EYN#031 - My GoTo Structure For Killer Presentations

How do you structure your presentation for maximum impact?   I find an awesome structure raises the impact of a presentation, makes it more memorable and drives more action afterwards.    It really does supercharges your presentation.  

But most people don't really think about it and are reducing their impact.  So here's my GoTo structure.  I use this as my default flow for presentations that last from 15 mins to an hour. 

I break my presentation into 5 sections

• The Beginning
• Key Theme 1
• Key Theme 2
• Key Theme 3
• The End

There's loads of reasons why this structure works. It simplifies the flow and makes sure you have a small number of key themes that people remember. It ensures a great balance of emotional connection and substance. It ensures the audience leave with clarity on what to do next.

So let's step through the structure in more detail:

Begin

I have an entire article on The Beginning, so read more detail in the article. But in short:

• Intro - Introduce yourself
• Hook - Create an emotional connection with audience. A short story or interesting factoid.
• Benefit - Tell the audience why this session is of benefit for them
• Message - Deliver your key message. Share the thing you want them to remember.

Start with a well-crafted bang.

Key Theme 1 to 3

If you have haven't come across the AOREN framework you need to check it out here. The AOREN framework helps you get clarity on what you want your audience to remember.

You need clarity on your key message and 3 supporting themes. In this flow we design our entire session around those themes.

For each theme:

• Minihook - Create an emotional connection people for that theme.
• Substance - Share the facts, diagrams, demos and rationale of your perspective.
• Reinforce - Remind the audience of what you've covered in the session so far.

Repeat for all the themes.

The End

I have another article on The End, so read more detail in the article. But in short:

• Announce - Tell 'em your finishing and snap them back into life
• Summary - Let them here those key themes one more time
• Next Steps - Make it clear and easy what they should do next
• Thanks - They've listened so say thanks

There you go. My GoTo framework for delivering presentations.

Hope this helps

Ben

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