HBRGuideto

Persuasive

Presentations

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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.