The HBR Guides Collection (8 Books) (HBR Guide Series)

6565

Create a Solid

Structure

All good presentations—like all good stories—convey

and resolve some kind of confl ict or imbalance. The sense

of discord is what makes audiences care enough to get on

board.

After gleaning story insights from fi lms and books,

studying hundreds of speeches, and spending 22 years

creating customized presentations for companies and

thought leaders, I’ve found that the most persuasive

communicators create confl ict by juxtaposing what is

with what could be. That is, they alternately build tension

and provide release by toggling back and forth between

the status quo and a better way—fi nally arriving at the

“new bliss” people will discover by adopting the proposed

beliefs and behaviors. That confl ict resolution plays