Key Message. Delivered

Business Presentations with Structure

Wolfgang Hackenberg, Carsten Leminsky, Eibo Schulz-Wolfgramm

• Publisher: Haufe
• Year: 2013
• Topic: Business
• eBook ISBN:
  9783648053010
• Subtopic: Advertising
• Index: Business

The ability to communicate in a structured and understandable way is essential for supporting decision-making in a company. Presentations are the standard communication tool for this. But one party always has to do the work: either the presenter or the addressee. We explain, writing as fellow practitioners, how to structure complex problems for communication in a logical way and formulate messages that are self-explanatory.Professional communication is based on three elements: suitable content, clear structure and precise graphic design. In this book we outline an eight-step process that focuses on structure as the fundamental link between content and design. Using a fictional case study that highlights our method, we show how to structure topics so that you can get to grips with even the most complex problems.

SUMMARY

The Pyramid Principle can help your convey your ideas in a logical and therefore persuasive way. A hierarchically constructed storyline will help you achieve the goal of your communication. Most business presentations lack logical rigor and have an inconsistent structure. The methods described here therefore present a perfect way to differentiate yourself.

We recommend the following steps:

① Derive the hook from the situation, challenge, and key question.

② State the key message.

③ Develop a main body using the basic structure of the Logical Group and/or the Logical Chain. With the former, each group should be complete and must not overlap with any other group, in line with the MECE Principle discussed in an earlier chapter.

④ In the final part of your presentation summarize the most important messages, explain the options for action and your recommendations, and outline the next steps to be taken. This will help you achieve your overall goal.

THE GRAPHIC DESIGN OF PRESENTATIONS — GIVE YOUR IDEAS A FACE

“A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. NOW PAINT THAT PICTURE.”

UNKNOWN

THE GRAPHIC DESIGN TIGHTROPE BETWEEN STANDARDS AND CREATIVITY

Much of the path toward creating the perfect business presentation is already behind you. The focus so far has been its content and logical structure. Now we will look at the third and last essential component — its graphic design. In this chapter we will show you how to use a good mix of standards and creativity to make your business presentations more visually appealing and how to abide by the corporate design guidelines of your company or client while working in a more efficient way. This will all help ensure that your business presentation allows you to shine.

This chapter covers the following topics:

① Simplicity, Conciseness, and Relevance: discover why these principles, essential for the contents of your business presentation, also apply to its graphic design.

② Storyboard: learn how to create a storyboard, working with pencil and paper.

③ Corporate Standards: learn the logic of a slide master and how you can use standard elements that conform to your company’s corporate design guidelines.

④ Five Golden Rules: learn the five golden rules of design and how to create better business presentations using a grid.

⑤ Creativity: follow four step-by-step examples of how to create an imaginative slide and learn how you can give impact to even a simple text-only slide.

⑥ Language: get the most out of the written word.

SIMPLICITY, CONCISENESS, AND RELEVANCE

According to various estimates, between 30 and 200 million PowerPoint slides are created every day. It is estimated that 250 million installations of the program are in use worldwide. The number of competing products, such as Apple’s Keynote and open source applications, is rising. There is no doubting the current importance of business presentations in professional life. However, although they are used throughout the world, business presentations continue to lack professionalism when it comes to their graphic design.

Two-thirds of a good business presentation boils down to its clear and concise contents and structure. The last third relates to its being graphically designed in a way that best supports the messages it contains. In this connection less is often more. This does not mean that you need to abandon creativity when putting a presentation together. What it does mean is that you need to dispense with all superfluous elements, make the graphical implementation and design language as simple and clear as possible, and be creative only when it supports your messages.

Scientific studies make clear that this simplification and reduction to the essential is not just a matter of good style: the human brain, they show, is simply overwhelmed by presentation slides that are too complex and overloaded.

How does the human brain absorb visual and verbal information?

Looking at the way the human brain works with respect to absorbing visual and auditory information, it is easy to recognize the potential benefits of a well-designed business presentation. In their “Model of Working Memory,” the British psychologists...

Table of contents

• INTRODUCTION
• UNDERSTANDING THE PYRAMID —GIVE YOUR ARGUMENTS A SOLID FOUNDATION
• DETERMINING WHAT IS REQUIRED —IDENTIFY THE KEY QUESTION
• STRUCTURING THE TASK — EXPLORE THE TOPIC
• ADDRESSEE ANALYSIS — THINK YOURSELF INTO YOUR OBJECTIVES AND TARGET GROUPS
• DEFINING THE KEY MESSAGE —FORMULATE YOUR CENTRAL STATEMENT
• BUILDING THE PYRAMID —DEVELOP ARGUMENTS FOR YOUR KEY MESSAGE
• THE GRAPHIC DESIGN OF PRESENTATIONS —GIVE YOUR IDEAS A FACE
• CREATING SLIDES —USE EXPERIENCE, TRICKS, AND TECHNOLOGY
• CLOSING REMARKS