Nancy Duarte - HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations

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Duarte, Nancy.

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Do you dread giving presentations? Maybe your mind goes blank when you sit down to generate ideas, or you struggle to organize your fragmented thoughts and data into a coherent, persuasive message. Is it tough to connect with customers youre wooing, senior executives youre hitting up for funding, or employees youre training? Do you fumble for the right words, get lost in your slide deck, run out of time before youve hit your main pointsand leave the room uncertain youve gotten through to anyone ?

This guide will give you the confidence and tools you need to engage your audience, sell your ideas, and inspire people to act. Youll get better at:

• Showing people why your ideas matter to them
• Winning over tough crowds
• Balancing analytical and emotional appeal
• Crafting memorable messages
• Creating powerful visuals
• Striking the right tone
• Holding your audiences attention
• Measuring your impact

Know your audience and build empathy.

Develop persuasive content.

Use storytelling principles and structure to engage your audience.

Identify the best modes for communicating your message.

Conceptualize and simplify the display of information.

Deliver your presentation authentically.

Measureand increaseyour presentations impact on your audience.

If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.

Woodrow T. Wilson

We work in a first-draft culture. Type an e-mail. Send. Write a blog entry. Post. Whip up some slides. Speak.

But its in crafting and recraftingin iteration and rehearsalthat excellence emerges.

Why worry about being an excellent communicator when you have so many other pressing things to do? Because it will help you get those things done.

So as you conceive, visualize, and present your message, dont skimp on preparation, even if youre giving a short talk. It actually takes more careful planning to distill your ideas into a few key takeaways than it does to create an hour-long presentation (see ). And gather lots of feedback so youll be all the more effective when you start the process again.

Since 1990, Ive run a firm that specializes in writing and producing presentationsand then I became a presenter myself. This book is loaded with insights learned from supporting other presenters and giving my own talks. But, trust me, Ive had my share of embarrassing moments, many of which could have been avoided with a little planning. Loading the wrong presentation onto my laptop. Walking onstage with my skirt tucked into my underwear. Botching my delivery to executives at an $8 billion company because I hadnt rehearsed enoughand getting cut from their continuing series of meetings. Experience is a powerful teacher.