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We all give presentations. And I hear time and time again from folks that they dread having to do it.

And the truth is, a lot of us don’t actually enjoy sitting in the audience of presentations either.

And I think that’s because there are a whole lot of truly bad presentations out there. Just lousy, rotten

presentations. Slides jam packed with bullet points and miniscule text. Presentations loaded with noises

and animations. And presentations that don’t seem to have a point.

When you get right down to it, at the heart of every presentation there’s a common goal: to persuade

your audience. Whether it’s more money for your budget, or to convince them a project was a success,

or to win their support for an initiative you want to undertake, you’re trying to persuade them to see

things your way.

So why do some ideas get traction and other ideas don’t? We’ve all had GREAT ideas that don’t seem to

take hold while other ideas that aren’t as good – and some that are even downright bad ideas – take off.

What’s the difference? A connection that motivates an audience.

There are folks who study products – which ones fail, which ones succeed, and the differences between

them. Their studies tell us that if two products have identical features, the one that appeals to an

emotional need will be chosen 90% of the time.

We need to find a way for people to connect with our ideas, with our presentations, if we want our

ideas to take hold.

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Think about camouflage. The point of camouflage is to blend in. Well, the purpose of

camouflage is really to not to get shot at. But let’s not split hairs.

Bad presentations are like camouflage. They’re just slide after slide of text in bullet point

lists, the same old PowerPoint templates and Comic Sans fonts with the same pieces of clip

art you’ve seen a million times. Bad content. Bad design. Bad presentations. Camouflage.

But the more you want your idea to be adopted, the more you want to persuade your

audience, the more your presentation has to stand out. And the way to do that is to

connect with people by creating content that has real impact and connection and then

delivering it using striking and memorable visuals. Give ‘em a reason to take up your cause!

Now, the trick is: How do you do it?

Image: Martin Swatton via Flickr

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This quote from Seth Godin speaks especially to us as technologists. We’re usually up to

our eyes in data – numbers, statistics and percentages. And those things are important –

you definitely need them in your presentation. But relying too much on proof distracts you

from your real mission: emotional connection with your audience.

When you give a presentation, think of it as telling a story. We’re going to take some of the

key elements of story – a beginning, suspense, even a hero – and we’re going to use those

to build more compelling, more effective, more resonate presentations.

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Why storytelling? Well, for one thing, it works! Whether it’s ghost stories around the

campfire, or Greek mythology that has survived for thousands of years, or even episodic

television – I’m talking about good old-fashioned television that was written, by the way,

not “reality” television – storytelling is a very human way of communicating. And that’s

because it resonates with us.

Stories are built not only to keep our attention but they are also built to be repeated, right?

So they we connect with them, and we share them. And that’s not a bad thing for your

idea.

Image: Andrew Forgrave via Flickr

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I’m not big on rules – more a fan of guidelines. So we won’t have many rules in this

webinar. But here is one important one: This is a presentation.

Seems obvious, right? But if you think about most of the really bad presentations you’ve

seen, ask yourself this: was that really a presentation, or was it just someone reading slides

to a group of people? Could that information have been conveyed just as effectively via a

report or even an email?

A presentation is not a report. And it is not a document.

So it might seem strange to be sitting in a webinar about how to create a great

presentation and have the presenter tell you that maybe you shouldn’t create one at all.

But, honestly, not everything should be a presentation. If someone says, “What’s your

presentation about?” And you say “It’s a recap of the third quarter help desk ticket

volume.” And that’s it. I mean, that’s really it. Like, your presentation is really just 30 slides

of bar charts and pie charts showing that we had 200 calls about Excel and 500 about

Outlook? Ask yourself: Is this really a presentation?

If you aren’t adding value – giving context, telling a story, or doing something other than

regurgitating the data points on your slides, then you’re not really giving a presentation.

You’re really giving a dramatic reading of a report.

