Structuring a Presentation for Maximum Impact

Many amazing presenters fall into the trap of believing their data will speak for itself. But it never does… Our brains aren't spreadsheets, they're story processors. You may understand the importance of your data, but don't assume others do too. The truth is, data alone doesn't persuade…but the impact it has on your audience's lives does. Your job is to tell that story in your presentation. Here are a few steps to help transform your data into a story: 1. Formulate your Data Point of View. Your "DataPOV" is the big idea that all your data supports. It's not a finding; it's a clear recommendation based on what the data is telling you. Instead of "Our turnover rate increased 15% this quarter," your DataPOV might be "We need to invest $200K in management training because exit interviews show poor leadership is causing $1.2M in turnover costs." This becomes the north star for every slide, chart, and talking point. 2. Turn your DataPOV into a narrative arc. Build a complete story structure that moves from "what is" to "what could be." Open with current reality (supported by your data), build tension by showing what's at stake if nothing changes, then resolve with your recommended action. Every data point should advance this narrative, not just exist as isolated information. 3. Know your audience's decision-making role. Tailor your story based on whether your audience is a decision-maker, influencer, or implementer. Executives want clear implications and next steps. Match your storytelling pattern to their role and what you need from them. 4. Humanize your data. Behind every data point is a person with hopes, challenges, and aspirations. Instead of saying "60% of users requested this feature," share how specific individuals are struggling without it. The difference between being heard and being remembered comes down to this simple shift from stats to stories. Next time you're preparing to present data, ask yourself: "Is this just a data dump, or am I guiding my audience toward a new way of thinking?" #DataStorytelling #LeadershipCommunication #CommunicationSkills

Imagine you've performed an in-depth analysis and uncovered an incredible insight. You’re now excited to share your findings with an influential group of stakeholders. You’ve been meticulous, eliminating biases, double-checking your logic, and ensuring your conclusions are sound. But even with all this diligence, there’s one common pitfall that could diminish the impact of your insights: information overload. In our excitement, we sometimes flood stakeholders with excessive details, dense reports, cluttered dashboards, and long presentations filled with too much information. The result is confusion, disengagement, and inaction. Insights are not our children, we don’t have to love them equally. To truly drive action, we must isolate and emphasize the insights that matter most—those that directly address the problem statement and have the highest impact. Here’s how to present insights effectively to ensure clarity, engagement, and action: ✅ Start with the Problem – Frame your insights around the problem statement. If stakeholders don’t see the relevance, they won’t care about the data. ✅ Prioritize Key Insights – Not all insights are created equal. Share only the most impactful findings that directly influence decision-making. ✅ Tell a Story, Not Just Show Data– Structure your presentation as a narrative: What was the challenge? What did the data reveal? What should be done next? A well-crafted story is more memorable than a raw data dump. ✅ Use Clean, Intuitive Visuals – Data-heavy slides and cluttered dashboards overwhelm stakeholders. Use simple, insightful charts that highlight key takeaways at a glance. ✅ Make Your Recommendations Clear– Insights without action are meaningless. End with specific, actionable recommendations to guide decision-making. ✅ Encourage Dialogue, Not Just Presentation – Effective communication is a two-way street. Invite questions and discussions to ensure buy-in from stakeholders. ✅ Less is More– Sometimes, one well-presented insight can be more powerful than ten slides of analysis. Keep it concise, impactful, and decision-focused. Before presenting, ask yourself: Am I providing clarity or creating confusion? The best insights don’t just inform—they inspire action. What strategies do you use to make your insights more actionable? Let’s discuss! P.S: I've shared a dashboard I reviewed recently, and thought it was overloaded and not actionably created

You’ve been asked to speak at a conference. One side of your brain says, "You rock! This is awesome. Wow for me!" The other side of your brain says, "I think I'm gonna hurl. What the heck am I going to say for 45 minutes? Does anyone care what I have to say?" Here's some quick relief... You don't need a TED Talk. You don't need 100+ slides. You need a structure that works to make this process easier on you and most importantly, high impact for the audience. Here’s how to outline your first 45-minute speech (easily adjusted for shorter or longer events): → Start with a story. Think about some analogy or story that relates to your core point and big idea Let's say your core concept is about "simplification". Here's some starter ideas for a story... “I walked into the cafe and was presented with a menu with dozens of options...” “Last week my daughter came to me…” “I was driving on a foggy highway in a new city, and suddenly driving under 4 highway signs. I needed to quickly assess and decide...” Hook them with a story, then hit them with the point. → Define the problem. What is the real and undeniable challenge your audience is facing? Call it out in a way that helps them immediately know that you "get them." It could be stating the problem specifically, along with how it makes you or others feel. Add a stat or research nugget to prove it's legit. → Show them why you are the one to guide them through it. Share your perspective. Your credibility. Share the scars and experience that give you authority. → Break it down into 3-5 core ideas. These are the building blocks of your message. Each core idea should include: ✔️ A data point ✔️ A real-world story (about you, a client, or someone they know) ✔️ A tangible takeaway → Bring it all home. Remind them of the core idea. Reconnect to your opening story. Leave them with one thing to remember, and one thing to do. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about connection. Your story, your lessons, your voice - they’re powerful when you put structure behind them. Okay, now go get to work!

