeone—acolleague,aguestblogger,anaudiencemember—tokeepthesocialmediathreadconstructive.Pickapersonwho’squick-witted,withastrongcommandofyourmaterial.Askhertotweetkeyphrasesasyousaythem,raisethought-provokingquestionsonline,andbringthechatterbackontopicwhenitstartstostray.Alsohaveyourmoderatorsendoutlinkstoyourslides(postthemonslideshare.comoraspdfsonyourwebsite).
Repeating audience sentiment: In addition to broadcasting your message, the moderator should repeat (andvalidate)whatliveaudiencemembersaresaying.Thecurrencyofsocialmediaisreciprocity:Ifyoudon’tspreadtheideasofothers,yoursprobablywon’tgetanywhere.
Postingphotosofyourtalk:Enlistsomeonetophotographyourpresentation.Togivesocialmediausersasenseofimmediacy,hecanworkwithyourmoderatortoposttheimageswhileyou’respeaking.
Encouraging blogging: Invite bloggers, journalists, and social media specialists to attend and cover yourpresentation.You’llincreaseyourreachexponentiallythroughtheiroutletsandfollowers.
SocialmediaguruDanZarrellastudiedwhattypesofsocialmediacontentpeopleliketoshareduringpresentations.Hereareacoupleoftipsfromhisresearch:
Don’tbetooovert:Peoplewanttoidentifywhat’sworthspreadingontheirown.SoresistthetemptationtousealittleTwitterbirdtoflagsoundbitesyouwanttheaudiencetospread.They’llactuallygetsharedless.
Benovel:Close to30%of respondents inZarrella’sstudysaid theyweremore likely to tweetorblogaboutapresentationifitwasnovelornewsworthy.Foranideatospread,itneedstobedistinctandstandout.
Afteryoupresent,postavideoofyourtalkonyourwebsiteandonLinkedIn,Facebook,andothersocialmediasites.Thoughmostbackchannelactivitytypicallyhappensduringthetalk,presentationssometimesgoviralafterthefact.(Greatonescangethundredsofthousandsofviewsweekafterweek.)Postingavideowillalsohelpyoucapturenewaudiencememberswhodidn’tknowaboutyourpresentationwhenyougaveitorweren’tabletotuneintothestreamedversionorthebackchannel.
GaugeWhetherYou’veConnectedwithPeopleGatheringfeedbackonyourtalkinrealtimeandafteryou’redonegivesyoudifferentkindsofinsights—allofthemvaluable.
Watchthebackchannel
HaveamoderatorkeepaneyeonsocialmediaandsendtextmessagestoyourcellphoneifshethinksyoushouldaddressanycriticismsinaQ&Aattheendofyourtalk.(Sheshouldpassalongtoughbutfaircomments—andfilteroutanychatterthatwouldcompletelythrowyouoff-kilter.)Or,ifyou’recomfortabletweakingyourmessageasyougo,tryputtingyourphoneinsilentmode,settingitonthepodiumortableinfrontofyou,andglancingatitthroughoutthepresentation.Iftheaudiencebeginstorevoltonthebackchannel,youcanchangedirection.Letpeopleknowyou’vemonitoredtheirsentimentbecauseyouwanttoaddresstheirconcerns.
Watchtheliveaudience
Peopleintheroomwillshowhowthey’refeelingthroughtheirpostureandfacialexpressions.Keepakeeneyeoutforphysicalcuesthatthey’reengagedinyourmaterial.OnereasonSteveJobscouldmaintainaheightenedsenseofanticipationduringa90-minutekeynoteisbecausehehadagiftforelicitingfrequentphysicalreactions.Inhis2007iPhonelaunchpresentation,theaudiencelaughed79timesandclapped98times—that’saboutonereactionevery30seconds.
It’simportanttopickuponnegativecues,too,soyoucanchangecourse.Areaudiencemembersleaningbackwiththeirarmscrossed?Thatcouldbeasignofresistance.Dotheylooktired?Aretheyfidgeting?Lookingaround?Checkinge-mail?Theymaybeboredorapathetictowardyourideas.Ifthey’renotdemonstratingengagementbyleaningforward,nodding,smiling,andtakingnotes,findawayofdrawingthemin.