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Sounds harsh, I know, but it’s really important. When you’re giving a presentation, it’s easy

to think it is about you. And in part two of this webinar, I’m even going to tell you – spoiler

alert! – that you’re the most important thing in the room. You are. But you’re not the most

important person in the room.

Self-centered people do not connect with audiences. No one wants to date a self-centered

person. No one wants to work with a self-centered person. And no one wants to listen to a

self-centered person stand up and give a presentation.

I know you don’t.

I bet you don’t.

And your audience doesn’t either. So don’t be that guy.

I told you we’re going to think of our presentation as a story. And every story has a hero,

right? But here’s the thing: You’re not the hero of this one.

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So if you’re not the hero, who are you?

You’re not Young Master Skywalker. You’re Yoda. Sorry. I know it’s not as sexy. But it’s true.

You’re the wise guide.

Image: www.imdb.com

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You’re not Neo. You’re The Oracle. The experienced advisor with a point of view.

By the way, I tried very hard to find an image from the first Matrix movie showing the REAL

Oracle because everyone knows the first Matrix movie was by far the best of the three, and

the original Oracle was far superior to the replacement Oracle. But since this isn’t Comic-

Con I’ll just put my nerd soapbox away and move to the next slide.

Image: www.imdb.com

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Ooh, I love a good 80s flashback! Here, of course, is Daniel – The Karate Kid! Guess what?

That’s not you! You are Mr. Miyagi. The sly-as-a-fox counselor who teaches young Daniel

without him even realizing he’s being schooled. Wax on…wax off.

So you’re not the hero. Big deal. You still have a critical role to play. After all, without

Miyagi, there is no Karate Kid. You have the most knowledge in the room. Or at least the

most information. I mean, I hope you do. But you have a mission, Miyagi: when you leave

the room your audience should know something they didn’t know before.

Image: www.imdb.com

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Okay, so if you’re not the hero, who is? It’s your audience, of course.

They’re the ones who will carry your message out into the world and, hopefully, champion it. To

connect with them, you need to spend some time thinking about who they are. And not as a single

entity, but as individuals.

You have to think about what makes them tick. Is there someone in the room who is particularly

fond of the software your presentation suggests we decommission? Know that and be prepared for

it. Build something into your presentation to address it specifically.

You have to spend time thinking about who’s on the receiving end of your story. Designing a

presentation without understanding your audience is like writing a love letter and addressing it “To

Whom It May Concern.”

Some of you might have heard me speak about empathy at this year’s Conference, and I believe it is

the key to successful connections. If you know your audience, you can frame information in ways

that resonate with them, and you’ll be able to pull from your own experience to share stories that

demonstrate you have common ground with them and you understand their perspective. Powerful

stuff.

Image: istockphotos.com

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So, a long time ago, like the 50s or something, Aristotle came up with this idea that a story

consists of three parts: Act 1 – the beginning; Act 2 – creatively known as “the middle” and

of course, Act 3 – the end.

I told you we’re going to use storytelling concepts to build the content for your

presentation, and Aristotle’s three act construct gives us the road map to build it. Sounds

simple, but it requires some thought and some discipline on your part. But I know you.

You’re up for a challenge.

So let’s take a look at each of the three parts.

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This is where all the magic – and all the hard work – happens. This is your story.

And every good story has a central theme to it. A Big Idea.

Time to figure out what yours is.

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The linchpin of your presentation is your Big Idea. What is your presentation really about?

What is the thing you want to communicate? Why does it matter?

So the very first thing you need to do is figure out what your Big Idea is. It’s not quite as

simple as it sounds.

To help, we’ll take a cue from Nancy Duarte’s great book Resonate. According to her, in

order to be effective, every Big Idea has to have three critical characteristics.

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Even though you’re not the hero of this story, Miyagi, you are the one in front of the room.

So the story should be told from your point of view. Here’s why this matters:

1. Telling the story from your point of view makes you the undisputed subject matter

expert. After all, your point of view is based on your experience, your knowledge, and

your experience, right? So you’re automatically the authority.

