Nancy Duarte is one of the great experts on creating and delivering persuasive presentations. Her HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations is essential reading whether you’re preparing a TED talk or a quarterly update presentation for your boss.
She starts with the audience, which is exactly what you should do! “They came to see what you have to offer them. ” Right. Your presentation is a gift, not a performance. And I love Duarte, Inc.’s motto: “Never deliver a presentation you wouldn’t want to sit through.”
Nancy is a big proponent of stories – especially personal stories. “Audiences feel more affection for presenters who reveal their own challenges and vulnerabilities.” When Tim Ferriss asked Brené Brown about how open to be in a TED talk, she said, “If I’m not a little nauseous when I’m done I haven’t really shown up.” You probably aren’t a shame and vulnerability researcher, so you might not need to be that open, but no matter what you’re talking about, your audience wants to see and understand you and your idea. Every presentation needs to include stories. But there’s more!
“Your big idea is the one message you must communicate.” Nancy’s big idea always has two components: your point of view (your perspective on a subject) and what’s at stake (why the audience should care about your perspective). Your call to action, another vital component, springs from your big idea. What do you want your audience to know and do?
She’s also a big proponent of sound bites – those short memorable phrases that reporters love to hear in interviews are just as effective in presentations. I always aim to help my clients create soundbites that are saucy, thought-provoking and repeatable.
Finally, less is more. “If you don’t filter your presentation, the audience will have to – and people will resent you for making them work too hard . . . Cut mercilessly on their behalf.”
Nancy starts the section on preparation with this: “There’s no such thing as over-rehearsing your delivery.” Exactly.
She also includes excellent advice on creating good visuals; on Q&A; on communicating with your body, your facial expressions, your voice; on presenting via videoconference or webinar; on speaking with an interpreter; on managing social channels before, during and after your presentation.
It took me just over an hour to read this book. It is well worth an hour of your time!
Communication is the essential last mile in finding and motivating the right teams, acquiring strong allies, powerfully bonding with customers, and capturing mindshare with compelling stories. Nothing will serve you and your vision better than developing exceptional communication skills.
