Presenting to Win

Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story

Author : Jerry Weissman
Publisher : Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2003
ISBN : ISBN 0-13-046413-9
Pages :249

The Big Idea

Thousands or even millions of presentations are given by business executives and entrepreneurs to attract investors, creditors and clients. If you are one of those people who need to get their ideas across to an audience, you must remember that every presentation you make is mission-critical.

This book shows you how to turn dry presentations into fascinating narratives that will captivate your target market. Learn how to focus your presentations to what matters most to the audience. Find out how to get your message across to get that much needed reaction and investment.

Part 1 - You and Your Audience

The Problem with Presentations

Millions of presentations are made worldwide each day. Unfortunately, only a handful of these presentations will get their points across. Most of the presentations fail because they commit the 5 Cardinal Sins:

1. No clear point.

2. No audience benefit.

3. No clear flow.

4. Too detailed.

5. Too long.

Most of the people in business are quite busy. To be successful in telling your story and getting your point across, you must be concise. You must learn how to be straight to the point. Remember, you should only give the audience what they need to know.

Persuasion: Getting from Point A to Point B

All presentations have one thing in common. It is to get the audience from Point A to Point B. Point A is where the audience is at the start of the presentation (uninformative, dubious and resistant); and Point B is where you want them to be. To reach Point B, you need to persuade the audience to understand, believe and act in a certain way.

Audience Advocacy

To effectively communicate your goal to the audience and succeed in persuading them to move to Point B, follow these two simple rules:

1. Focus on the audience benefits instead of product features. Features are facts or qualities about you, the product or your company. Benefits are facts and qualities that help the audience. Features benefit you while benefits are relevant to the audience. Focus on what interests them and what they perceive to be important.

2. Understand the needs of the audience. Learn the interests of the audience. Find out what they treasure, their problems, their biases and other issues important to them. Focus on these interests during your presentation.

Part 2 - The Power of WIIFY

What’s In It For You? (WIIFY)

Before you start your presentation, state the benefits you can provide your audience. These benefits are your WIIFY.

By stating the WIIFY, you are opening yourself up to an opportunity. You are leading your audience to Point B. You are giving the audience a clear idea of what you are presenting and letting them know the benefits they can derive from your message.

When framing the WIIFY, do not lose track of your audience. Make it easy for your audience to understand your message. Do this and the audience will follow your lead.

Below are Six WIIFY Triggers:

1. This is important to you because… (the presenter fills in the blanks)

2. What does this mean to you? (the presenter explains)

3. Why am I telling you this? (the presenter explains)

4. Who cares? (You should care because…)

5. So what? (Here’s what…)

6. And…? (Here’s the WIIFY…)

Part 3 - Getting Creative: The Expansive Act of Brainstorming

An important factor to consider when making your presentation is that you have to get your story right. You should not burden the audience with too much information (Data Dump). Remember, most of the data you are providing them are information that they do not need. Having a very long and detailed presentation may make the audience tune out and this leads to failure.

Use Data Dump for preparation and not presentation. To effectively use numerous information, it is best that you brainstorm. It encourages creativity, randomness, focus and helps you consider which information to use.

Focus first before flow. Focus on what you want to present to the prospective audience before working on the flow of the presentation. This is critical to a successful presentation.

Managing the Brainstorm: Framework Form

To narrow your focus and set boundaries to your presentation, you need to focus on the following elements:

1. Point B - what is your goal? What is your point?

2. Audience - know the audience, identify knowledge levels and WIIFY.

3. External factors - these are factors independent of you and the audience.

4. Setting - the physical setting.

§ Who - Will you be presenting on your own or as a group?

§ When - How much time is allotted to you? Is there a Q&A portion?

§ Where - Will it be held in your office, in your audience’s territory or in a hotel?

§ What - What audio-visual aids will you be using? Will there be product presentation?

Here’s how to do the brainstorming effectively:

1. Use a large whiteboard or an easel with a large sheet of paper.

2. Gather your brainstorming team.

3. Chose one to write down the ideas on the white board.

4. Launch the session by having one call out his idea on what should be in the presentation.

5. Explore each concept as a group. Cluster the ideas into related concepts called roman columns. Determine the parent (main idea) and the children (sub-ideas).

6. Be flexible.

Part 4 - Finding Your Flow

After identifying the focus of your presentation, you need to concentrate on the flow. One group of ideas should jell well with the other groups. Make it easy for your audience to follow the presentation.

The 16 Flow Structures

1. Modular. A presentation with a loosely-organized structure. It may not be easy for your audience to follow. Modular presentations are ideal for presenting new products.

2. Chronological. A presentation that arranges ideas along a timeline, reflecting the order in which they occur. It is effective in presenting something that deals with change.

3. Physical. A presentation that organizes ideas according to its physical location or geography. This can be used when presenting distribution programs.

4. Spatial. A presentation that presents ideas according to the spatial view of the topic. For example: from top down, from bottom up, or from center out.

5. Problem/Solution. A presentation that has an appealing option as it has built-in WIIFY. This presentation is organized around a problem and the solution you are offering.