As a Data guy, I had certain beliefs about presenting. I feel icky admitting this, but I used to think... "Can I impress them with my charts and graphs?" If you've ever seen a data analyst present, you've seen this. Data Analysts love their charts and graphs. But the truth is... Pretty graphics don't win people over, especially Senior Leaders. My problem was... my ego. And it actually made me a ball of nerves. So why does this matter to you? Because when presenting is about YOU, it's all wrong. Being impressive isn't about great slides... being extra funny or sarcastic... or having a one line zinger... Business leaders aren't impressed by this. Here's the key that changed everything… Your Leaders want Team Members who know this: Great business presentations are about being RELEVANT for your audience. Here are 5 ways to be more RELEVANT when speaking... so you can engage your audience and win them over. (See if you see the common thread.) 1️⃣ Start with their priorities Don’t open with your outline. Start with what they care about. 2️⃣ Use their language and examples Skip buzzwords. Speak in terms they already use day-to-day. 3️⃣ Answer: what does this mean for them? After every key point, tie it to... what and why it matters to them. 4️⃣ Prioritize what impacts their world Cut anything that’s irrelevant... Oh, and don't think emotions don't matter Every leader makes decisions with some emotion. 5️⃣ Tailor your visuals and data to your audience Your examples and slides should reflect... their world, not yours. Did you see the common thread? Notice how being engaging & impressive is about THEM! Yes, great communicators know it's about the audience! Focus on SERVING them and you'll engage (and impress) them. Why? Because... Serving others reduces nerves (and your ego). Relevance to your audience earns attention. Speaking in their language builds credibility. Was there one of the 5 that stood out to you? - - - - - If we haven't met, I'm Cooper, and I help business professionals grow their confidence & credibility when speaking and presenting. +Follow me for more actionable tips.

90% of CXOs have access to AI presentation tools. But their most critical business presentations still fall flat. At CXOAxis, we've been deep-diving into how top executives create presentations that drive real business decisions. Here's why traditional AI presentation workflows are broken: → Tools generate slides without strategic insights → Pretty templates that lack compelling business logic → Generic content that doesn't address real decision-making needs → No connection between data analysis and presentation narrative The Strategic AI Presentation Framework changes everything: ✅ Deep Research First - Use AI reasoning models (ChatGPT O-series, Gemini) with comprehensive prompts to uncover real insights, not just surface-level data ✅ Strategic Structuring - Transform research into compelling narratives using proven consulting frameworks (Porter's 5 Forces, SCQA) that drive decisions ✅ Professional Visualization - Design tools like Gamma turn your strategic outline into polished, executive-ready presentations ✅ Human Refinement - Apply your domain expertise to refine AI output, ensuring accuracy and relevance The 3-Step Process That Works: Step 1: Insight Generation - 7-minute deep research sessions that analyze competitive landscapes, market opportunities, and strategic risks Step 2: Story Architecture - Structure findings into decision-focused narratives with clear recommendations and supporting evidence Step 3: Executive Design - Professional visualization with tactical editing for maximum business impact Real results from executives using this framework: Market entry presentations that secure $2M+ investment decisions Competitive analysis that redirects entire product strategies Strategic recommendations that influence board-level resource allocation The difference? Moving from "Here's what AI found" to "Here's why you should act, backed by comprehensive analysis." Your board wants strategic clarity. Your investors want data-driven confidence. Your team wants actionable direction. The Strategic AI Presentation Framework delivers all three. Top AI tools powering this transformation: ChatGPT/Gemini Deep Research for insight generation Gamma for professional slide design Porter's 5 Forces framework for competitive analysis SCQA methodology for compelling storytelling The gap isn't in presentation tools – it's in the strategic thinking that comes before the slides. Remember: AI handles the research and design. You provide the strategic judgment and business context. That combination is unstoppable. 🔥 We're hosting exclusive CXO Roundtables in Bengaluru with our venue partner BHIVE Workspace 15 seats only. Real frameworks. 🗓️ July 18 - CTOs: Building AI-Native Development Organizations 🗓️ July 25 - CROs: Revenue Intelligence Revolution 🗓️ Aug 1 - CHROs: The Future of Product Engineering Talent DM "ROUNDTABLE" + your role Looking forward to hosting you!

