After studying hundreds of speeches, I’ve found that the most effective presenters use the same techniques as great storytellers: By reminding people of the status quo and then revealing the path to a better way, they set up a conflict that needs to be resolved. That tension helps them persuade the audience to adopt a new mindset or behave differently — to move from what is to what could be. And by following Aristotle’s three-part story structure (beginning, middle, end), they create a message that’s easy to digest, remember, and retell. Here’s how it looks when you chart it out: And here’s how to do it in your own presentations.Craft the Beginning After you set that baseline of what is, introduce your vision of what could be. The gap between the two will throw the audience a bit off balance, and that’s a good thing — it jars them out of complacency. For instance: What is: We fell short of our Q3 financial goals partly because we’re understaffed and everyone’s spread too thin. What could be: But what if we could solve the worst of our problems by bringing in a couple of powerhouse clients? Well, we can. Once you establish that gap, use the rest of the presentation to bridge it Develop the Middle Let’s go back to that Q3 update. Revenues are down, but you want to motivate employees to make up for it. Here’s one way you could structure the middle of your presentation: What is: We missed our Q3 forecast by 15%. What could be: Q4 numbers must be strong for us to pay out bonuses. What is: We have six new clients on our roster. What could be: Two of them have the potential to bring in more revenue than our best clients do now. What is: The new clients will require extensive retooling in manufacturing. What could be: We’ll be bringing in experts from Germany to help. As you move back and forth between what is and what could be, the audience will find the latter more and more alluring. Make the Ending Powerful So if you’re wrapping up that Q3 update from above, you might approach it this way: Call to action: It will take extra work from all departments to make Q4 numbers, but we can deliver products to our important new clients on time and with no errors. New bliss: I know everyone’s running on fumes — but hang in there. This is our chance to pull together like a championship team, and things will get easier if we make this work. The reward if we meet our Q4 targets? Bonuses, plus days off at the end of the year. By defining future rewards, you show people that getting on board will be worth their effort. It’ll meet their needs, not just yours. This is the fourth post in Nancy Duarte’s blog series on creating and delivering presentations, based on tips from her new book, the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations. Read
the other posts here: Updated August 03, 2018 - Dom Barnard For many people the thought of delivering a presentation is a daunting task and brings about a great deal of nerves. However, if you take some time to understand how effective presentations are structured and then apply this structure to your own presentation, you’ll appear much more confident and relaxed. Here is our complete guide for structuring your presentation, with examples at the end of the article to demonstrate these points. Why is structuring a presentation so important?If you’ve ever sat through a great presentation, you'll have left feeling either inspired or informed on a given topic. This isn’t because the speaker was the most knowledgeable or motivating person in the world. Instead, it’s because they know how to structure presentations - they have crafted their message in a logical and simple way that has allowed the audience can keep up with them and take away key messages. Research has supported this, with studies showing that audiences retain structured information 40% more accurately than unstructured information. In fact, not only is structuring a presentation important for the benefit of the audience’s understanding, it’s also important for you as the speaker. A good structure helps you remain calm, stay on topic, and avoid any awkward silences. What will affect your presentation structure?Generally speaking, there is a natural flow that any decent presentation will follow which we will go into shortly. However, you should be aware that all presentation structures will be different in their own unique way and this will be due to a number of factors, including:
Before choosing the presentation's structure answer these questions first:
When reading the points below, think critically about what things may cause your presentation structure to be slightly different. You can add in certain elements and add more focus to certain moments if that works better for your speech. What is the typical presentation structure?This is the usual flow of a presentation, which covers all the vital sections and is a good starting point for yours. It allows your audience to easily follow along and sets out a solid structure you can add your content to. 1. Greet the audience and introduce yourselfBefore you start delivering your talk, introduce yourself to the audience and clarify who you are and your relevant expertise. This does not need to be long or incredibly detailed, but will help build an immediate relationship between you and the audience. It gives you the chance to briefly clarify your expertise and why you are worth listening to. This will help establish your ethos so the audience will trust you more and think you're credible. Read our tips on How to Start a Presentation Effectively Build Career Skills OnlineFast-track your career with award-winning courses and realistic practice. Start a Free Trial 2. IntroductionIn the introduction you need to explain the subject and purpose of your presentation whilst gaining the audience's interest and confidence. It's sometimes helpful to think of your introduction as funnel-shaped to help filter down your topic:
In this section also explain:
The way you structure your introduction can depend on the amount of time you have been given to present: a sales pitch may consist of a quick presentation so you may begin with your conclusion and then provide the evidence. Conversely, a speaker presenting their idea for change in the world would be better suited to start with the evidence and then conclude what this means for the audience. Keep in mind that the main aim of the introduction is to grab the audience's attention and connect with them. 3. The main body of your talkThe main body of your talk needs to meet the promises you made in the introduction. Depending on the nature of your presentation, clearly segment the different topics you will be discussing, and then work your way through them one at a time - it's important for everything to be organised logically for the audience to fully understand. There are many different ways to organise your main points, such as, by priority, theme, chronologically etc.