Oneconferencepresentercouldeasilytellfrombodylanguagethathewasmissingthemarkwithhisaudience—peopleclearlyweren’tintohismessage.Insteadofdraggingon,hestopped,admittedthathe’dmiscalculatedwhenhe’dprepared,andaskedifhe’dbegivenachancetospeakatthenextconferenceifhepromisedtodoabetterjobofunderstandingthegroup’sneeds.Hegotastandingovationandaninvitationtocomebackthenextyear.
Surveyyouraudience
Asurveyisn’tquiteasimmediateasbackchannelchatterandotherreal-timefeedback,butitgivesyoumorecontroloverthekindsofinsightsyou’llgetfromtheaudience—andthecommentsmaybemorethoughtful.Makeitshortanddirect,andhavepeoplefillitoutonpaper,online,orbye-mail.Explicitlyaskthemtobecandid.Projectaslideattheendofyourtalkencouragingpeopletorateyoueitherrightaway,withtheirphonesortablets,orattheirleisure.
Organizersoflargeeventsoftensurveyaudiencesatallthesessions.Ifyou’respeakingatsuchanevent,askfortheresults.Evenifyou’redoingamuchsmaller,less-formalpresentation,youcanaskoneortwoaudiencememberswhoseopinionyouvaluetogiveyouanhonestreadonhowitwent.Tellthemyou’retryingtorefineyourskills,andthey’llprobablybegladtohelp.
Analyzesentiment
Ifyou’regivingahigh-stakestalktoalargegroup—akeynoteaddress,forexample—it’sprobablyworthanalyzingsocialmediadata,suchashowmanypeoplebloggedaboutyourtalk,howmuchtrafficwasdriventothepressannouncementthroughsocialmedia,andwhetherthecoverageandcommentswerenegativeorpositive.Thiswillgiveyouanevenfiner-grainedpictureofhowwellyou’veconnectedwithyouraudience.
Butthedatacanbedauntingifyoudon’tknowwhatyou’redoing.Hireananalyticsspecialisttoreallydiginandhelpyouseewhereyoudidwellandwhereyoucanimprove.Intheanalysis,youmaydiscoverarivalyoudidn’tknowabout,forinstance,oranewkeyinfluencerwhodrivesbuyingbehavior.
Analyzeyourreach
Youcanalsouseanalyticstoolstomeasurehowmanypeoplespreadyourmessagethroughsocialmedia,howmanyclickedonthesharedlinks,andwhetheryourmessagewaspickedupbythepeopleyou’dwanttohearit.Again,workwithadataspecialist.
Ittakesanironguttodigestcriticalfeedback.Butitwillmakeyouabetterpresenter.Lookcloselyatwhattheaudienceissayingaboutyou,andmodifyyourmessage,visuals,anddeliverysoyou’llresonatemoredeeplywithpeopleinthefuture.
Ilaunchedmyspeakingcareeratasmallannualconference.ThefirstsurveyIgotbacksaidthatIdeliveredafirehoseofvaluableinformation,buttheaudiencefeltnoconnection.TheeventorganizertoldmeIshouldincorporatemorepersonalstories.Itwaspainfultohear,buttrue.Itookthefeedbackveryseriously.Infact,itsentmeonaseveral-yearjourneystudyingstoryprinciplesandstructure,whichInowapplytopresentations.
I’mnotsuggestingthateverypieceoffeedbackyougetwillbeusefuloreventrue.Usually,though,ifyouputtheaudience’sneedsfirstwhenyoucreateyourcontentandyou’resincereinyourapproachwhenyoudeliverit,peoplewillwanttohelpyousucceed.
FollowUpAfterYourTalkYourpresentationisdone,andtheadrenalinehasstoppedpumping.Nowwhat?
