Be Brief, Be Bold and Make a Difference
In a professional context effective communication is all about the impact you make on people. I see a lot of emails, presentations, workshop preps and other attempts to convey information which all often lack the one and only essential ingredient to make an impact: a clearly stated key message. In this post you will find a comprehensive and basic methodology to create business presentations with impact.
Even though I sometimes create my own presentations and papers the largest part of my work is not tangible. That is because in order to create a great presentation the actual craft of creating slides is the smallest -and easiest- part of the work. 90% is deep analysis and thinking. Most of the time I receive positive feedback for my presentations the compliments are focused around the esthetics and the design of slides or about the look and feel that attracts people's attention. Though I welcome these compliments I often contemplate whether people realize the real value in my presentations and papers. The core value of any presentation is not its looks or its design, but the impact its core message delivers to the audience. Any presentation that fails to successfully deliver a core message and leaves its recipients without any significant impression is neither worth the time nor the effort to be created in the first place.
Consider this a basic starter's toolkit that you can later extend and build upon in your professional journey. Here is my secret four steps formula how to create business presentations with impact in a nutshell:
1. Define The Core Message
2. Work Out The Story Line
3. Elaborate On Key Statements
4. Create the Presentation
1. Define a Core Message
Your core message answers two questions: Why your message is important to your audience and how the future will be different for them. There's three basic rules for any core message: First, the message needs to be brief, concise and clear. It should not leave any room for interpretation. Second, the message needs to be original and bold in order to capture the audience's interest. Third, the message should leave an impact and stick with your audience in that it is remembered. Ideally your core message will concern your audience even way beyond the presentation itself.
In order to achieve that, the first step demands both creativity and empathy. Ask yourself this first: What kind of impact do you desire to make on your audience? Do you want to create awareness for a topic? Do you want to trigger a decision? Or maybe you want your audience to take some action? Clarifying the intended impact is already a good start. Next you'll have to ask yourself the 'So what?'-question. Why is your message important to your audience? Why do they need to listen to you? If you can answer both of the above questions in one sentence, congratulations! You just identified your core message. Now you can start the real work.
For example:
Facts: Your rental car is ready for you in front of the building. It's raining.
'So what': If your convertible's roof is not closed soon, you'll be in trouble.
Which one of these statements do you think would make a good key message?
2. Work Out The Story Line
A good story in a business context is the result of clear and concise statements that back the core message. A set of bold and concise statements can make a great story. Here you can be creative. There's really no wrong or right to do this, as long as you have a story. I see a lot of thoughtlessly and emotionlessly assorted sets of slides. That is the opposite of a story and chances are such presentations will not grasp the attention of anyone in the audience, let alone deliver any impact. People pay attention to stories. Have you ever been moved by a random set of slides or tables full of data? There's tons of tutorials out on the internet that will tell you how to tell a story 'right'. I also have a tendency to a certain methodology (#minto). In principle there is no right or wrong to tell a story - there's only effective and not effective ways. Whether your story is effective or not will always depend on the context and your specific audience. In the end you have a certain degree of liberty. You should consider this liberty as an opportunity and as an invitation to create a superb story. Make your next story the best you've ever told - make it count!
3. Elaborate On Key Statements
The statements in your story will be backed up by meticulously researched and undoubted facts, amazing analyses and smart conclusions. These will underline each statement and give power and authority to them. In the end this is the power and the authority that makes up the fabric of your core message. Eventually the sum of the effect of your presentations will reflect back on you, so it's always your reputation that is on the line. Remember this especially each time you are tempted to 'recycle' any content ;-) Working out your most important statements is also the first step where you will be able to create the first charts and visualizations that will help you underline your message in the later presentation. At this stage I strongly recommend sketching out the initial ideas on a board or on paper however and not on your computer in MS-Powerpoint. (Or Keynote, if you're on an Apple; As to date, MS-Powerpoint is still the most commonly used software for business presentations.)
4. Create the Presentation
The final step is to create the presentation itself. If you're a young professional: use every opportunity to create as many presentations as possible. It is a craft that will benefit you in the long run. This is a topic in itself that I might elaborate on in another post. Also you'll learn different styles of creating business presentations and a multitude of storylines. Seeing the stories being created is a privilege that should not be undervalued.
In case you're not the one who creates the slides, make sure your support staff has a clear understanding of your expectations and how you envision each slide. Give as much guidance as necessary but leave as much space for creative freedom as possible. Be clear about the look and feel and about the content but also leave some space for experiments. Make regular reviews and appoint feedback loops to minimize the risk of your support staff not creating the slides you envision. Don't micromanage however and don't ever (never ever!) create the slides yourself! If your support staff does not get it right, it's your fault and your fault only. Communicate clearly and have the courage to make and admit mistakes. A large part of creating decks as a team is to work together effectively and to create a productive working atmosphere based on trust. Trust your staff, they can do it. You'll be blown away occasionally by the creativity of motivated and enthusiastic supporters.
First Simulate then Stimulate
Finally, before you hold your presentation, occasionally it can be helpful to do a dry run or some kind of rehearsal. Even if it is only you alone who walks through the presentation by speaking it out loud, it will make all the difference. You might also do this in front of an audience of colleagues, who might reflect more on the subject matter. Another option is to do a dry run in front of complete outsiders, (e.g. your spouse, best friend, etc.) to acquire feedback on the logic and general story line.
I know how cheesy this might sound. Try it anyways. You have nothing to lose and potentially it will enable you to further tweak your presentation. Trust me, I've been there ... a few times :-)
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