Presentation Skills: How to Know What Details To Put In & What To Throw Out

• July 8, 2010

When putting a presentation or discussion together, your brain will try to have you put in everything but the kitchen sink.  This is because your brain is designed to protect you so it believes MORE is BETTER.

The reality is that in sales, people buy only 20% on your product knowledge, the rest they are buying from is how you make them feel.  For leaders, your team acts quickly and as a unit when the instructions are easy to follow and they see directly why it impacts them.

So here is your easy rule of thumb of what to put in and what to toss out:

Toss out

1. Details that show “Here is what I did” without sharing the “This is why it is relevant”.  They don’t need to know what you have done but they do need to know the impact or result from it.

2. Details that can cause them to say, “Wwait a minute”.  Don’t bring up problems or side tracks if they aren’t relevant to what needs to happen.

When to Put Details In

1. If they will help diffuse any controversy as to why you are doing what you are doing.  People need to know you have looked at all sides of the issue.  This would have benefited President Obama when he was first trying to implement his health care reform. Since he didn’t do it right upfront, people wonder if he has looked at all sides of the issue

2. If they will help the participants get more CLARITY on what they are to do or why they are to do it.

If you are in doubt, throw it out.  Simplicity is best when you want to move people to action.

Take Action: This week take a presentation or email and hack away at it to get it to its core message.  You will be surprised how much more you are heard when you say less!