6. Issues/Actions. A presentation that is arranged around issues and the actions you will take to address them. This type is usually used by companies in a turn-around mode.

7. Opportunity/Leverage. This presentation’s structure appeals most to investors. It presents the business opportunities and the leverage derived from them.

8. Form/Function. A presentation that is ideal for presenting a single business concept, method or product that has various applications.

9. Features/Benefits. WIIFY is deeply woven into this presentation. You enumerate the features of the product or services you are offering and explain the tangible benefits the customers can derive from them. A product launch presentation can use this feature.

10. Case Study. This is a narrative of how your company solved a problem or met the needs of a client. This is an excellent way of capturing the audience’s attention.

11. Argument/Fallacy. This is a risky path to follow as it sounds defensive or touchy. Here you give arguments about your product or company and refute them by pointing out misleading notions.

12. Compare/Contrast. Choose this option with caution. Here you compare your company or product with a competitor and highlight the differences between them.

13. Matrix. This format organizes idea into a visual layout. Matrixes are diagrams which organize items according to combination of ideas or qualities. This is easy to follow and easy to remember.

14. Parallel Tracks. A presentation that drills down into a series of related ideas with identical sets of subsets for each idea.

15. Rhetorical Questions. A presentation that takes the point of view of the audience.

16. Numerical. A presentation that enumerates loosely connected ideas, data or opinions.

When selecting a flow structure for your presentation, consider these issues:

1. The presenter’s individual style.

2. The audience’s primary interest.

3. Innate story factors.

4. The established agenda.

5. Aesthetic sense.

Part 5 - Capturing Your Audience Immediately

Capturing your audience’s attention during the first few seconds of the presentation can spell success. Here are seven classic opening gambits or short statements that you can use to grab hold of your audience and launch your presentation.

Seven Classic Opening Gambits

1. Question. This should be directed to the audience. A well thought-out question involves and invokes the audience; gets them thinking about the message and how it relates to them.

2. Factoid. This is a simple, striking fact or statistic that should be directly related to your Point B and the theme of your presentation.

3. Retrospective/Prospective. This gives your audience an idea of how it was then, and how it is not. It puts problems and solutions into perspective.

4. Anecdote. An anecdote is a very short human interest story. It is an effective way to create empathy and to identity with the audience.

5. Quotation. This can be endorsement about your company from a respected and reliable source; or it can be something that was said by famous or respected people. It should capture your audience’s interest and should be relevant to your presentation or company.

6. Aphorism. This should be a familiar saying that grabs and navigates your audience’s attention. Be sure to use ones that are relevant to your presentation.

7. Analogy . This is an effective way to grab your audience’s attention. It compares two unrelated items or topics to explain the idea or product you are presenting.

You can combine several opening gambits as long as it is relevant and logical to your presentation. To make your opening gambit more effective, you should be able to link your audience’s interest to your goal or Point B.

To link the opening gambit to Point B, you need two additional stepping stones:

1. Unique Selling Proposition (USP). This is the fundamental premise of what your company offers.

2. Proof of Concept . This validates your USP.

Part 6 - Communicating Visually

A common mistake people make is loading their presentations with too much information and graphics. Remember, a presentation is not a business document or report.

Here are some tips to remember for powerful and effective graphic designs:

1. Presenter focus. Presentations should act as speaker support. It is the visual reinforcement of your idea or message.

2. Less is more. The less you put on the slide, the more effective it is. The minimalist slide design approach gives the audience only the least amount of information per slide, thus providing support to the speaker.

3. Eye sweep . Remember that when reading, human eyes move from left to right, from top to bottom. This is known as the eye sweep. When doing presentation graphics, minimize the audience’s eye sweep by providing minimal information per slide.

When doing presentations, you can use any of the four Graphic Design Elements:

1. Pictorial - Clip art, pictures, photos, maps, logos.

2. Rational - Tables, organization charts, matrices, hierarchies.

3. Text - Bullets and sentences.

4. Numeric - Numbers expressed in pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs, etc.

Part 7 - Making the Text Talk

Bullets vs. Sentences

Bullets are used to express a core idea. Keep bullets short but giving the audience relevant information. Present headlines only and avoid word warps (having two lines or eye sweep per bullet) when making bullets.

Sentences can be used when you refer to a specific quotation. Otherwise, keep them to a minimum. Rely on bullets to support your presentation. Bullets minimize eye sweeps making for an effective presentation.

Crafting Effective Bullet Slides

1. Less is more. Slide should contain one key word expressed on one line.

2. Avoid subtitles.

3. Bullets should contain key words only (nouns, verbs, modifiers).

4. Avoid having too many bullets in one slide.

5. Use only one symbol for all bullets.

You can also minimize eye sweeps by doing your bullets in parallel or similar meanings. Write each bullet in the same grammatical form such as adjective + noun. This makes it easier for your audience to see this relationship, absorb the message quickly and turn their attention back to you.

You can add value to minimize eye sweep by building your bullets. You can reveal the bullets as you go along the presentation, keeping your audience in coordination with your flow.

When doing bullet levels, limit yourself to one sub-level only. Use symbols for the sub-level bullet.

