Overview of a recent Harvard Business Review article, with data provided by Nancy Duarte, CEO of Duarte, Inc., a company that designs presentations and teaches presentation development.

1. HBR Guide to Persuasive
Presentations
Nancy Duarte
Nancy Duarte is the author of HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations, Slide:ology, and Resonate.
She is the CEO of Duarte, Inc. which designs presentations and teaches presentation development
From Harvard Business Review June 2013
(excerpted and abridged)
jgillis767@aol.com

2. If your goal is to
communicate
information from
a report, send the
full doc beforehand
and limit the pitch
to key takeaways.
Brevity wins.
Financial audiences
want data /details.
Satisfy them with
facts, but add a
thread of narrative
to appeal to the
emotional side.
Then present the
key takeaways
visually, to help
them find meaning
in the numbers.
Instead of covering
specs and features,
focus on the value
your product brings
to the world. Tell
stories that show
how real people
will use it and why
it will change their
lives.
For 30 minutes
with a VC, prepare
a crisp, structured
story arc that
conveys your idea
compellingly in 10
minutes; then let
Q&A drive the rest
of the meeting.
Anticipate
questions and
rehearse clear
and concise
answers.
Formal talks at
big events are
high-stakes,
high-impact
opportunities
to take your
listeners on a
transformative
journey. Use a
clear story
framework and
aim to engage
them emotionally.
Research
Findings
Financial
Presentation
Product
Launch
Venture
Capital Pitch
Keynote
Address
Find the Perfect Mix of Data and Narrative
Report Story
Nancy Duarte is the author of HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations, Slide:ology, and Resonate.
She is the CEO of Duarte, Inc. which designs presentations and teaches presentation development
Harvard Business Review June 2013

3. Veritas
jgillis767@aol.com
Title Page Picture: Mapparium-stained-glass-globe-mary-baker-eddy-library-boston
Photograph by Bob Sacha for National Geographic
http://twistedsifter.com/2013/03/stained-glass-globe-mapparium-boston/