how to give a persuasive presentations_ a q&a with nancy duarte _ ted blog
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18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
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How to give more persuasivepresentations: A Q&A withNancy Duarte
Stepping onto the TED or TEDx stage — or speaking in front of any group ofpeople, for that matter — is truly nerve-wracking. Will you remember everythingyou wanted to say, or get so discombobulated that you skip over major points?Will the audience be receptive to your ideas, or will you notice a guy in rowthree nodding off to sleep?
Presentation expert Nancy Duarte, who gave the TED Talk “The secret
Posted by: Kate Torgovnick May October 31, 2012 at 12:05 pm EST
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 2/15
structure of great talks,” has built her career helping people express their ideasin presentations. The author of Slide:ology and Resonate, Duarte has justreleased a new book through the Harvard Business Review: The HBR Guide toPersuasive Presentations.
The TED Blog talked with Duarte in herCalifornia office about what makes a killerpresentation, as well as about how giving herown TED Talk shaped her thoughts onpresenting.
What would you say are the three keys togiving a great presentation?
The number one thing, I think, is to beaudience-centric. To take the time to thinkthrough who the audience is and develop allyour material from a place of empathy towardthem. You’re asking them to adopt your idea,which means they may have to abandon abelief they hold as true — and that’s hard. So,know your audience — take a walk in their
shoes. What keeps them up at night? How are they wired to resist yourmessage? Most presenters are consumed with preparing their content rapidly,which makes the material about their own narrow perspective. By flipping thatparadigm to an audience-centric approach, your material will resonate and theaudience can feel a deeper connection to you and your material.
Number two, you need to understand your role in the presentation. So manypeople feel like they’re the central figure — kind of like the hero of the story —because they’re the one talking the most. But in reality, your role is that of amentor — you should be giving the audience a magical gift or a special tool, orhelping them get unstuck in some way. You have to defer to your audience.When you put your idea out there for an audience to contend with — if theyreject your idea, your idea will die. You have to think of it as, “The speakerneeds the audience more than the audience needs the speaker.” Then you’llstart to approach a material with your audience in mind – you’ll have more of astance of humility than one of arrogance. That will help you create the kind ofmovement needed to get your idea to spread.
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 3/15
And then the third thing — wrap your content in story. A story serves like thesugarcoating on the outside of a pill in some ways — it just makes it go downeasier. If you look at preliterate generations for thousands and thousands ofyears, stories would pass down for generation after generation after generation— and stay almost completely intact. Yet, a lot of people can’t remember thelast presentation they sat through. So, using principles of story — the tensionand release that happens in a story — that’s what will help persuade theaudience toward your idea.
What do you feel like you learned from giving your own TED Talk?
I learned so much. Being the “Presentation Lady,” I knew I couldn’t suck at it.The hardest part was getting [my talk] to fit within this finite amount of time. So Itrimmed and trimmed, keeping in mind that you still have to nail why this isimportant to the audience. I had a person coach me and point out places whereI could trim. “You took too long here, and that made this part of emphasis toolong.” I worked with the timer counting up until I knew I was within the timewindow — then what I did was work with the timer counting down so I’d know,“When I’m a fourth of the way through, I should be on this slide. When I’mhalfway through, I need to be on this slide.” I created markers in my mind so Iwould know how I was running on time. Sure enough, I finished the talk and Ihad six seconds left on the clock.
It was a great experience for me because I hadn’t gone through it myself. I’dcoached people through it but — wow — to actually be a victim was interesting.I learned the power of rehearsing. If you rehearse really, really, really well — itlooks improvisational. Some people rehearse to a point where they’re robotic,and they sound like they have memorized their presentation and didn’t take it tothe next level. Going from sounding memorized and canned to soundingnatural is a lot of work.
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 4/15
So, the classic advice for stage fright is to imagine the audience in theirunderwear. What do you recommend people do to calm their nerves?
I don’t usually get nervous, but when I got on [the TED] stage, I was nervousbecause it’s pretty high stakes. I recommend doing some breathing exercises— breathe in as deep as you can, and then take a couple more big gasps.Then, release it really slowly. That calms my heart down. But my favorite pieceof advice isn’t my own — it’s from a guy named Nick Morgan. He said, “Whatyou need to do right before you walk on stage is think of someone that you lovedearly.” Doing that, I felt the chemistry in my whole body change. My shouldersrelaxed and my heart melted. That feeling of affection makes your body calmitself down. That’s a really great way to stop stage fright.
What is the best way to start creating a presentation?
