Find the Perfect Mix of Data and Narrative by Nancy Duarte Most presentations lie somewhere on the continuum between a report and a story. A report is data-rich, exhaustive, and informative—but not very engaging. Stories help a speaker connect with an audience, but listeners often want facts and information, too. Great presenters layer story and information like a cake, and understand that different types of talks require differing ingredients. From Report: Literal, Informational, Factual, Exhaustive...Research Findings If your goal is to communicate information from a written report, send the full document to the audience in advance, and limit the presentation to key takeaways. Don’t do a long slide show that repeats all your findings. Anyone who’s really interested can read the report; everyone else will appreciate brevity. Financial Presentation Financial audiences love data, and they’ll want the details. Satisfy their analytical appetite with facts, but add a thread of narrative to appeal to their emotional side. Then present the key takeaways visually, to help them find meaning in the numbers. Product Launch Instead of covering only specs and features, focus on the value your product brings to the world. Tell stories that show how real people will use it and why it will change their lives. VC Pitch For 30 minutes with a VC, prepare a crisp, well-structured story arc that conveys your idea compellingly in 10 minutes or less; then let Q&A drive the rest of the meeting. Anticipate questions and rehearse clear and concise answers. Keynote Address Formal talks at big events are high-stakes, high-impact opportunities to take your listeners on a transformative journey. Use a clear story framework and aim to engage them emotionally. ...to Story: Dramatic, Experiential, Evocative, Persuasive Nancy Duarte is the author of HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations, Slide:ology, and Resonate. She is the CEO of Duarte, Inc., which designs presentations and teaches presentation development.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:38:04 +0000
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