Page 48 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

THE STRONG START 39

ence easier than a summary statement that presents the conclu-
sion fi rst.
Getting to the point seems to be a big obstacle in too many pre-
sentations. Failing to get quickly to the point does not appeal to the
busy people listening, nor does it bode well for the presenter or for

the presentation itself. All too often we find that a presentation that
early on seems to lack a clear theme actually has no theme at all
upon closer examination.
In these poorly designed presentations, a sense of gathering frus-
tration begins to build in the audience. Frustration leads to irrita-
tion, and if things don’t improve, the audience is left feeling cheated.
Think of the hours, weeks, months, even sometimes years of our
lives we have given to ineffectual meetings and presentations that
we later could remember only as “a waste of time.”
You need never waste people’s time again if you make it your
business to tell them quickly everything they have to know. For
example, let’s say you’re a sales team leader about to make a monthly
sales report to your senior management.
Don’t begin with: “It’s nice to be here today. In my remarks I
would like to discuss the sales outlook and . . .”

Rather, how about starting with: “China and India are the
keys to our future. Next year we expect the China market to open
up completely and India two years after that. Right now we have
only a 2 percent penetration in China and roughly one-half of
1 percent in India, so there’s a lot of room for growth. In fact, we
expect to capture 30 percent of the market in both countries
within fi ve years.”

That’s the bottom line. You just made the bottom line your top line
(headline?) and your conclusion your beginning.
Is your company at a crossroads?

Instead of: “Today I would like to talk about implementing
our strategic plan and review the committee recommendations,