Onceyou’vewonpeopleovertoyourpointofview,helpthemimplementyourideas.Encouragethem.Bringthemnewinsights.Removeroadblocks.Keepyourmessagealiveby:
Sendingpersonalnotes:It’sraretogetanicehandwrittennotethesedays,andpeopleappreciateitwhentheydo.Sendanotewheneveryoufeelgrateful—toacolleaguewhohelpedyousetupyourpresentation,forexample,ortoabusyexecutivewhomadetimetoattendandvoicehersupport.(I’vesentafew“I’msorry”notes,too—itworks both ways.) It can be a formal branded thank-you note or a clever card that touches on a personalconversationyouhadwithanaudiencemember.Inaworldofdigitalcommunications,ahumantouchstandsout.
E-mailingtheaudience:Followupwithane-mailthankingpeoplefortheirtime.Ifappropriate,summarizeyourbigidea,keypoints,call toaction,and“newbliss.”Manytimes,eventorganizerswillshare theirattendees’e-mailaddresseswithyouinlieuofpayingspeakingfees.
Being accessible: If you presented within your organization, being accessible can mean hosting a lunchimmediatelyafteryourtalk,forinstance,orblockingoffyourcalendarsoyoucanhaveanopendoortoanswerquestionsinmoredetail.Ifyouspoketoabroaderaudienceanddon’thavepeople’scontactinformation,sendoutthank-yousandotherfollow-upmessagesthroughblogandsocialmediaposts.Respondtoanyonewhostartsathoughtfulconversationwithyou.
Sendingmaterials:Ifyoupromisedtheaudienceanymaterialsinyourtalk,getthemoutrightaway.Youmightwant tooffer thank-yougifts suchas freebooksoraccess tosecurecontent,butcheckwith theaudience first.Manypeoplehavecontractswiththeiremployersthatdon’tallowthemtoacceptgiftsfromvendorsorindustryinfluencers.
Callingormeetingwithindividuals:Supposeyoupresentedanewinitiativethat’sgoingtobedemandingonyour team. Spend time listening to eachmember’s concerns. Pick up the phone if it’s not possible to talk toeveryoneinperson.Insightsfromtheseconversationscanhelpshapeyournextpieceofcommunicationwiththegroup.Ifyoudiscover,forinstance,thatpeoplearemostworriedaboutlimitedresources,describeyourplansforshoringthemup.
Booking “next steps” meetings: Gather folks afterward to answer questions that require some research oranalysis,andworktogetheronaroad-mapforachievingyourgoals.Facilitatecollaborationinanywayyoucan—forinstance,orderinlunchandaskyourprojectleaderstobrainstormwaysofmarketingyourinitiativeinternally.
Presenting again: Though your presentation is done, you may need to do a few more like it to share yourmessagewithothergroupsandmoveyourideasalong.Ifyou’resellingaproductorservice,thepurposeofthefirstpresentationisusuallytogetasecondpresentation—thatis,face-to-facetimewithadecisionmaker.
Thinkofeachinteractionasonemomentinalargerrelationshipwithyouraudience.That’sthemind-setittakestopersuadepeopletochangetheirthinkingandbehavior—andtheirworldofwork.