What makes your pitch unforgettable? It's not your TAM. It's not your tech. It's not even your traction. Investors only remember 2-3 key points from your entire pitch. So, why treat every slide like it's equally important? Your goal isn't to make them remember everything—it's to make sure they remember the right things. This is why I use the Message Impact Matrix: a simple framework that helps you prioritize the right messages for maximum impact. (Also works for any high-stakes presentation) Defenition: IMPACT: Message's ability to trigger investor interest RETENTION: Likelihood investors remember it later High Impact + High Retention (These need 80% of your focus) → The Problem → Why Now, Why Me → Your Differentiator Ex: "73% of SMBs abandon digital transformation due to complexity—we've built the only solution that doesn't require IT involvement" High Impact + Low Retention (Turn these into stories) → Market size data → Revenue projections → Technical architecture Ex: "Instead of saying 'Our TAM is $50B,' show how 'Every CFO spends 15 hours monthly on tasks our AI eliminates'" Low Impact + High Retention (Keep these brief) → Team background → Product overview → Company origin Ex: "Our founding team built and sold the previous category leader in this space" Low Impact + Low Retention (Make these one-liners) → Feature lists → Competitor details → Industry terminology Ex: "We support multi-tenant architecture with SOC 2 compliance" Your pitch shouldn't feel like a novel. It should be a headline they can't forget. Want an in-depth evaluation of your pitch using this framework? Let's talk: https://t2m.io/tmVRzGGc #storytelling #fundraising #communication #publicspeaking

I have a confession to make. I have been guilty of putting people to sleep during my presentations. Unfortunately, not once, but many times. I could blame it on the complexities of tech topics or the dryness of the subject. I could always console myself by saying that at least it's not as sleep-inducing as financial presentations (sorry, my friends in Finance). Deep down, though, I knew that even the most complicated and dry topics could come alive. As with anything, it's a skill and can be improved upon. Thus, I turned to my friend Christopher Chin, Communication Coach for Tech Professionals, for some much-needed advice. He shared these 5 presentation tips guaranteed to leave a lasting impression: 1/ Speak to Their Needs, Not Your Wants Don’t just say what you like talking about or what your audience wants to hear. Say what your audience needs to hear based on their current priorities and pain points: that sets your presentation up to be maximally engaging 2/ Slides Support, You Lead Slides are not the presentation. You are the presentation. Your slides should support your story and act as visual reinforcement rather than as the main star of the show.  Consider holding off on making slides until you have your story clear. That way, you don’t end up making more slides than you need or making slides more verbose than you need 3/ Start with a Bang, Not a Whisper The beginning of a presentation is one of the most nerve-wracking parts for you as the speaker and one of the most attention-critical parts for your audience. If you don’t nail the beginning, there’s a good chance you lose the majority of people. Consider starting with something that intrigues your audience, surprises them, concerns them, or makes them want to learn more. 4/ Think Conversation, Not Presentation One-way presentations where the speaker just talks “at” the audience lead to dips in attention and poorer reception of the material. Consider integrating interactive elements like polls and Q&A throughout a presentation (rather than just at the very end) to make it feel more like a conversation. 5/ Finish Strong with a Clear CTA We go through all the effort of preparing, creating, and delivering a presentation to cause some change in behavior. End with a powerful call to action that reminds your audience why they were in attendance and what they should do as soon as they leave the room. By integrating these, you won't just present; you'll captivate. Say goodbye to snoozing attendees and hello to a gripped audience. 😴 Repost if you've ever accidentally put someone to sleep with a presentation. We've all been there!

On delivering a great conference presentation. Conference presentations are tricky. Whether your content is good or not, may or may not matter. However. Where it is a good presentation or not will open and close doors on your career. And. A bad one, esp. as a senior PhD student, can close minds and doors on the ejob market. So five quick points to consider as you plan your talk. 1. Structure your talk like a SHORT story You have just 15 to 20 minutes. So use a simple structure to describe your research, like this: Hook – A question, puzzle, or surprising insight Background – What we know, what we don’t Research question – The gap you address Method – How you explored it Key findings – What you discovered Implications – Why it matters for research or practice Example: “We wanted to know why remote teams struggle with onboarding. So we interviewed 22 tech firms. What we found challenges how we think about informal mentorship.” 2. Design slides that focus attention on you. One idea per slide. Keep it visual. Define key terms and highlight relevance. Let your voice do the explaining. Example: Instead of pasting your abstract on a slide, show a graph, a quote, or a concept map. 3. Practice, practice, practice Rehearse with time limits. Ask peers to simulate Q&A. Emulate having people come in and out of the room. Example: If your session is 15 minutes, aim to finish in 12. Have a friend play the "skeptical reviewer" in practice and push back on your logic. 4. Deliver with intention Speak slowly and clearly. Make eye contact. Pause for breath. Think before answering questions. Example: Nervous speakers rush. A short pause after your main point helps your audience absorb it—and makes you sound more confident. 5. Respect the room Visit the room before the talk. Know the room layout. Hook up your computer to present. Bring your slides on a USB stick. Finish 1–2 minutes early. Example: If you’re speaking in a hybrid session, arrive early to check audio levels and screen sharing. Even if you are a great speaker, things go wrong. The more prepared you are, the less you will be put off by things going wrong. So. Practice. Build your confidence. Visualize greatness! Then execute. Best of luck! #conference #academicjourney

