Public Speaking and Presentations

Public Speaking and Presentations

Audience Analysis Before You Open PowerPoint

Answer four questions before touching a slide tool:

  1. Who is in the room? Job function, seniority, and domain expertise.
  2. What do they already believe? Start from their current position.
  3. What one action do you want them to take? Name the action.
  4. What is the one thing they must remember? Write that sentence before slide 1.

Slide-Doc vs Presentation Slides

Presentation slides (Reynolds / “Presentation Zen” model) exist to support a live speaker. The speaker carries the argument; the slide carries visual reinforcement. One idea per slide. Minimal text. Large images or diagrams.

Slide-docs (Tufte-influenced) are standalone documents formatted as slide-shaped pages. They contain complete sentences, dense supporting data, footnotes. They can be emailed and read without a presenter.

The core failure mode: the slidument — bullet-heavy slides that are too dense to look good on screen and too sparse to be useful to a reader.

Kawasaki 10/20/30 Rule

Nancy Duarte’s Resonate Framework

The central insight: every great speech moves back and forth between “what is” and “what could be.”

The contrast pattern:

  1. Establish the current reality (what is)
  2. Describe the future possibility (what could be)
  3. Repeat this oscillation; each cycle raises the stakes
  4. End with the “new bliss” — the world after the audience acts

The STAR moment (Something They’ll Always Remember): one designed moment of high contrast, surprise, or visceral demonstration.

Three-Act Talk Structure

Act 1 — Setup (10–15% of total time): Establish stakes; define the problem; signal what the audience will be able to do differently by the end.

Act 2 — Exploration (70–75%): Develop the argument. Front-load complex material; place a re-energizing moment two-thirds of the way through.

Act 3 — Resolution (10–15%): Do not introduce new material. Synthesize, do not summarize.

The Headline-Deck Approach (McKinsey / BCG)

Every slide title is a complete, standalone sentence stating the takeaway, not a topic label.

A reader who reads only slide titles should follow the full argument.

Talk Openings — Five Patterns

  1. Startling fact or statistic: drop a number the audience does not expect
  2. Story: open with a specific scene — one person, one moment, sensory detail
  3. Contrarian claim: state something the audience believes that you are about to challenge
  4. Direct question: ask a question the audience cannot immediately answer
  5. Scene-setting: describe the world as it will look after your idea is adopted

Do not open with: your name and title, an apology, “great to be here,” agenda slides.

Talk Closings — Five Patterns

  1. Callback to opening: return to the story or question you opened with
  2. Call to action: one specific, concrete thing the audience can do in the next 48 hours
  3. Single image or quote: full-bleed slide with one sentence
  4. Summary triple: three short phrases that encapsulate the talk’s three main points
  5. The future vision: describe the world three years from now if the audience acts

Q&A Handling

The bridging technique: acknowledge the question, then bridge to your main message.

“I don’t know” as a complete answer: say it cleanly, then add “I’ll find out and get back to you by [date].”

Hostile questions: do not match the energy. Lower your voice slightly. Answer the question beneath the question.

Rehearsal Discipline

Minimum effective rehearsal for a 30-minute talk:

  1. Three times out loud, alone — full volume, full sentences, full transitions
  2. Once to a real human — their confusion is signal
  3. Video review of yourself — watch on mute first (body language), then with sound (pace and filler)

Pacing target: 125–150 words per minute. Time your talk at 90% of the slot.

Virtual vs In-Person Calibration

Virtual: look at the camera lens, not at faces on screen. Place the camera at eye level.

Audio quality (virtual): audio quality matters more than video quality. A USB condenser microphone, a quiet room, and a soft surface behind you.

Energy calibration (virtual): increase vocal variety noticeably above what feels natural in a room — the camera flattens affect.

Anti-Patterns to Eliminate

Sources