2. Telling the story from your point of view makes it personal. If you’ve given the Big Idea

enough thought to have a point of view on it, then you must care about it. And when

you care about something it shows and that helps me as an audience member connect

with your story. You’re invested, so I’m more likely to invest.

Image: John Tseng via Flickr

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Look out – it’s a homonym!

Since it’s Halloween, I couldn’t resist these wooden stakes…just a little nod to all you

Vampire fans out there. But of course, when I say your Big Idea has to convey the stakes, I

don’t really mean the wooden kind. Unless you’re speaking to a bunch of lumberjacks, I

guess.

But I digress.

Your Big Idea needs to tell your audience what’s at stake…why should they care enough to

take up your cause or come around to see things your way?

Let’s take a look at an example.

Image: Bernd Loos via Flickr

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This is an idea.

But it doesn’t grab me.

Doesn’t move me.

It’s just an idea. It’s not a Big Idea.

What’s at stake if we don’t do this? What’s driving your point of view?

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This?

Well, this has Big Idea written all over it.

First of all, you’re talking about security, which is a real buzzword these days, and rightfully

so, and that has emotional power. Fear. And, you also grabbed my attention with that dollar

figure, right?

So, security and money…those are definitely stakes. And I can see where your point of view

is rooted.

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I couldn’t really find a great image to reinforce the idea of “complete sentence,” so when all

else fails, I just opt for a random image of Domo. I also admit that I enjoy the irony of the

caption.

In any case, the point is the third characteristic your Big idea needs is that you should be

able to express it in a complete sentence. With a subject. And a verb. And if you can work

the word “you” into that sentence? Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Let’s take a look at another example.

“Hey, Domo – what’s your presentation about?”

Image: Julia Montgomery

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Eh.

Big whoop, right? I mean, that’s vague at best. Upgrading to Office 2010. What about it? Is

it good? Is it bad? Are you for it? Are you against it?

What happens if we don’t?

Let’s try this one again.

“Hey, Domo, what’s your presentation about?”

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That’s more like it.

So I’m pretty sure I understand your point of view now. You’re for it. And you also told me

why. And you told me why in a way that makes me think I would like it, too.

Looks like we got:

- A point of view

- The stakes

- And a complete sentence

So now we can take this Big Idea and use it as the foundation upon which we’ll build our

presentation. We just got the plot of our story.

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But wait – there’s a bonus round!

Nancy Duarte’s Three Characteristics of A Big Idea are right on the money. But I think your

Big Idea needs a fourth component: Emotion.

That’s a big ball of wax – I mean, there are a whole lot of emotions out there. So to make it

simpler, I’ll boil it down to two to choose from:

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Don’t panic! We’re not going to veer into 50 Shades of Gray territory here. That’s a

different webinar altogether.

When thinking about the emotional component of your presentation, choose either

pleasure or pain to frame up your story using one of these perspectives:

- I’m going to tell the story of the increased pain and reduced pleasure that will be the

result if we don’t adopt this idea.

- I’m going to tell the story of the increased pleasure and reduced pain that will be the

result if we do adopt this idea.

Image: Michelle Gendron via Flickr

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Holy cow, did I just peg the Nerdometer with this picture or what?

Okay, so a lot of the stuff we technologists present is data. And, I’m sure we can all agree that numbers

are just about the most scintillating thing in the world, right? Like, who doesn’t want to sit through a

deck of 50 bar charts mapping out number after mind-numbing number? Am I right? You’re laughing (I

hope), but let’s be honest: we have all been in a presentation exactly like that.

Our job as the storyteller is to give context and meaning to the data. And what we need to help us do

that is ideas.

So using your Big Idea as the guide, your next job is to generate as many related ideas as possible. Steal

shamelessly from others – keeping notes so you can be sure to credit/cite your sources later, of course!

Look at industry studies and publications, like ILTA’s Peer to Peer. Or surveys like the AmLaw 200 survey

on technology training trends that Traveling Coaches published earlier this year. See what I did there?

Shameless plug.

