Interlude - Index of

58 | Beginnings
help drive action. The trick is to choose actions and emotions
that naturally reinforce each other.
When you are clear about the feelings and actions that
you hope to inspire, then—and only then—should you start
to worry about the content, about what data to share to inspire
those feelings. You could say, “I want you to feel excited about
what you did,” but it might work better to show the sales figures
or product test results that prove people did a good job.
Then the audience will naturally be excited. Or if the results
are bad, naturally disappointed.
Presentations are much better when you start with feelings
and actions. Good content is important, but it’s only a tool.
Feelings and actions are the goal.
At first, I struggled with Tom’s method because I wanted
to share too much information. Now I’ve learned to appreciate
the elegance of finding the smallest amount of data required to
drive the feelings and actions I want. For exhaustive detail, a
Web site or white paper is a much better communication tool.
Sometimes the action is go read the white paper. Even in a
classroom setting, lectures don’t replace textbooks.
Feeling. Action. Content.