My best advice is to not start in PowerPoint. Presentation tools force you tothink through information linearly, and you really need to start by thinking of thewhole instead of the individual lines. I encourage people to use 3×5 note cardsor sticky notes — write one idea per note. I tape mine up on the wall and thenstudy them. Then I arrange them and rearrange them — just work and workuntil the structure feels sound. And from that sound structure, you start to fill itin using a presentation tool.
[For visuals], I think people tend to go with the easiest, fastest idea. Like, “I’mgoing to put a handshake in front of a globe to mean partnership!” Well, howmany handshakes in front of a globe do we have to look at before we realizeit’s a total cliche? Another common one — the arrow in the middle of abullseye. Really? Everyone else is thinking that way. The slides themselves aresupposed to be a mnemonic device for the audience so they can rememberwhat you had to say. They’re not just a teleprompter for the speaker. A bullseyeisn’t going to make anyone remember anything. Don’t go for the first idea.Think about the point you’re trying to make and brainstorm individual moments
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 5/15
that you’re trying to emphasize. Think to the second, the third, the fourth idea— and by the time you get to about the tenth idea, those will be the more clevermemorable things for the audience.
One thing that is really different about giving a TED Talk is the fact thatyou know it will be filmed. How do you think about the difference betweenlive presentations and ones that will exist on video?
On stage, it feels really awkward to do large movements because — normallyin life — we’re talking to someone in a more intimate setting and moving yourarms really big feels melodramatic. But on the stage, you have to move yourbody in really big gestures. It feels awkward at first if you’re not used to it, soyou have to kind of close your eyes and get used to it. Say things and movelargely. Take big bold steps forward, big bold steps backward. You have thisgrand stage and people don’t use the space enough. I think one of the greatthings that Jill Bolte Taylor did was how she used her body. Her arms stretchedall the way up when she talked about nirvana. Then she when she talks abouther whole soul feeling constricted, she brings her hands down and folds herarms down in front of her. She’s using her body as a prop. That’s an importantway to create meaning.
Also, with video, a tech rehearsal is important. Your audience on video isexponentially larger than the people in the room. So by familiarizing yourselfwith the cameras, you can at least look in that general direction. You know how
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 6/15
you’re supposed to look around the audience — look and hold for five seconds,look and hold for five seconds? You should look at the camera as if it’s ahuman. Get used to seeing that circular lens as a face. Feel like it’s a personyou’re talking to, because that audience on camera needs to feel like they’rethere and that you’re looking right at them.
To me, presentations are the most powerful device. You can’t really name amovement that didn’t start with the spoken word. TED was once this exclusive,amazing event where ideas were exchanged, but you’ve moved to treatingpresentations as a media type. You guys have been so refined at it, that whatit’s done is created a movement. What TED has done is made a platform forintroverts, for scientists, for inventors — to share their ideas in a way that’sclear and appeals to a broad audience so that their ideas spread and getadopted. It’s completely changed how people present. It’s created this desire tobe excellent in communication.
When you look at even how businesses communicated in the ’30’s, ’40’s and’50’s — they were so much clearer and well-crafted. I recently went to theStanford Library and I got a bunch of old GE Board meetings from, like, 1957.And I thought, “These are so beautiful!” Their presentations referenced history,they quoted things, they crafted their words in such a beautiful way. ThenPowerPoint entered into the mix and suddenly there wasn’t any desire to craftanymore. I think TED Talks have brought the desire for the craft back.
Your new book is from the Harvard Business Review. Is it intended forsomeone who is in business, or for anyone?
All of my books are for anyone who has an idea that they need tocommunicate! I loved working with Harvard Business Review and I thinkbecause of the publisher, business professionals may be more interested inthis book. But anyone with an idea can benefit from it. It’s a guidebook, so thatpeople can think, “Oh, I need to know how to do this specific thing. I’m going togo get this book and find that one thing.”
Want more advice on giving talks? Our curator Chris Anderson is writing theofficial TED guide to public speaking—to be published by Houghton MifflinHarcourt in spring 2016. Titled Talk This Way!, it will be packed with insights onwhat makes talks work.
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
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Reblogged this on Speak for Yourself and commented:Nancy Duarte is the queen of great slides. Her books are best sellers and sheimpresses as a teacher. Here she is on the TED blog revealing three keys to a greatpresentation.
Claire Duffy commented on Nov 18 2012
Pingback: How to give a great speech (Hint: be authentic) « Broadside
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 10/15
Reblogged this on St John's Catholic School CPD and commented:Add your thoughts here… (optional)
St John's ICT commented on Nov 12 2012
Pingback: Before You Speak, Learn To See | Echo Hub » Posts
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Reblogged this on Larson's Learning Launcher and commented:Not a bad TED Talk to watch in preparation for any presentation you may be calledupon to make!
larsonlearninglauncher commented on Nov 8 2012
Pingback: TED Blog | How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with NancyDuarte « Simpsonville New Home News
Great post!