Another option is to generate ideas yourself. If you opt to go this route, then just let yourself think

about the Big Idea with no preconceived notions or limitations. If you could have a piece of information

that would really help tell your story, what would it be?

As you’re collecting ideas that support and reinforce your Big Idea, keep this in mind: According to our

friend Aristotle, to effectively persuade someone your argument – or in our case, presentation – must

employee three types of information.

Image: Flickr user puntxote

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The first type of content you’ll need is Ethos, which is has an ethical appeal. What that

means is ideas that fall into this category help the audience connect with the Big Idea by

demonstrating shared values and experiences. Often this is a story you tell about your own

frustration or your own experience. “I can understand why you might be worried about X

because I ran into that myself…” or “Let me tell you about some of my own frustrations

with Y and you can tell me if they sound familiar to you…”

It’s sympathy and empathy. You understand the frustrations of the users and you

demonstrate that by sharing a common experience.

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Next up is Logos, which is logical content. Lots of time this is data – something we as

technologists often have plenty of. But when you’re thinking about what data to

incorporate, try and choose data that supports a claim or a point you’re trying to make. As

tech folks, we sometimes overload our presentation with data, but don’t neglect the other

two types of content.

Having said that, Logos is probably the most important type of content in your

presentation. I mean, far be it for me to pick favorites, but Logos really is the Big Daddy of

the three. Why? Because without data to back it up, the other two types of arguments can

collapse. So, make sure you work your data in there…but you’re not off the hook for the

other two types of content.

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Last but not least is Pathos. Pathos is emotional content. That doesn’t necessarily mean a

heartbreaking story that brings tears to the eyes of your audience, by the way. Fear is an emotion

too. And it’s a big motivator. You don’t want to terrify everyone – that’s only a very short-term

motivator and eventually turns folks against your idea. But a little fear can go a long way toward

making your point. Point is, there are a lot of emotions you can connect to with your content.

Recently, a client asked me to give a presentation to their secretaries about the evolving role of the

legal secretary. It just so happened that I got lucky enough to have Char LeMaire, our Chief Learning

Officer and one of the best presenters in the business, with me. So, of course, I tagged Char in,

because let’s be honest: when you have Michael Jordan on your team, you don’t leave him on the

bench.

Char shared a story with the secretaries about a friend of hers who had been a legal secretary to a

corner-office-Rainmaker type for many years. She felt she was untouchable at the firm, protected

by her partner. So when skills training was being pushed at the firm, she didn’t feel it was an

important thing for her. Char shared that her friend is now out of a job, and, at the age of 50-

something, living with her mother.

When she finished, you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

That is Pathos content at its finest. It resonates. It connects. It’s powerful.

So as you collect possible content for your presentation, make sure you keep an eye on whether

you’re covering all three types of appeals.

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Look! It’s a “cereal killer.”

The phrase “murder your darlings” is an old saying among writers. Sometimes you write a character that

you love, but they’re just not working in the story. It’s hard. You get personally connected to them. But

you have to kill ‘em off to make the story work. Murder your darlings.

And that’s what you’re going to do now. You’ve collected all this great information. You have really good

data. And you’ve rounded up plenty of emotional content and you have some shared experiences to

weave in there so your story is really going to fire on all cylinders and resonate with the audience.

Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and distill all that good stuff down to the most impactful and

powerful points – the very core of your story.

The reason this is so tough is that you probably feel all the stuff you’ve collected is good. Heck, who are

we kidding, you probably think it’s all great. And you know what? It just might be. But when was the last

time you heard someone say “Man, I wish that PowerPoint presentation had been longer?”

These are words spoken by no one, ever, in the history of ever.

This really is one of the hardest parts of the entire process. But if you don’t distill your information, you

will absolutely lose your audience. Why? Because you’re making them work too hard to figure out the

important parts. EVERY part has to be important. You audience wants you to make it clearer – not make

it longer. So…how do you do it?