Text Guidelines

1. Use possessives and plurals correctly and sparingly.

2. Keep font choices simple.

3. Have a consistent font as well as choice of case.

4. Have proportional spacing.

5. Keep font size to a minimum of 24 to 28 points.

6. Keep visuals interesting but not to heavy.

7. Use graphics that enhance clarity and attractiveness of slide design.

8. Avoid clutter in a slide.

9. Create a consistent look and feel.

10. Avoid abbreviations.

11. Add shadows and bolding to make text more legible.

12. Use sharp contrast.

13. Insert company logo but treat it as a subtle effect.

14. Use blank spaces.

Part 8 - Making the Numbers Sing

Apply the three effective ways of doing presentations (presenter focus, less is more, and eye sweep) when making numerical presentations. This will help you bridge the gap between those who understand the numbers and those who don’t.

You can use pie charts, bar or line graphs to represent the numbers and get your ideas across. Still, you must keep it simple. Do not clutter your presentation with too much information. Eliminate unnecessary symbols, words, numbers, scales and legends.

Part 9 - Using Graphics to Help Your Story Flow

Just like narrating a story on written form, presentations should flow logically. There should be an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

Each slide must show its link with the preceding one. Design your slides to express these linkages by having a set of visual tools to convey connectivity.

Before any presentation, examine it as a whole. Take a panoramic view of the presentation through Microsoft’s slide sorter or a story board.

Graphic Continuity Techniques

1. Bumper Slides. Each part is separated from the next one by a full page containing a title (text), an image or a symbol. It closes the previous slide and leads the audience into the next one. This is effective in long presentations. They tell the audience where they have been, where they are and where they are going.

2. Indexing or Color Coding. Recurring objects and symbols are highlighted with different colors to map the different sections of the presentation. You can use this technique to present and discuss pie charts, different strategies and graphs. This is also effective in long presentations as it helps the audience keep track of the flow of the presentations.

3. Icons. Symbols are used to convey relationships among ideas. Well-chosen icons are excellent presentation tools.

4. Anchor objects. Images appear in a succession of slides to express relationship. The first slide contains the anchor image; the second slide retains the first image and is joined by a second image. In the third slide, another image joins the two previous images. This visual connection provides the audience with continuity.

5. Anticipation Space . An empty area is eventually filled during the course of the presentation.

Part 10 - Bringing Your Story to Life

After you have developed your story and have made the graphics to express your narrative, you must now practice your verbalization. You need to learn the precise language and words you can use to verbalize your ideas.

They key word here is Practice. Speak out loud as if you were doing an actual presentation. This will make you more confident thus conveying a more believable presence to your audience.

Use verbal linkages to tie one slide to the next or one group to another. Internal linkages are statements that tie together the different parts of your presentation while external linkages are statements that tie the various parts of your presentation to the audience.

12 Internal Linkages

1. Reference the Flow Structure. Make repeated reference to your primary idea as you go along your presentation.

2. Logical Transition. Clearly state the logical connection between one idea and the next.

3. Cross Reference. Make forward or backward reference to a subject in your presentation.

4. Rhetorical Question. Present a question and give your answer.

5. Recurring Theme. A subject recurs throughout the presentation.

6. Symmetry. You establish data or information at the start of the presentation and refer back to it at the end.

7. Mantra. Repeated use of a slogan or catchphrase.

8. Internal Summary. A review of what you have covered before proceeding to the next one. Good for long presentations.

9. Enumeration.

10. Do the Math. Put numerical information into perspective by interpreting, contrasting or comparing the numbers.

11. Point B reference. Reinforce your goal at the beginning and end of the presentation.

12. Say your company name. Refer to your company throughout the presentation.

Part 11 - Customizing Your Presentation

Remember that no two audiences are alike. Customize your presentation to cater to your particular audience. Customizing your presentation to fit the target market will make your audience feel they more important. As a result, they will remember your presentation.

External linkages help you bond your presentation to each specific audience. You can insert words, phrases, stories and other materials to customize your presentations.

Seven External Linkages

1. Direct Reference. Refer to the audience directly. You can refer to or mention a specific name or members in your audience.

2. Mutual Reference. Refer to a company or person that is relevant to you and your audience.

3. Ask Questions. Ask a question to one or more members of your audience directly.

4. Contemporize. Make reference to recent events.

5. Localize. Make reference to the venue. Find facts about the venue that relates to your presentation.

6. Data. Use current information and data that is relevant to your presentation.

7. Customize Opening Graphics . Start your presentation with a slide that includes your audience, date and venue.

Part 12 - Pitching in the Majors

Always end your presentation by reinforcing your idea. Tie up the presentation by going back to the beginning and emphasizing your goal. Keep in mind that a well prepared story enhances a presenter’s delivery skills thus making the presentation more effective.

To summarize, an effective presentation begins by knowing your Point B (goal) and how to get there. You need to Focus on essential elements or data that are beneficial to the audience. You need to know the WIIFY of your audience. Support your presentation with Less is More graphics to express your ideas clearly. Practice (verbalize) and Customize your presentation. This gives you confidence and flow, makes your presentation believable and conversational and gives the audience a fresh and vibrant presentation.