When planning your presentation write a list of main points you want to make and ask yourself "What I am telling the audience? What should they understand from this?" refining your answers this way will help you produce clear messages. 4. ConclusionIn presentations the conclusion is frequently underdeveloped and lacks purpose which is a shame as it's the best place to reinforce your messages. Typically, your presentation has a specific goal - that could be to convert a number of the audience members into customers, lead to a certain number of enquiries to make people knowledgeable on specific key points, or to motivate them towards a shared goal. Regardless of what that goal is, be sure to summarise your main points and their implications. This clarifies the overall purpose of your talk and reinforces your reason for being there. Follow these steps:
5. Thank the audience and invite questionsConclude your talk by thanking the audience for their time and invite them to ask any questions they may have. As mentioned earlier, personal circumstances will affect the structure of your presentation. Many presenters prefer to make the Q&A session the key part of their talk and try to speed through the main body of the presentation. This is totally fine, but it is still best to focus on delivering some sort of initial presentation to set the tone and topics for discussion in the Q&A. Other common presentation structuresThe above was a description of a basic presentation, here are some more specific presentation layouts: DemonstrationUse the demonstration structure when you have something useful to show. This is usually used when you want to show how a product works. Steve Jobs frequently used this technique in his presentations.
Problem-solutionThis structure is particularly useful in persuading the audience.
StorytellingAs well as incorporating stories in your presentation, you can organise your whole presentation as a story. There are lots of different type of story structures you can use - a popular choice is the monomyth - the hero's journey. In a monomyth, a hero goes on a difficult journey or takes on a challenge - they move from the familiar into the unknown. After facing obstacles and ultimately succeeding the hero returns home, transformed and with newfound wisdom. Another popular choice for using a story to structure your presentation is in media ras (in the middle of thing). In this type of story you launch right into the action by providing a snippet/teaser of what's happening and then you start explaining the events that led to that event. This is engaging because you're starting your story at the most exciting part which will make the audience curious - they'll want to know how you got there.
Remaining methodThe remaining method structure is good for situations where you're presenting your perspective on a controversial topic which has split people's opinions.
TransitionsWhen delivering presentations it's important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it's all relevant. This can be done using speech transitions which are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified. Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence - there are many different forms, here are some examples: Moving from the introduction to the first pointSignify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:
Shifting between similar pointsMove from one point to a similar one:
Internal summariesInternal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:
Physical movementYou can move your body and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest. A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:
Build Career Skills OnlineFast-track your career with award-winning courses and realistic practice. Start a Free Trial Key slides for your presentationSlides are a useful tool for most presentations: they can greatly assist in the delivery of your message and help the audience follow along with what you are saying. Key slides include:
There are some presenters who choose not to use slides at all, though this is more of a rarity. Slides can be a powerful tool if used properly, but the problem is that many fail to do just that. Here are some golden rules to follow when using slides in a presentation:
Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a 10-20-30 rule:
Here are some additional resources for slide design:
Group PresentationsGroup presentations are structured in the same way as presentations with one speaker but usually require more rehearsal and practices. Clean transitioning between speakers is very important in producing a presentation that flows well. One way of doing this consists of:
From this example you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged. Example of great presentation structure and deliveryHaving examples of great presentations will help inspire your own structures, here are a few such examples, each unique and inspiring in their own way. How Google Works - by Eric Schmidt
This presentation by ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt demonstrates some of the most important lessons he and his team have learnt with regards to working with some of the most talented individuals they hired. The simplistic yet cohesive style of all of the slides is something to be appreciated. They are relatively straightforward, yet add power and clarity to the narrative of the presentation. Start with why - by Simon Sinek
Since being released in 2009, this presentation has been viewed almost four million times all around the world. The message itself is very powerful, however, it’s not an idea that hasn't been heard before. What makes this presentation so powerful is the simple message he is getting across, and the straightforward and understandable manner in which he delivers it. Also note that he doesn't use any slides, just a whiteboard where he creates a simple diagram of his opinion. The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout - by Rick Rigsby
Here’s an example of a presentation given by a relatively unknown individual looking to inspire the next generation of graduates. Rick’s presentation is unique in many ways compared to the two above. Notably, he uses no visual prompts and includes a great deal of humour. However, what is similar is the structure he uses. He first introduces his message that the wisest man he knew was a third-grade dropout. He then proceeds to deliver his main body of argument, and in the end, concludes with his message. This powerful speech keeps the viewer engaged throughout, through a mixture of heart-warming sentiment, powerful life advice and engaging humour. As you can see from the examples above, and as it has been expressed throughout, a great presentation structure means analysing the core message of your presentation. Decide on a key message you want to impart the audience with, and then craft an engaging way of delivering it. By preparing a solid structure, and practising your talk beforehand, you can walk into the presentation with confidence and deliver a meaningful message to an interested audience. In summaryIt's important for a presentation to be well-structured so it can have the most impact on your audience. An unstructured presentation can be difficult to follow and even frustrating to listen to. The heart of your speech are your main points supported by evidence and your transitions should assist the movement between points and clarify how everything is linked. Research suggests that the audience remember the first and last things you say so your introduction and conclusion are vital for reinforcing your points. Essentially, ensure you spend the time structuring your presentation and addressing all of the sections. What does it mean to say that a speech outline has a visual framework?The visual framework of a speech is based on the speaker's plan for using visual aids. True. Delivery cues on a speaking outline remind a speaker how to say something, rather than what to say.
Why is it important to outline and organize the content of your speech?Outlines help organize a message that the audience can understand by visually showing the balance and proportion of a speech. Outlines can help you deliver clear meanings by serving as the foundation for speaking notes you will use during your presentation.
What outline is constructed during the process of putting your speech together?A preparation outline is the full sentence outline used to construct and organize all of the components in your speech. The speaking outline is the outline used as speaking notes to remind the speaker of the parts of a speech during delivery.
How can an outline enhance your speech?An outline helps you, at a glance, to visualize your entire speech. This ensures that all of your main points, their corresponding supporting points, and evidence, can be placed in their appropriate places. An outline does not need to be long or substantial. In fact, each line in an outline should be very concise.
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