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1-Page Summary of Resonate

Presentation Storytelling

Film director Alfred Hitchcock was very organized when he made movies. He planned everything from costumes to visual effects and even shot lists, camera angles, scenes and storyboards.

Actress Janet Leigh said that Alfred Hitchcock had the movie in his mind and on paper before it was shot. He made a miniature model of the sets, and moved them around to show her how he would shoot it. She also said that he knew every detail of every scene by heart.

Hitchcock is a great example for those who want to give good presentations. He was meticulous with his details and used stories to captivate the audience. Stories are useful when it comes to delivering your message because they can deliver meaning while engaging the audience at the same time.

Presentations that are engrossing follow a dramatic structure. This is known as Freytag’s Pyramid and it was created by Gustav Freytag in 1863. It shows the five stages of a story: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement. Presenters should shape their presentations according to this structure so that they remain connected with their audience throughout the entire presentation.

Presentations are not the same as stories. They rarely have a single protagonist who goes through a dramatic journey to reach some sort of climax. Presentations tend to be more layered than stories, and they must provide information or explain problems. However, the story framework can work wonders in presentations by inspiring audiences with its mystical power that has inspired people for thousands of years. You should exploit this power in your own presentations whenever you can do so effectively.

Presentation Failures

Many presentations are boring and uninteresting. These qualities make them undesirable for people with short attention spans, who tend to be busy. Film directors use techniques such as up-tempo production in order to keep their audiences’ interest high, but most speakers do not have this advantage.

Most presentations are not effective. However, a good presentation is better than any other form of communication because it makes the audience feel like you’re talking directly to them and that they can relate to your message. To do this, you must present your ideas well by using human contact techniques that will make the audience more receptive to your message.

Fascinating Ideas

Ideas are important, and they can inspire people to do great things. You don’t need a lot of facts to be able to present your ideas in an interesting way. Instead, you should focus on the emotions of your audience so that they’ll understand how much you believe in what you’re saying. Presentations with lots of information aren’t very good because they’re boring; however, if we add some drama or story-telling elements then it becomes more interesting for the audience.

The Audience as Hero

Every story needs a hero. The hero of your presentation is never you. If it is, the audience will disengage and not listen to you. Your presentation’s hero is always the audience because they’re the ones who need to be inspired by your ideas and want to take action after listening to them. As screenwriter Chad Hodge once wrote, business speakers should help “people see themselves as heroes in their own stories” whether that means beating the bad guys or achieving great business objectives like increasing sales or just improving customer satisfaction. Everyone wants feel special and important so if you can make them feel like they’re a part of a story with an exciting plot then everyone will pay attention and enjoy what you have to say.”