Index
A|B|C|D|E
F|G|H|I|J
K|L|M|N|O
P|Q|R|S|T
U|V|W|Z
A
accessibility,220
analyticalappeal,51–53
anecdotes,85–87
animation,151–152
appearance,170
Atkinson,Cliff,207
atmosphere,169–170
audience
appealingto,8
calltoactionfor,39–41
connectingwith,91–92,215–218
creatingvaluefor,4–5
cuesfrom,216
expectationsof,12
feedbackfrom,215–218
findingcommongroundwith,21–23
follow-upwith,219–221
knowingyour,15–17
powerofthe,3–5
Q&Asessionswith,187–189
relationshipbuildingwith,205–209
remote,165,191–193,195–201
resistancefrom,33–35
segmentation,7–9
ofseniorexecutives,11–13
surveying,104–105,216–217
transforming,19–20
authenticity,171–173
B
backchannels,215
Ballmer,Steve,171–173
bigidea
contenttosupport,29–32,43–45
definingyour,27–28
big-wordslides,118–119
blogging,213
bodylanguage,175–178
BolteTaylor,Jill,176–177
brainstorming,29–32
Brogan,Chris,196
Brown,Tim,43
bulletslides,118
buzz,104
C
Cain,Susan,173
calltoaction,39–41
change,19–20
charts,137–141
clarification,ofdata,137–141
clichés,visual,127–128
comfortmonitors,164–165
commonground,withaudience,21–23
communalnoise,201
communication
nonverbal,175–178
vocalstyle,179–180
comparisons,60,141
conceptualimageslides,120–121
consecutiveinterpreters,184
content.Seealsomessage
existing,29–30
tosupportbigidea,29–32
contrast,37–38,130–132,138,152
controllingidea,27–28
convergentthinking,43,44
conversationaltone,17
co-presenters,107,197
D
data,displaying,137–141
dataslides,119–120
delivery
authenticityin,171–173
nonverbalcommunicationduring,175–178
rehearsing,155–157
toremoteaudiences,191–193
scopingoutvenuefor,159–162
settingtonefor,169–170
stagefrightand,167–168
ofstories,181–182
technologyglitchesduring,163–165
voicefor,179–180
deliverystyles,93
demographics,7
design,111–112,129–135
diagrams,120,143–148
Disney,Walt,109
disposition,170
divergentthinking,43,44
documents,creating,95–96
dramatizations,84–85
dress,170
dynamicopposites,37
E
e-mail,195,196,220
emotionalappeal,51–53,75–79
emotionalresistance,34
enthusiasm,196–197
environmentalnoise,200–201
equipmentmalfunctions,163–165,199
ethnographics,8
executivesummaryslides,12–13
expectations,audience,12
eyecontact,175
F
facialexpressions,175
facilitators,201
feedback,105,155–156,215–218
finalimpressions,189
firmographics,8
firstimpressions,169–170
floorplan,160
flow,129–130
flowdiagrams,144,145
follow-up,104–105,219–221
foodplan,160–161
G
Gallo,Carmine,55
Gates,Bill,84
gestures,176–178
gifts,220
glancetest,114
groupbrainstorming,30–31
H
Haemer,Ken,1
Haims,Nolan,96
handouts,104
Heath,Chip,25
Heath,Dan,25
hierarchy,visual,133
hookdiagrams,144
hub-and-spokediagrams,144
I
ideas
bigidea,27–32,43–45
brainstorming,29–32
choosingbest,43–45
contrasting,37–38
oneperslide,123–125
organizingyour,47–49
spreadingviasocialmedia,211–213
visualizing,97–98
idioms,185
insights,4
interpreters,183–186
J
jargon,55–57
Jobs,Steve,59–60,89
joindiagrams,144,145
K
King,MartinLuther,Jr.,81
L
Labalme,Victoria,171,181
lengthofpresentation,99–101
logicalresistance,33–34
M
McKee,Robert,61
McLuhan,Marshall,191
media
choosingright,91–93
follow-up,104–105
mixed,107–108
online,104
presentationsoftware,95–98
testing,165
memorablestories,83–87
message
amplifying,throughcontrast,37–38
appealofyour,51–53
calltoaction,39–41
choosingbestideasfor,43–45
choosingmediumfordeliveryof,91–93
contenttosupport,29–32
definingyourbigidea,27–28
emotionalimpactof,75–79
memorable,83–87
organizingyour,47–49
resistancetoyour,33–35
soundbites,59–60
metaphors
translationof,185
using,60,81–82
visual,127–128
mindmapping,30,31
moderators,212,215
Morgan,Nick,168
N
navigationslides,117–118
networkdiagrams,144,145
noise
visual,201
duringwebinars,200–201
nonverbalcommunication,175–178
O
opposites,37–38
orderofevents,161
organization,47–49
P
pacing,185–186
