someone who gets in trouble

“Get your protagonist up a tree. Throw rocks at him. Then get him down.” — Syd Field

When creating a presentation, you need to understand that the audience expects more than a list of topics with a rhetorical narrative. They expect you to surprise them. They expect you to tell a story. All stories are about someone who gets in trouble. So go deep into the conflicts the audience may confront. Then a resolution or a conclusion can come naturally.

Joni Galvão

"10 Golden Principles for an Effective Presentation" MARTECHseries. December 2, 2019

moved by a desire to touch the audience

When talented people write badly it’s generally for one of two reasons: Either they’re blinded by an idea they feel compelled to prove or they’re driven by an emotion they must express. When talented people write well, it is generally for this reason: They’re moved by a desire to touch the audience.

That means your audience doesn’t want to know about qualities you may think are important. They want to improve their own qualities and to know how you are going to be an ally in transforming their lives and making them stronger protagonists.

Robert McKee

Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. Methuen. 1999. As quoted by Joni Galvão in "10 Golden Principles for an Effective Presentation" MARTECHseries. December 2, 2019

the transformation story

Make sure that you provide sufficient information in your presentation to produce a meaningful change in your audience. This can come by providing a new insight on a known topic, by introducing a completely new concept, or even by making them doubt about something they have always taken for granted.

If your presentation will not produce some kind of change in your audience, then it’s a presentation not worth giving.

If you are not eliciting a change, then you are not providing enough content. And if you are not providing enough content, your material is not worth presenting. So: no change, no presentation!

Matteo Cassese

"The 10 principles of effective presentations. Hint: it’s all in the structure!" La Fabbrica della Realtà. Retrieved 4/27/2021