A presentation formula for success
A spin of Jobs-to-be-done, rhetorical triangle, and storytelling makes the perfect presentation
Have you ever stressed about an upcoming presentation or struggling with how to convey your message? This article will help you understand this formula for a perfect presentation but be aware that it requires preparation.
Introduction
Every presentation is about conveying a message, alter behavior or create action in your audience. Without this your presentation is pointless.
Many and including me have been in the pain of standing presenting something that does not mean anything to anyone. You are the filler occupying the space for an audience that does not care.
From my past mistakes, I started creating a framework to help me prepare for presentations that I enjoyed doing with a high success rate.
Crafting the why of your presentation
In my work as a product manager, the jobs-to-be-done framework is phenomenal. It helps me understand how to design features and products with the intent of improving a users task.
Before every important presentation, I prepare myself by researching and writing down in a similar way as jobs-to-be-done.
Time & space
Describe the situation that you will present in. Where will it be, who will be there, what technology will be used and are you going to present by yourself or with others?
Their motivation
Describe why people are there to listen to what you got to say. What tasks do they need your information to get done? Why are you there to present for them? How can this presentation help them reach their goals?
Your motivation
Describe what you want out of the presentation. What is the expected outcome that you want to reach? What will be a win for you?
Once completed this can be shared with internal stakeholders and presenters to align before a presentation. Because once you know the What it’s easier to build a cohesive narrative. Also, remember that the presentation is not about you but the audience.
Developing the narrative
As a presenter, you are the director whose job is to connect with the audience with intent. You have to create an emotional & informative journey that reach the audience & your motivations.
As for any 15min–1h presentation I want to include the following three key aspects taken from the rhetorical triangle of persuasion.
- Persuade the audience that you and your presentation is truthful and can be trusted.
- Prove to the audience that you and your presentations reasoning, logic and conclusions make sense.
- Evoke emotions in the audience by providing clues and cues on what to feel and think while listening
For most presentations 1 & 2 is highly contextual of who you are and what you are presenting. So I want to focus on number 3 and how to evoke emotions in your narrative.
So let’s deep dive into number 3.
Storytelling as an art form
Theatre, movies and tv shows have been the last millennia’s great storytellers that evoke feelings of love, hate, joy and sadness in the audience.
These stories are almost always about people, or animals, aliens, gods or robots that act like they are people. What set great stories apart is that they still observe people truthfully and capture the human experience with nuance and insights.
The best stories make these observations about our own humanity and show us things about ourselves that we did not know or teach us how to articulate what we are feeling.
One concept that helped great filmmakers to do this is the “three-act story structure.” It has a clear structure that has been proven to time and time again. You can read more in-depth about it here.
This type storytelling holds up no matter if it’s for the CFO purchasing a new accounting software, the CMO listening to an agency pitch about an innovation project or an overweight person listening to an exercise motivation presentation.
By combining the rest of the formulayour three acts should mix all strategies into one conclusive narrative aimed for your expected outcome.
Establish
Introduce yourself and set the stage of what this journey will be. Think of how you know that you are watching a horror movie often just a few seconds into the film. By doing this your audience will be prepared and if developed correctly anticipate what’s coming next.
Build confidence
Start telling your narrative by weaving it together with your audience motivation. Use comparisons, analogies, and metaphors to keep your content relatable and connected.
For most sales presentations this is the area where you want to develop a clear hero and villain narrative on why choosing your solution and why you are the hero in the story.
Persuade
In the last act, the audience should know what the conclusion will be. This is where you utilize content as stories, inspirational quotes, and vivid language to take things from logical to emotional. Hopefully, your audience has now concluded what they think about your proposal. Once achieved you can ease their decision by providing them time for self-reflection.
The last part is to bring them towards the next step on their journey which should be your motivation and expected outcome that you created from the start.
Your next presentation with this framework
Imagine yourself being prepared like this before your next presentation. Would you feel more confident and ready? Would it feel easier to reach your goals & motivations?
The only way to find out is to try.