Image: Mariana Salas

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Remember that Big Idea of yours? Well, it’s going to be the litmus test for weeding out your content and

distilling it down to its most important elements.

You’re going to look at each of the supporting topics or pieces of data you have and cluster them in

related groups. So, for example, if your Big Idea is the 2010 Upgrade you might have a cluster of topics

related to training. Group those together. Doing this is going to you see where you have gaps in your story

– plot holes, if you will.

There are a couple of ways you can do this – but I find it much easier to do the whole thing without the

linear confines of PowerPoint. This process needs to be a bit more freeform and I think you need room to

stretch and rearrange things. And PowerPoint isn’t the right tool for the job.

Option one is to go high-tech and use a mindmapping tool. There are some good free, online tools like

Bubble.us | Mindomo | MindMeister.

Image: www.shutterstock.com

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Alternatively, you can use my preferred approach – the decidedly low-tech route. I put all

my ideas on sticky notes…and I color-code them. So, all the content that is an Ethos appeal

goes on blue post-its. Logos on yellow ones. And Pathos on hot pink ones. Then, I cluster all

the post-it notes that are about a similar concept – like training – together. Using this

approach helps me see that I might have some good topics around training, but all of it is

Logos…so I need to balance that out by dumping some of the Logos and bringing in some

Ethos and Pathos.

I know. I sound crazy.

But it’s a really great way to visually spot where you’re out of balance. I swear.

This might raise the question for you – beyond the question of “Are you crazy?” I mean.

And that is the question of time. Yes, this does take some time. But I’d say a couple of

things about that: 1. The more you use this process, the faster it gets. And 2. Yes, it does

take time…and it shows in the end result.

As you go through your content and apply your Darwinian eye to it – only the strong

survive, right? – the content that is left standing is going to need some back up.

Image: Flickr user Tangolorina

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Next, you need to generate three to five supporting or related topics for each idea that

stays on the board…or the wall…or the mind map. Absolutely no more than five supporting

topics for each one. If you can stick to three for each, that’s the way to go.

So let’s revisit Domo’s Big Idea -- that Office 2010 upgrade example we keep coming back

to.

After weeding things out, let’s say one of the topics still in the lineup is Communications.

Now, let’s say the last time we had a big upgrade at the firm, we didn’t knock the

communications out of the park. That fact – that we didn’t do a great job with

communications last time – should be one of your “supporting” items for Communications

in this presentation. I know it doesn’t sound like it’s very “supporting,” but you’re

demonstrating your knowledge, you’re empathizing via a shared experience, and you’re

taking the wind out of the sails of those in your audience who would latch on to that past

failure and use it as resistance to this project.

So when I say a “supporting” idea, just keep in mind that it might not look like what you

typically think of as “supporting.” Maybe it’s more like “related.”

Image: Steven Smith

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So you’ve weeded through the topics and narrowed the field. You’ve pulled together the supporting

ideas for each of your topics.

Next, you need to structure your story. This is a critical step in the process because your audience

doesn’t want to have to figure out the flow of the story themselves – you need to structure it for

them.

There are lots of ways you can structure your story…use the approach that makes the most sense

for your topic and your information:

• Chronological

• Process sequence

• Spatial/relationship

• Problem-solution

• Compare-contrast

• Cause-effect

• Pros-Cons

Image: Flickr user Jean-Baptiste Strobel

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Okay, let’s pause for a moment for a quick sailing lesson.

When you sail against the wind, the sails have to frequently repositioned to harness the

wind. If you do it right, the boat actually sails faster than the wind itself, even though the

wind is opposing it. I don’t even know exactly what all that means. I read it on eHow or

something.

The point is: you can’t sail straight into the wind. You zig-zag into it. By the way, I’m almost

sure that “zig-zag” isn’t the proper sailing term for this, but just work with me.

So, where am I going with all this? Well, it’s an analogy, don’tcha know!

Your presentation has a destination, just like those sailboats. Your destination is your Big

Idea. And just like the sailboats run into wind resistance, your idea is likely to encounter

resistance among your audience. See what I did there? Clever, eh?

