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

7171

Develop the

Middle

The middle is, in many ways, the most compelling part of

your presentation, because that’s where most of the “ac-

tion” takes place.

People in your audience now realize their world is

off-kilter—you’ve brought that to their attention and at

least hinted at a solution at the beginning of your presen-

tation. Now continue to emphasize the contrast between

what is and what could be, moving back and forth be-

tween them, and the audience will start to fi nd the for-

mer unappealing and the latter alluring.

Let’s go back to that Q3 fi nancial update example

from “Craft the Beginning.” Revenues are down, but you

want to motivate employees to make up for it. Table 3-1

shows one way you could approach the middle of your

presentation. ...