pauses,197
personalnotes,219
personalstories,77–79
persuasion,off-stage,103–105
photographs,postingonline,212
planning,xvi
politics,7
posture,175–176
PowerPoint,95–98
practicalresistance,34
precommunication,169
preparation
rehearsals,155–157
scopingoutvenue,159–162
presentations
audiencefor,3–23
communicationbefore,103–104
deliveryof,153–201
endingsof,189
follow-upafter,104–105,219–221
impactof,203–221
lengthof,99–101
mediafor,89–108
messagefor,27–60
planning,xvi
recorded,161–162
remote,191–193,195–201
settingtonefor,169–170
shortversionsof,156
slidesfor,109–152
socialmedia’simpacton,205–209
storiesin,61–87
storyboarding,123–125
streaming,211
presentationsoftware,95–98
presenters
feedbackfromskilled,155–156
multiple,107,197
self-focused,3–4
projectionsize,165
psychographics,7
punctuality,200
Q
Q&Asessions,187–189
quoteslides,119
R
Raphaely,Mirran,84–85
recordings,161–162
rehearsals,13,155–157
relationshipbuilding,205–209
remoteaudience,165,191–193,195–201
repetition,59–60
resistance,33–35
resonance,21
Reynolds,Garr,96
rhetoricaldevices,59–60
rhythmicrepetition,59–60
Roam,Dan,124
S
Sandberg,Sheryl,97
scale,ofcharts,138–139
schedule,161
seatingplan,160
segmentation,ofaudience,7–9
segmentdiagrams,144,145
seniorexecutives,11–13
sensorydetails,182
similes,60
simultaneousinterpreters,183
slides
animated,151–152
arrangementof,115,129–135
avoidingclichésin,127–128
designing,111–112,129–135
diagramson,143–148
displayingdatain,137–141
executivesummary,12–13
notesfor,96–97
numberof,149–150
organizing,47–49
postingonline,104
presentationsoftware,95–98
refining,156
simplicityof,113–116
storyboarding,123–125
testing,164,200
typesof,117–121
whennottouse,149
slide-showmode,156–157
slideuments,96
slogans,60
socialmedia
monitoring,215,217
reachof,218
relationshipbuildingwith,205–209
spreadingideasvia,211–213
software,presentation,95–98
Solis,Brian,203
soundbites,59–60
stackdiagrams,144,145
stagefright,167–168
statistics,shocking,83–84
stories
beginningsof,67–69
bringingtolife,181–182
foremotionalimpact,75–79
endingsof,73–74
memorable,83–87
metaphorsin,81–82
middlesof,71–72
personal,77–79
principlesof,63–64
reexperiencing,181–182
structureof,64,65–66
storyboarding,123–125
summaryslides,12–13
supportingmaterial,104
surveys,104–105,216–217
T
technology
glitches,163–165,199
newmedia,191–193
teleconferences,195–201
teleprompternotes,96–97
teleprompters,164–165
time
forpresentation,99–101
startingon,200
titleslides,117
tone,settingthe,169–170
transformation,19–20,63–64
translations,183–186
transparency,171
Trollope,Rowan,85–87
Twitter,208
U
unity,133–135
V
valuecreation,4–5
venue,scopingout,159–162
verbaltics,180
videoslides,121
videostreaming,191–193,211
visualhierarchy,133
visualnoise,201
visuals.Seealsoslides
avoidingclichésin,127–128
coordinationof,114
designelementsfor,129–135
emphasizingimportantelementsin,137–138
evocative,84
ofideas,97–98
vocalstyle,179–180
W
walk-inslides,117
walk-outslides,121
webinars,195–201
whisperinginterpreters,184
whitespace,132–133
Z
Zarrella,Dan,59,213
AbouttheAuthor
CommunicationexpertNancyDuartehasmorethan20yearsofexperienceworkingwithglobalorganizationsandthoughtleadersfromawiderangeofindustriesandfields.Hercompany,Duarte,Inc.,hascreatedmorethanaquarterofamillionpresentationsforitsclients.Herteamalsoteachescorporateandpublicworkshopsonwritingandstoryboardingeffectivepresentations.
Duarteistheauthoroftwoaward-winningbooks:Resonate:PresentVisualStoriesThatTransformAudiences,whichspentnearlyayearonAmazon’stop100businessbookbestsellerslist;andSlide:ology:TheArtandScienceofCreatingGreatPresentations.
DuartehasbeenfeaturedinFortune,Forbes,FastCompany,Wired,theWallStreetJournal,theNewYorkTimes,andtheLATimes,andonCNN.
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