The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters - Lifecycle Performance ...

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millennia. The movie JKF, most programs on the History Channel,
and the acclaimed scientific series Walking With Dinosaurs are examples
of masterful use of chronological events to tell the story in a
logical or meaningful manner.
Chronological presentations are often used to tell a story. For
example, the book The Critical Path tells the dramatic story of
Chrysler’s survival, and Five Days in London tells the story of how
Winston Churchill persuaded the war cabinet not to capitulate to
Hitler. In terms of an economic example, a speaker could open with a
“now” perspective, such as, “Today, interest rates for home mortgages
are the lowest they have been in 50 years. How did we get here?
Let’s go back to 1953 and examine what happened.” Then, with a
simple timeline, tick off key developments on watershed years. This
gives a flow of continuity and brings cohesiveness to your message.
As a side note, in this kind of presentation, it can become deadly dull
if all you do is reel off years and statistics. For color and depth, mention
an occasional “scene-setting” event. For example, “In 1959, the
Russians shocked the world with the launch of Sputnik, the first manmade
satellite to orbit the Earth. In that same year, interest rates shot
up as well…”
Geographical Presentations
Geographical presentations use geographical places to help tell a
story. One of the best examples is Pierre Burton’s The Last Spike,
which tells the story of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.
It is geographical because the story develops as the building of the
railroad moves primarily from east to west. This story is also metaphorical
in that it also tells the story of the building of a nation.
Speakers can use a similar device. Lance Armstrong, for example,
could hold us spellbound if he merely took us on a stage-by-stage
journey along the route of the Tour de France. It would have far more
impact if listeners were invited to travel with him geographically
through his story than if he skipped around.
Analytical Presentations
Analytical presentations analyze the topic, divide it into meaningful
sub-topics, and demonstrate the relationship between them.
For example, “High-performance teams have the following eight
characteristics…” or, “The three disciplines of market leaders are…”