Presentation Secrets: Do What you Never Thought Possible With Your Presentations

SUMMARY

The key points to remember from this chapter are as follows:

• Start with a goal. The story, the emotional structure of your presentation, needs a clear goal. Without one clear goal, it will be a mess. Ideally, the goal lies on the intersection of what you want the audience to do and what they need to do for their own sake and benefit.
• Have a vision, too. Having a vision is key to a great presentation. Not only do you need to tell people what you want from them, but you also need to tell them why they should care. By bringing values into the game, you are improving motivation and making them better people in their own eyes. That said, there's nothing more pathetic than a naked vision that's not supported by a good story.
• They don't know what they want. Telling the audience only what they want to hear and how they want to hear it sounds servile or suspiciously manipulative. Treat your audience with respect and dignity. If you don't have your agenda, you're going to be boring. Have your agenda, but don't force it.
• Don't start with slides. After setting the goals, gather your thoughts together. Don't start in PowerPoint, start in a mind mapping application or with a pack of sticky notes. Write down everything that's on your mind as far as your goal is concerned. Next, impose an order and arrange your thoughts in a hierarchy. Don't skip the dark side, the unpleasant facts. You will need them for your story.

1 Song, H., and Schwarz, N. (2008). “If it's hard to read, it's hard ...