Lu commented on Nov 2 2012
Reblogged this on Sherry Clayton Works and commented:I am developing some presentation materials meant to persuade influencers tosupport initiatives which address cross-community interests in Chicago. NancyDuarte offers great advice in her book; HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations:
“Your audience will usually include a mix of people – individuals in diverse roles, withvarious levels of decision-making authority, from different parts of the organization –each needing to hear your message for different reasons. Decide which subgroup isthe most important to you, zero in on that subgroup’s needs when you develop yourpresentation. When you are segmenting your audience, look at:
Politics: Power, influence, decision process
Demographics: Age, education, ethnicity, gender and geography
Psychographics: Personality, values, attitudes, interests, communities and lifestyle
Sherry Clayton commented on Nov 1 2012
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 11/15
Ethnographics: Social and cultural needs ..”
I have always found that in business and in the rest of life, the best way to persuadesomeone to do something or think something or to be for something or againstsomething, you have to make them feel it. We had to give persuasive speeches inmy speech class my sophomore year of college and I decided to persuade my fellowstudents to wear their seat belts. I have a special connection with the subjectbecause one night when I was 18, I forgot to put my seat belt on, and I woke up threeweeks later with a tube in my throat helping me breathe and found out that my hipswere being held together with metal. By the end of the speech, at least five peoplewere crying and the usual group of arrogant football players just sat there stunned,mouths open slightly, in awe of what I had just shared with them. If you can makepeople feel something, you can change the world.
laurapcpb1408 commented on Nov 1 2012
Reblogged this on Parzival's question.
bpaul commented on Nov 1 2012
Pingback: TED Blog | How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with NancyDuarte « arnoneumann
Really good Ted presentation… being freshly pressed caught my attention and I amso happy to meet your amazing work. I look forward to getting your book.
Kathy commented on Nov 1 2012
Speaking in front of others can really freak some people out, luckily I love doing that!But what a great post, with a lot of clear concepts. Congrats on being FreshlyPressed!
sportsandthecross commented on Nov 1 2012
Grace Lucille commented on Nov 1 2012
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/31/howtogivemorepersuasivepresentationsaqawithnancyduarte/ 12/15
Reblogged this on grace on purpose and commented:Oh manOh man, this is good. I really needed this. As both a writer and an individualsurrounded by my current community, I need to learn how to effectively communicatemy ideas. I want to change not only my life, but the world around me. Sooo bad. Howdo I present my ideas of a different life which may sound so foreign, and at timesoffensive, to those around me? I think the biggest key is to empathize with theaudience. It’s not about me, but it’s about them. It’s not about my ideas, but aboutthem becoming empowered.If you want to communicate your ideas more effectively, take a little time to readthrough this article and watch the video of Nancy Duarte. It’s definitely given mesome good insight and pointers.
All excellent points – the use of ‘the story’ and ‘hero arc, start and finish areimportant. The one about ‘you are not the hero’ is very very important – but the roleis one few people can resist.
My tuppenceworth– never ever start with a joke, sure it calms your nerves but this isn’t The ComedyStore.– be different with your story and puzzle the audience with where your going eg ‘ourpresent situation is similar to the Norman Conquest of England’. Almost everyproblem or opportunity is similar to that situation (or the American Civil War orGoldilocks and the Three Bears or The Lord of the Rings, etc ) and its a ready madehook for your story.– use imagery they’ve never seen before (buy it from the web, it’s cheap atiStockphoto and the like – and you own the images forever)– remember the advice of Sir John Gielgud to a novice actor about being on stage –‘Be On, Be Brief, Begone!’
Great post and congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
jumeirajames commented on Nov 1 2012
Great points… one of my personal hates is the presenter putting a clipart image onnearly every slide. Firstly, I’m a grown-up, so I don’t need pictures all the time – onlywhen they communicate something useful. Secondly, by using obvious clipart, thepresenter says ‘I really couldn’t be bothered to take time to find unique, relevantimages because I just have so many more important things to do with my time than
Theophania Elliott commented on Nov 1 2012
18/02/2015 How to give a persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte | TED Blog
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waste it on this stupid presentation.’ Yeah, thanks, mate. Now we know how you feelabout us, your audience.
What a great informative blog! Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to get this book!
segmation commented on Oct 31 2012
Excellent points! The presentation tips apply to everyone, no matter what field he orshe is in (architecture, medicine, law, engineering, teaching, etc.).
Architectural Nexus commented on Oct 31 2012
I think this is a great post. I love the third point….wrapping the point in a story. Iremember Steve Jobs was great at this! Thanks for sharing.
Jeremy Truitt commented on Oct 31 2012
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