Written by Patrick Boëdec on June 5th, 2022;
Background
I often hear people say, "I focus on content, not form". Those who take refuge behind this maxim, peremptorily, generally have no relevant content to expose. There is no substance without form, when you master your content, the form imposes itself.
If we take the car as a metaphor, the content would be the power of the engine when the form would represent the chassis, it is the performance of the latter that allows the power to be transmitted on the road.
A document is used to get your message across, to convince. The form gives the "La" to a presentation, it highlights the quality of the argument. If the form is not impeccable, the substance will not stand out. The absence of quality and attention to form will give the impression that something is wrong; the seriousness of the team will be questioned. What is clear in the head, is expressed and written with precision where each word has its importance.
The marginal is to spend this little extra on the form so that the content takes all its dimension, that the arguments explode of evidence to your interlocutor. Being interested in the details makes the difference, it helps build credibility and therefore recognition.
For two decades, we have been training generations of professionals to make presentations composed of key words, beautiful visuals, and generic titles, with the aim of emphasizing readability. If we look back, it was Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, who started this trend. His spectacular presentations, with each new product, caused a sensation, and served above all to put the spotlight on him so that his exceptional charisma could be expressed.
However, this method, although it can be applied in many situations, has its own limitations. It is inappropriate in three situations: in teaching, where knowledge is transferred; in a cross-functional environment, where everyone must understand the same thing and be able to refer to a document with strong content that becomes a reference; and when you want to sell something to someone, whether it is a product/service, a budget, an idea, etc. In these three situations, you must adopt another method to control the scope of your messages
You must assume that words fly away as soon as they are spoken. If you don't write down exactly what you think in your presentation, there will be nothing left of your performance, when your interlocutors open your document to coordinate and decide on the partner, fifteen days after the meeting, there will be nothing left of your intervention but what you wrote. Nobody will even remember what you look like, at best, a feeling, "That was pretty good, they knew what they were talking about...", at best.
A presentation must be self-explanatory, it is a succession of slides that follow one another, tell a story, that progressively, slide after slide, leads your interlocutor to where you have decided to take him. This requires time, reflection, depth of vision, anticipation, in a word professionalism. In return, this method is terribly effective in terms of convincing.
A presentation is a work of art.
Just like any other discipline, anyone can doodle or choose to become a master. The difference lies in the level of ambition, and in the rigor, one imposes on oneself, but above all, in the determination to convince one's audience. This will get what you want must be as strong as that of a Japanese master "archer" to aim not at the center of the target, but at an objective that lies far behind it, to deploy more power.
One can line up a sequence of pompous or generic words, only messages that cannot be interpreted in two different ways by their precision have a reach on an audience.
The real question is how to build a convincing presentation, what are the rules, the principles, that's what we will see, now.
"A presentation explains what the project will allow the company to do tomorrow that it cannot do today and what gains it will make"
We can also compare a slide to merchandising; Just like a retailer, you have a space to enhance. His job is to sell products and not empty space, just like him, you must use all the space you have to explain why your proposition is better than your competitors, every square inch must be valued.
Based on the principle that the market is always right, a presentation is anchored on market perspectives; all kinds of information that are so many pieces of a puzzle coming from a multitude of different sources, to put the issue in perspective of the market trends. This aggregation of data is called the storyboard, which is the editorial line of your presentation.
You need to find out what keeps executives awake at night, understand their interests, their political and emotional issues, and what they stand to gain, personally and professionally, from your proposal.
"Don't beat around the bush, call a spade a spade, your title should express what you think about a situation."
The storyboard consists of orchestrating the argument that is the succession of key messages. The goal is to create a story, the slides follow each other progressively to bring your interlocutor where you have decided to bring him.For example:
By analogy, it's a bit like opening oysters, you have to find the weak point with the blade of your knife, once located, you just have to insert your blade, to pry, then, the oyster will open easily. The principle of a presentation is very similar to this exercise; find the sensitive point that will appeal to your interlocutors to set them in motion.
"A presentation must be explicit, each argument must be proven and supported by tangible data"
First, a slide is composed of three parts:
1. Each slide represents one element a link in your reasoning. It is composed of three parts; the title is a statement expressed as an explicit sentence, i.e., a subject, a verb, and a complement. It addresses the "Political" side of the situation. It states an indisputable fact and is written in such a way that it cannot be interpreted in two different ways. (Refer to "The Political Emotional and Rational" in my column "Marginal Thinking". In a title you must say what you think, don't beat around the bush with convoluted sentences, call a spade a spade. Through your titles and kickers, you will continue to address the person as if you were still in front of them. That's why the title should be written in "spoken language."
2. The Kicker is located at the bottom of each slide, it is also written in the form of a statement, (a sentence that is also understandable), it represents the consequence of what you state in the title. The Kicker addresses the "Emotional" side of the situation.
