#1: Your purpose is to give a good presentation

“Good” is to a presentation like “fine” is to a compliment. Your purpose is to make something happen!

Rule to Break #1 is mired in technicality. There you stand, waiting for your chance to speak to the committee, and all you’re worried about is “giving a good presentation.” What does that mean? It means you’re obsessed with all the wrong things: your slides show every number in existence, you say everything in order, you stand up straight behind the podium, you never cross the beam of the projector, and you don’t pass out. You’re drowning in worry because the only thing rolling around in your head is, “Give a good presentation. Give a good presentation. Don’t mess up, and give a good presentation!”

It’s time to have a heart-to-heart with yourself about why you’re standing there. What purpose does this presentation serve? Having a searingly clear purpose will filter out all the silt from your presentation. Think of purpose as the destination — the outcome of your presentation. What do you want to have happen? What great change will come from you taking the time to talk to these people? Consider Todd from the Internet and cable company. The purpose of his new presentation was to convince his company’s leadership to cut out the wasteful portion of the health and wellness program and keep the good parts. He wanted to make something happen.

Your purpose is the “so what” for your audience and your driving goal. Here are some examples:

 

› You want to convince the committee to increase your budget by 10 percent next year.

› You want to entertain the youth club so that they enter the state go-cart competition.

› You want to inspire college students to vote for the first time.

› You want to anger your community council so that they enact laws to protect the environment.

› You want to motivate a client to dump its old vendor and buy your products instead.

 

Purpose has to be tied to an outcome — what do you want your audience to do as a result of your work? You make something happen because your passionate presentation had a purpose.

Purpose is critical because it colors all your decisions about the presentation. With a purpose, you can suddenly make clear decisions about content and flow. If you really want kids to enter the state go-cart competition, don’t tell them about seven different kinds of toys they could build and just hope that they decide to make go-carts. You focus on go-carts and tell stories about other kids who have won!

If you want your budget to be increased by 10 percent, don’t review all department budgets, the corporate marketing plan, and the company picnic. Talk about your success and map out how you would use the additional funds to benefit your company. Suddenly, slides, comments, and quotations that don’t support your purpose are easily trashed.

One of the most obvious signs of a purposeless presentation is a tsunami of information. When you’re drowning your audience in data, it’s because you’re not sure where you’re going. You just hope that all the information will move the audience in the right direction.

I worked with the chief strategy officer of a national insurer and her direct team — a small group of about eight people who were incredibly intelligent, data-driven, and numbers-oriented. The team was also in a very delicate position. They needed to influence decisions but didn’t necessarily have the power to tell people what to do, and that included the CEO!

The team’s presentations made my brain feel like it was on novocaine. Numbers, numbers, everywhere, and not a purpose in sight. One participant was trying to influence the company’s leaders to invest in car-safety technology. But you’d never know that. He saw his role as that of the informer. He threw tons of data at the audience and hoped enough stuck to move them in his direction. We in the audience were busy reading slides covered with data. Whenever we did have a chance to listen, he overwhelmed us with his racer-fast delivery of acronyms and scientific projections. I eventually removed the fire hose from my mouth and asked him, “What are you trying to accomplish?”

Once he focused and agreed to hone in on one purpose, everything changed. He clearly stated his purpose, used only the data that directly supported investment in car-safety technology, and talked about the benefits of that one idea. He cut out confusing information and moved toward a single outcome. That, in turn, allowed him to communicate a powerful, simple message. Most importantly, he influenced listeners without seeming to do so.

It was like in The Wizard of Oz, when the black-and-white screen gives way to Technicolor.

This concept also applies to one-on-one meetings or conversations around a table. We’ve all been in way too many purposeless meetings and conversations. Think about how much more productive, clear, and short those meetings would be if they had a purpose. For example, “We’re going to discuss only digital marketing and decide on the first step today.” Whenever someone starts to careen into on-site advertising, they’re wrangled back to the purpose. “Let’s decide where to go on vacation with the current budget.” Whenever topics such as what you’d do with more money or what to pack comes up — screech! Put on the brakes and bring it all back.

So, keep it simple. It’s best to walk in with one strong purpose, accomplish that, and move on to another purpose at another time. I’ve seen presenters try to accomplish two, three, or four purposes at once, and you can guess what happens. Nothing. The audience walks out not knowing what to do.

And every now and then, your purpose can be very selfish and a little secret — no one else has to know what it is. There’s nothing wrong with choosing a purpose such as impressing the boss so that she gives you a promotion or making your children laugh so that they think cleaning up is fun and you can do less of it. All your audience will know is that you gave a very compelling presentation and they’re coming around quickly to your suggestions.

Purpose is the ace in the hole. It gives you focus, drive, and clarity.

Break This Rule