What separates an effective presentation from one that is quickly forgotten? It isn’t simply polished slides, impressive statistics or sophisticated presentation software. The strongest presenters understand how to tell a story.
In his Harvard Business Review article, What the Best Presenters Do Differently, communication expert Carmine Gallo explains that our minds are naturally drawn to stories. As he puts it, “Our minds are wired for story.”
Here are five of the article’s key lessons and how you can put them into practice.
1. Build the story before opening PowerPoint
It can be tempting to begin a new presentation by choosing a template and filling slides with headings and bullet points. However, attractive slides cannot compensate for a message that lacks direction.
Before designing anything, decide what story you want to tell. What is the central idea? What problem needs to be addressed? Who is affected, and what should your audience understand or do by the end?
A useful process is to:
Write the message in complete sentences, as though you were explaining it to another person.
Sketch the main stages of the story on paper or a whiteboard.
Gather the photographs, graphics, videos or other material that will help bring it to life.
Your slides should support the story rather than become the story.
2. Use images to support your message
Text-heavy slides divide an audience’s attention between reading and listening. Strong visual storytelling allows the presenter to remain at the centre of the experience.
Gallo uses astronaut Chris Hadfield’s TED Talk as an example. Hadfield took viewers into the unfamiliar world of space through photographs, animation and video rather than filling his slides with written explanations.
This doesn’t mean every slide needs an elaborate image. It means choosing visuals that help people understand, feel or remember your message. Use photographs, diagrams and carefully designed graphics where they communicate an idea more clearly than another list of bullet points.
3. Give data a human meaning
Numbers may provide evidence, but numbers alone rarely create an emotional connection.
Instead of presenting a large collection of statistics, show what the information means for a real person, customer, employee or community. A figure becomes more memorable when the audience understands who it affects and why it matters.
For example, rather than simply reporting that a new medical technology produces faster results, tell the story of the kind of patient whose outcome could be improved by receiving an earlier diagnosis.
Keep the evidence, but place it within a relatable human context.
4. Include an element of surprise
Predictable presentations are easy to tune out. When every slide follows the same format, an audience can begin anticipating what comes next rather than actively paying attention.
A surprising demonstration, revealing comparison, unexpected image or dramatic change of pace can reset that attention.
Gallo points to Steve Jobs introducing the original iPod. Instead of relying solely on technical specifications, Jobs physically removed the tiny device from his pocket, reinforcing the memorable promise of carrying 1,000 songs wherever you went.
Your surprise does not need to be theatrical. It simply needs to break the pattern and reinforce the idea you want people to remember.
5. Rehearse it as a performance
Quietly clicking through slides is not the same as practising a presentation.
Deliver the presentation aloud and under conditions that resemble the real event. Practise where you will pause, where your pace should change and which points need extra emphasis. If you will present while standing, rehearse standing. If it will be delivered online, practise seated in front of the camera.
Rehearsing aloud also reveals awkward wording, unnecessary repetition and transitions that do not flow naturally.
A practical presentation checklist
Before delivering your next presentation, ask yourself:
Can I explain the central message in one or two sentences?
Does the presentation have a clear beginning, development and conclusion?
Have I created the story before designing the slides?
Does each slide support what I am saying?
Can some of the written content be replaced with a meaningful image?
Have I explained why the data matters to real people?
Is there an unexpected or especially memorable moment?
Is the final action or takeaway clear?
Have I rehearsed the complete presentation aloud?
Am I prepared to engage with the audience rather than read from the screen?
The most memorable presenters do more than transfer information. They create an experience that helps an audience understand the message, connect with it and remember it.
This article was inspired by the ideas shared by Carmine Gallo in “What the Best Presenters Do Differently,” published by Harvard Business Review. Read the original article for Gallo’s complete discussion and examples.