3. Finally, the body of the slide that proves what you are asserting. The body is the "Rational", your argument. If people are disputing headlines and kickers, the role of the body of the slide is to prove, in a factual and indisputable way, what you are arguing in the headline.
The storyboard is the initial, fundamental step. This is where you build your story. The easiest way to do this is to divide a blank page into six or eight and write the headlines and kickers to see if your story is believable, compelling, and appreciate the logic of its flow.
The objective is that all the titles and kickers can be read one after the other, i.e., that the title leads to the kicker, which in turn leads to the title of the next slide, which in turn leads to the kicker at the bottom of the page, and so on until the last slide. The whole thing must form an indissociable reasoning, it is intended to make your audience converge on your proposal.
This technique is based on several principles.
First, a presentation starts with a title that summarizes why you came, what your project will bring to the company, why they should vote for your budget or choose you over your competitors. The title should be explicit: "Double the turnover in 3 years", "Rejuvenate the brand to reach the 15-25 years old"...
Then, one slide, one idea. The principle is that of the "ratchet wheel"; once the slide has passed, it is impossible to go back. The goal is to avoid that the person agrees on one argument and disagrees on the second.
The structure of the argument is sequential. In the event of disagreement, the consultant returns to the slide whose title or kicker is contested; he will then rely on the rational, i.e., the numerical arguments that prove that the title is relevant about tangible and indisputable elements that appear in the body of the slide. In this way, the often-emotional objections are dealt with in a pragmatic, rational way and you can bring the person back into the flow of reasoning.
"The goal of this presentation system is to gradually bring your audience into your reasoning."
These presentations are like a "mousetrap" in which you take your audience, slide by slide, to where you have decided to take them.
When it comes to building a presentation, there are a few rules that must be followed.
A slide is composed of two parts; on one side the argument in the form of "Bullet points", the second is composed of animations, graphs highlighting the different steps of the argument. No photo or simplistic Google animation to furnish or decorate" an empty space that cannot be used.
Argument points should not exceed one and a half lines. 5 "Bullet points" maximum. Each argument must be quantified, you can only put forward what you can prove.
Each slide should teach your audience something new. You should surprise them with your analysis of their situation in each slide.
Do not use superlatives or strong statements. There is no point in creating a knee-jerk reaction from one of the audience members who might feel challenged in the case of a status report, for example.
If you must communicate "bad news", you can use a humorous image or quotes that will get the same message across, without exposing yourself.
Do not hesitate to dramatize to better touch the emotional fiber of your interlocutors. For example, instead of writing 189%, say twice as much...
The goal is to get the stakeholders moving to unite them around a shared vision, yours.
"Perseverance is a quality, generosity is a virtue"
Last point, rather than putting a last slide designed to thank your audience, which gives a somewhat childish and worn-out impression, put back the first slide that has a catchy title and shows the level of ambition of the project. Leave this sentence in front of the audience during the discussion.
A presentation must maintain the degree of urgency, it must maintain the emotional level of the situation to be managed as if you were still present in front of your interlocutor long after you have left. This type of presentation is widely adopted by consultants because of the impact and conditioning it provides on their target.
"A project, whatever its nature, must find its raison d'être from a market component. "
Learn to oversimplify.
Getting the point across and being able to represent a complex situation on one page is, in my opinion, the ultimate in excellence. Journalists or consultants know how to do this very well. In a graphic, they summarize the problematic of their article or their intervention.
"The marginal is to spend that little extra on the form so that the content then takes on its full dimension"
Be able to represent all the ins and outs, as if it were a map, a geography representation of that issue. On a single page, show all the stakeholders, their interactions, their interdependencies, the stakes, the knots, show the root causes, identify the brakes and obstacles to action to help management make the first decisions.
These graphic synopses are then used at each stage of the project (milestones, strategic committee, budget review, etc.), to show the state of progress and to materialize any blockages. The repetition of this representation becomes a guarantee of perseverance, consistency of effort, and coherence in the approach, and therefore reinforces credibility over time.
The marginal is to go straight to the goal, by the shortest route and to call things by their name and for that you must be precise. Didn't Ernest Hemingway say that: "From an imprecise use, all words have lost their edge".
Be sure to use the minimum number of words to express an idea; the same Hemingway said: "Once you have written a sentence, kill all the words that are useless".
Use only the shortest way to express yourself, to get your result, be concise to the extreme. The marginal is to choose the most striking words so that they seize the mind, so that they leave an imprint in the memory.
If you can't describe a problem in one sentence, it's not clear in your head, it won't be clear in other people's heads.
Spend as much time as it takes but make the sentence as short and precise as possible, so that no one can interpret it in a different way.
People like what is simple to read or listen to, what they understand immediately, the meaning, what they are in tune with; then the arguments become well-founded.
To make sense is to simplify.
