A521.7.3.RB - Secret Structure

For many people the word presentation evokes a wide range of emotions.  For some, the thought of having to stand up in front of an audience evokes panic and fear.  For others, the thought of attending a presentation is akin to enduring a root canal and causes symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome as memories of mediocre presentations flood the mind.  Let’s face it, most presentations are boring, few are enjoyable, and even less are memorable.

Nancy Duarte (2011) suggested that presenters can make their speeches much more memorable and evoke a greater emotional response by borrowing the structure of great stories.  Many stories follow the structure of a hero’s journey. During a hero story an average character is called upon to perform a mission or undertake an adventure. However, the hero is unable to accomplish the mission alone; outside help is needed.  Help comes by way of a mentor who teaches the hero and makes it possible for him or her to accomplish the mission and become something extraordinary. Luke Skywalker is the hero in the movie Star Wars. Luke is called on to become a Jedi and rescue Princess Leia.  Luke is unable to fulfill his mission without the guiding help of his mentor, Yoda. During a presentation the presenter is not the hero, the audience is. The audience is the one who is called upon to leave their ordinary world and undertake a mission. The mission is the change that is being presented.  The presenter acts more like the mentor helping the hero to accomplish the journey and make the change. Presentations can be improved if they follow the storyline of the hero’s journey.

Many of the greatest speeches in history have followed a distinct and similar pattern.  Duarte (2011) indicated that she was able to overlay the same structural pattern on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, Steve Jobs Iphone introduction speech, as well as many others. The pattern that these speeches follow is that of comparing the current circumstances to a vision of what could be. Many of the greatest speakers have contrasted the past with the potential of the future.  By doing so they have appealed to the hope and imagination of the audience. They discussed a difficulty, and than presented a potential future solution. Using this technique requires that the presenter make the present status quo seem very unappealing. The contrast of the unappealing present and the desirable future needs to be wide. The presenter needs to make that gap as wide as possible so that the audience recognizes their discontent with the present and becomes hungry for the potential future condition that is being presented.  The presenter fails if he or she does not take advantage of that hunger for the future condition and challenge the audience to embrace the change.

Duarte’s recommendation to emphasize the difference between the current, undesirable situation, and the potential that lies in the future is an effective way to make an ordinary presentation become extraordinary.  As I prepare the presentation about my future story I believe that emphasizing the difference between my family’s current situation in Louisiana and the potential we see in the future will make the difference that is needed to make my presentation great.


References

Duarte, N. (2011). The secret structure of great talks [Video file]. Retreived from https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

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