So how do you overcome resistance?

Zig zag into it!

Photo: Val Vieregener via Flickr

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The zig-zagging in your story is the drama that keeps your audience’s interest.

You use those zig zags – we actually call them turning points when we’re writing a story –

to engage your audience.

You might use a “What is” versus “What could be” approach. Or maybe you compare and

contrast scenarios. For example, your zig might be “Last year, we spent X number of hours

on work that wasn’t billable because we didn’t have this software in place.” Then, you turn

into the zag – “Next year, with software Y in place, the firm could increase revenue by Z by

using the new automation features.” What is v. what could be.

There are two things to keep in mind:

1. There is something very comforting, and very engaging about repetition. Use that to

your advantage and build a pattern to your zig zags.

2. Make the gap between the zig and the zag as wide as possible. Really emphasize the

difference and the disparity.

Image: Flickr user {Andrea}

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When your presentation is over, is that the end of things? Maybe. But maybe it’s just the

beginning. Maybe you now need the hero to take up the cause and do something. And,

hopefully, you’ve told a story compelling enough for them to want to do that.

But what is it you want the hero to do?

Your presentation should include a call to action. When they leave the room excited about

what you’ve told them, then what?

You might need them to provide resources, like money. You might need them to participate

in a beta or a test group. Or you might just want them to evangelize the good word out to

others.

When you create your call to action, keep in mind who your audience is. If your audience is

a group of secretaries, crafting a call to action that asks your audience to provide you with

funding isn’t the right fit. So take the knowledge you have about your audience and craft a

call to action that’s within their control.

And be specific: your call to action should be so specific folks know exactly what you want

them to do.

Image: Flickr user mqmazemaster

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Not all great ideas are painless.

And, depending on what your Big Idea is, it might come with some pain.

It’s important to be honest about the sacrifices or risks or hardships that your audience can

expect if the Big Idea moves forward. Acknowledge it. Own it. When you do, you take away

the power it has a resistance point. And you’re also strengthening your connection to the

audience by showing empathy.

Image: Chris Tirpak via Flickr

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The end. Finally!

The end of your presentation should recap the most important points from your story, with

emphasis on the positive outcomes that would result from your idea.

One note about this: This is the last moment to build their excitement and engagement

before they walk out the door. This webinar has been focused on building content and not

on the delivery of it. But I really want to throw in one important note here about delivery:

in this last moment, if you are not excited, or filled with wonder or enthusiasm, they won’t

be either. The tone you take when you deliver your closing will carry over to your audience

and influence the tone they take with them when they leave the room.

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Wait, wait, wait…we forgot something.

Now that you know the story you’re going to tell, you need to go back and write your first

act.

Your beginning should leverage all the good stuff you’ve put into your presentation that

demonstrates that you understand where your audience’s thinking lies. You want to build

the connection at the outset. Then comes the tease – as part of your beginning, give them

a glimpse of what could be – what story are you going to tell them. You know you’re about

to tell a story that is filled with dramatic tension created by comparing and contrasting –

what is v. what could be – so use the last part of your beginning to set the hook. You’re

setting their expectation for what’s ahead.

The beginning shouldn’t be long. Ideally, it’s no longer than 10% of your total time.

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Well, you might have noticed that we just spent an hour talking about creating a

presentation and you haven’t built a single slide. Not one.

If you’re going to put this much effort into your content then don’t you want to create

slides that showcase your story in the best possible light?

Of course you do.

And in the second part of this webinar, that’s exactly what we’ll do. We’ll cover practical

tips, tricks and best practices for building powerful, engaging and downright beautiful

slides. We’ll talk color, fonts and even some insider PowerPoint “how to” shortcuts.

Did I sell you yet? I hope so. And I hope to see you all back here for part two next week.

Image: Matt Thorn via Flickr

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Get in touch!

I’d love to hear if this process works for you and how it changes the way you think about

and approach your own presentations.

Cheers!

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