Presentation Skills That Will Take You to the Top (Collection), 2/e

28. In Praise of Analogies and Examples

Add Value and Dimension

Harvard Business School (HBS) established the gold standard for learning with its case study method. In that curriculum, students learn how to deal with real business situations in participatory exercises. As the school’s website explains, “In class—under the questioning and guidance of the professor—students probe underlying issues, compare different alternatives, and finally, suggest courses of action in light of the organization’s objectives.”¹

In doing so, HBS is following the precepts coined by the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, who wrote:

I hear and I forget

I see and I remember

I do and I understand

This is not to recommend that presenters become participatory—they ...