Let me tell you a story
Most advice on how to present focuses on engaging an audience of potential participants or peers. The big message is always “tell a story”. Take the audience on a journey. Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end, and it’s not until the end of the story that you discover the answer. Stories take many forms, but a typical story structure looks like this:
1. The status quo
Make sure the audience has a shared understanding of the characters and the environment. Introduce the situation so that everyone is on the same page from the start. You don’t want to leave half your audience behind through lack of context.
2. The incident
Present the issue, problem or opportunity that needs to be addressed. This is the reason the status quo needs to change. Many people dislike the idea of change, so make the need for change compelling. Make sure it matters to them.
3. Rising tension
Explain the challenges, blockers, and adversaries that stand in the way of a happy ending. Explain the challenges and build the tension. This is how you ensure your answer matters to your audience.
4. A pivotal moment
Introduce a sense of urgency and peril to make it clear that now is the time for action or all could be lost. The impact of your presentation will be short lived, so you need people to act on it immediately. Any delay and they’ll forget what you said.
5. Present the solution
This is the part where our hero saves the day. Show how the urgency generated in point 4 can be turned into action. Show your audience that they can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
That’s how you tell a story. Exciting isn’t it? It’s a great format for engaging and motivating an audience to take action. It’s also entertaining so it’s good for your reputation as a presenter or public speaker.
Storytelling is a powerful presentation technique. For most people and for most situations, it’s definitely the best approach. Learn how to do it, and practise hard. Revisit old presentations and see how to turn them into stories. Get good at this and it will serve you well.
Different strokes for different folks
BUT! Yes, there’s always a “but”. This is not how you present to executives and decision makers.
Why not? Here are the key reasons:
1. Storytelling can look manipulative.
Decision makers don’t like being manipulated and if they get the sense that’s what you’re doing, you’re doomed. You won’t be getting the yes decision you need. The last thing you want to do is lose the trust of these powerful and pivotal people.
2. Storytelling takes time.
Executives have a lot of things, but the one thing they rarely have is time. If you haven’t won them over in the first 15 minutes (at most) it’s unlikely you’ll get them back. Their mind has already moved on to other more pressing matters.
3. Executives want solutions, not problems
In telling a story, you assume the audience doesn’t already understand the situation and the problem. With an audience this is fair. Some might, and some might not. But a decision maker of any influence will already know this. Repeating it will appear condescending. Execs already have the weight of the world on their shoulders. They’re in the market for solutions, not more problems.
4. Numbers kill stories
Too many dry facts will kill the narrative of a story and the engagement is lost. However, if what you’re looking for is a decision that costs money, any decision maker worth their salt will want dry facts to back up your claims. And they need those facts to shine out, unencumbered by unnecessary prose.
So, if you walk into a meeting with a time poor executive, and start to tell a story, good luck with that. Far from succeeding in getting the decision you want, it’s possible you might not even get to the end of your presentation.
The butler did it
So, what does this mean for your presentation? If you’re presenting to a decision maker or executive, instead of a story format, follow this pattern:
1. Start with the answer
Trust in your product and let it sell itself. The typical decision maker wants to see that you have the answer. If they like what they see they’ll pay attention. They may even give you a bit more of their valuable time to explain further. If they don’t like your answer, at least they’ll appreciate your efficiency.
2. Make the point and prove it
Keep decoration to a minimum. Make your point in a single sentence, back it up with clear evidence, then explain the implication by answering the unasked question “so what?”. If you don’t explain, they’ll ask. If you take those single sentences and write them as a paragraph, you should have your one minute elevator pitch.
3. Avoid bear traps
Say what needs saying and not a word more. Don’t embellish. If you don’t have the evidence, don’t make the claim. Executives weren’t born yesterday and they’ll always ask the difficult questions. Even one unanswered question can lead to a “come back when you have the proof” or worse still, a “no”.
4. Be clear about the ask
Don’t be shy. Executives respond to confidence. When they make a decision, they’re investing in you as well as your solution. They need to have confidence that they’re investing in someone who believes in themselves. Also, they need to know what it is you want. Is it formal sign off, funding, people? Make it crystal clear because you might not get a second chance.
5. Keep it short
Three slides is good. Less than ten slides is okay. Any more than that and you might never get to those additional pages. I’ve never met an executive who’s afraid to stop a presentation mid flow or even stand up and walk out if they don’t feel it’s a good use of their time. If you really feel there needs to be more, make sure all the key information is in the first three slides. Anything else is further detail to strengthen your case.
That’s how you present to decision makers and executives. If the person you’re in front of wants a story, then by all means tell them a story. However it’s highly likely that this is a sign that they’re not the final decision maker. If that’s the case, and it’s a decision you need, make sure you find out who it is.
Because if you want to succeed, that’s the person you need to be in front of.