How do you structure a presentation so your message sticks?
Speak in visuals, not bullet points. Use stories, analogies, and examples, each with a clear point, and aim for four things: the audience understands, remembers, is moved to action, and passes it on to others.
A presentation sticks when it is built around how people actually remember, not around slides full of text. The way to be memorable is to speak in visuals, and to use visuals instead of text on a screen.
Speak in visual terms
How do you speak in visual terms? Tell stories, use analogies, and make sure every one of them has a point or a message the audience clearly understood. That works far better than bullet points on a slide, which the audience reads and forgets. A vivid example lodges in memory in a way a bullet never will.
The four keys to a great presentation
- Understand. The audience has to grasp your point without effort.
- Remember. It has to still be with them tomorrow.
- Be moved to action. They should know exactly what to do next.
- Pass it on. It should be easy for them to repeat to someone else.
Structure every section against those four, and you stop delivering information and start delivering something that travels.