Marginal is knowing how to communicate
As a preamble, recognize the "time contract" as indispensable, during appointments, meetings, or presentations. This contract consists in breaking down your time into steps and having them validated by the participants before starting the meeting.
Controlling the steps of the agenda is a way to create a dynamic, and in case of slippage, it is also the possibility to refocus the audience based on this time contract.
When you start a meeting or an appointment, you start a countdown, the objective is to optimize each minute of your interlocutors' time, which is the most precious thing they have. It would be a sign of disrespect to waste it by lack of rigor. Your interlocutors must feel that they have not wasted their time, and that they are enriched by it.
Before starting, ask yourself the following question: "If the meeting went well, what did I get?
Presenting is all about not reading what is written
Assume that you are in front of brilliant interlocutors, that even before opening your mouth, the person will have read the entire slide, understood what is written and even the sub-text, what is not explicitly "said".
Under these conditions, it is easy to understand that reading line by line what is written on a panel is simply unacceptable. It is to take the risk of discrediting oneself.
The best attitude, since everything is already contained in the slide, is to open new perspectives, give an additional length of view, say what the competitors are doing, what the state of the art is on the market, the options available to them, how to implement, the risks, show the consequences for your interlocutors of not going in that direction...
You must find metaphors to illustrate your concepts, striking arguments, concrete examples in the market ...
For this, it is necessary to have a strategy in mind. This way, you will be much more efficient by being focused on the result during the exchanges.
The goal is to create emotions, a sense of urgency, phrases that will become slogans.
"Never read your notes or what is written on a presentation, under any circumstances"
Dress is also important; think of it as an Ariadne's thread running up your spine to come out in the center of your skull and stretching you straight up just like the strings of a puppet. Stay upright, focused, connected to the present moment, to the body language of your interlocutors.
Once the presentation has started, keep in mind the objective, stay focused on what you need to get from your audience at the end of this exercise.
Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Finally, presenting is not an art, it is preparation. The success of a presentation is strictly dependent on the level of effort and time given to it. The more prepared you are, the more you have anticipated the points that will be addressed, the questions that will be asked, the more likely you will be convincing.
It is the same for orals, auditions, negotiation rounds, steering committees, milestones; the level of preparation is paramount.
There are teams that assign roles to each other, that carefully review their documents, those whose documents are ready two days in advance, that take the time to rehearse, to brainstorm on the questions that their client will inevitably ask. They prepare themselves to bring a relevant answer, to simulate the appointment, in short professional teams...
...And the others, those who finish their presentation in a hurry, two hours before the appointment and who cut themselves off in front of the client, beat around the bush without having any precise answers to give them...
However, the difference in performance between these two teams is only a marginal part of the time spent on the result.
"The degree of conciseness is also directly related to your ability to convince."
A successful pitch is one that has been rehearsed several times before the meeting. The one where you make sure that all the participants know their text without reading as we have just seen, but also know all the figures of the client without going to look for the information in this or that document, that they master the volume, its organization, its processes, the names of the stakeholders, uses the vocabulary, the acronyms of the client...
Don't forget to appoint a candid person whose role will be to observe the "non-verbal language of the interlocutors" during the meeting, to note the questions asked, but also to ask questions, why not "naive" if they allow a better understanding of the expectations, the fears of the audience on such or such point of the proposal or the presentation.
I used to tell my teams that the quality of a presentation was directly dependent on the number of hours spent on it. The talent lies in the little extra time spent, in the search for the smallest detail to refine the messages, to ensure the homogeneity of the slides, the robustness of the reasoning, the quality of the illustrations, the proofreading time...
If a presentation requires 10 hours of work, devoting 11 will allow you to make the difference with another. This extra hour, this marginal time, is essential. It will allow you to reread, refine the titles, check the relevance of this or that argument, correct the mistakes, harmonize the typography...
On the other hand, those who would have spent only 10 hours, in this case, would have lost 10 hours of their time, they would have put on the costume of the "loser" and yet they would have worked 10 hours, the difference of appreciation is made on the 11th hour, 10%. It is this extra effort that transforms a dull job with the one that makes a difference.
So, contemplate your work, close your eyes, and ask yourself the question "So what? Then wait for that little "green light" between your eyes to light up, it means that you have reached a form of perfection that will translate into a feeling of inner well-being. If, on the contrary, you have the unpleasant and uncomfortable feeling of incompleteness, then go back to your work until this feeling of a job well done is reached.
The wall is your best ally.
When writing, once the first "draft" of the presentation is complete, tape the slides to the wall; it's a great eye-opener. In consulting, walls are used a lot to map processes, to make master plans in project management, or to solve problems. Just put a sheet of kraft paper on the wall and visualize the situation with post-it to easily find the ins and outs of a complex problem.
Once the slides are lined up, check the sequence and the overall logic. You will quickly see if a slide is missing from the reasoning, or if you need to change the order of a particular slide. The wall is a wonderful tool for diagnosis but also for animation and empowerment.
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