I am revisiting some of my playbooks to get them ready for my new team and thought I'd share out some tips on how to make your EBRs more impactful. This is a VERY small part of a 10 page playbook that has successfully been used at multiple organizations now (of course adjust for each org accordingly). An Executive Business Review (EBR) is a high-level strategy meeting that highlights the major accomplishments, project updates, and ROI since the relationship start or since the previous EBR. This is not about you (company), it's all about your customer. A lot of folks forget this and use the EBR to resell their services. To quote Julie Roberts “Big mistake. Big. Huge.”  You've been gifted this time with your customer, don't make this mistake. A typical flow I've followed is: Introductions: 5-10 min. How you partner with us today: 5-10 min. Successes to date: 10 min. (this is ROI - not usage) Untapped value: 5 min. (more value you can achieve with zero additional investment) Continued partnership goals: 15 min. What’s next / roadmap: 10 min. Next Steps: 5 min. Tips to make your EBR more impactful! - Know your audience and what they care about! Remember, while you are delivering the presentation, this is about making them look like rockstars and celebrating our mutual wins. - Present information that helps the folks in the room with their decision-making. Example: if they are considering whether or not your partnership is mission-critical, this meeting should help them arrive at clarity. - Have clear objectives and takeaways that you want the attendees to leave with. What key messages do you want the executives to take away from the review? Align these objectives with the overall strategic goals of the organization. - Make sure you are speaking the language of the attendees. Only use acronyms that you know that they will understand. Actually, to be safe, don’t use acronyms! - Make sure your presentation flows and tells a story. Instead of data, more data, more data, weave in their whys and the story. This will not only make your presentation more interesting, it’ll also help it be more memorable. - Mind your speak to listen ratio!! This one is important. While you are delivering this EBR, you should not be the only one speaking. Encourage open dialogue during the review. Create opportunities for executives and other participants to ask questions and provide feedback. This fosters a collaborative atmosphere and ensures alignment. - Manage your time. Be mindful of time constraints. Keep the presentation focused on key points and allow sufficient time for discussion and questions. Keep your content simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. Use visuals and examples to make the presentation engaging and relatable. - Be genuine and authentic in your delivery. Customers appreciate honesty and sincerity. Avoid over-promising and ensure that you can deliver on what you commit. There's more to say here but alas I am out of space.

THE 4 ‘S’s OF PRESENTATIONS One of the common ways to making a robust presentation, document, or report is to look at the 3 Ss: 1. Structure 2. Substance 3. Style The meaning of these elements should be quite self-evident and is normally followed in that order too with structuring coming in first and the style being the last element to be focused upon. One of the inputs that I give to my team members is to start with the end in mind – that is to put their attention to the action that they want their document to trigger – another meeting, reference to other stakeholders / groups, approval for certain task / item etc. When we start with this as the starting point, a cascading series of WHYs should be asked – for example, if we are seeking a subsequent meeting, we should ask ourselves “WHY would the person on the other side agree to the next meeting?” Maybe the response is that we are the best company to do digital work. The question should again be WHY, and so on. The above exercise, if done diligently and with quality time spent on it (typically 2-4 hours of undivided attention), should bring up the key salient points to be addressed in the document and it should also help evolve an outline/structure and the story to be narrated through the document. Even with this, I realized that many failed to deliver the right impact. And thus, the need to add the fourth S (Sentiment) to the 3 Ss (Structure, Substance, Style). The softer aspect of the presentation – Sentiment – is one of the more crucial elements. When we are passionate and excited about the anticipated outcome of the presentation, we are more likely to ask tougher WHY questions, we are more likely to understand the motivations/behavior/needs of the recipient, we are more likely to get commitment from other team members who we might be collaborating with etc. On the other hand, if we are already feeling we are not going to get a positive response, our storyline, choice of words, narration etc. will be mediocre and sub-standard. By being mindful of the Sentiment under which we are working on the presentation, we will be able to ace them more often!