“With all this poop . . .”

Did you ever hear the pony joke? Mom told it to us eons ago, but it still makes me smile. And it should provide encouragement to anyone who gives presentations, because even the worst decks usually have a “pony” (a great story) lurking inside them.
        That’s not to say your presentation is bad, but of the millions of presentations given every day, few would qualify as OUTSTANDING. So, on the chance that even your presentation might have room to be more effective and compelling, here are some ideas on . . .

How to find the “pony” in your presentation

STEP 1: Answer these questions.

• What is your audience trying to achieve or improve?
• How will that help them?

Often, the answers to just those two questions (particularly the second one) will give you the hook or key idea you need. If you aren’t jumping up and down yet, however, go on to these questions:

• What is their greatest pain or need?
• Why is that a problem?

Got it now? If not, move on to these questions:

• What is their vision of the future?
• What could make their vision even more compelling?

If you’ve really delved into your audience’s needs, interests, and goals, you should by now have something that will get them juiced up (and we’re not talking product specifications).
        Ideally, it should be a short, active phrase of 3-7 words. Something that they’ll instantly go, “Yep, that’s it. That’s what we’re after.”

Here’s an example: I've been working with a company that develops software to help police and sheriff’s departments better manage their investigations. My client’s presentations had been loaded with product details, feature sets, technical specifications, and so on. Typical stuff, right?
        So we started this exercise, and we nailed the hook in only the first two questions. The result: This isn’t a story about technical specifications, it’s a story about closing investigations faster.
        Suddenly, the audience has a more compelling reason to pay attention — and a more compelling reason to act. Suddenly, there’s a more logical structure on which to hang all those product details. Those three words give a context to which all the other information relates.

STEP 2: Put these 3-7 words on the very first slide.

Take those 3-7 words and make them the biggest thing on the slide. Don’t make your logo or your prospect’s logo the biggest element, otherwise you’re announcing that this is about something other than the key idea.

STEP 3: Relate everything back to that hook.

Make sure every thing you say or show relates back to the 3-7 words that carry such weight with your audience. Be consistent in framing things around that idea, and you’ll have a powerful, consistent, memorable story that will be far more effective in influencing your audience.

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