A521.7.3.RB_Secret Structure

Nancy Duarte's TED talk "The secret structure of great talks" focuses on how to incorporate stories into presentations.  She explains an idea can be a flash point for a movement and can change the world. (2011) She goes on to say that the idea has to spread or it won't be effective. We all have big dreams, and it will involve more than ourselves to see them come true. However, it can be easy to leave one's idea aside and settle for the norm. The norm is comfortable; we are creatures of habit, and we'd rather say "it is what it is" than to shout for change and be rejected (WomensMedia, 2013).

Nancy's presentation used very little words on the slides.  Less is more.  Her presentation used plain language and was easy to understand.  Furthermore, it wasn't bogged down with unnecessary details, graphs, pictures and special effects.  She states the only difference between a mediocre idea and your great idea is the way it is communicated. A story can be told and get physical reaction but  it dies during a presentation..it flat lines. (Duarte, 2011)


For my future story presentation, I plan to use Nancy's secret structure of What is and what could be. I will start by telling the audience the world as we know it before introducing the vision of what could be.  "Now that people in your audience realize their world is off-kilter, keep playing up the contrast between what is and what could be."(Duarte, 2012) Nancy used this secret structure as an analysis tool, evaluating Steve Jobs and Dr. Martin Luther King's speeches.  One key element of MLKs speech was his ability to know his audience so well that he could pull from their experiences to communicate his ideas and dream for the future.

Other tactics I will use in my presentation are repetition and questioning.  McKay, Davis & Fanning say a wonderful way to instantly capture your audience's attention is to ask a question. (p. 143) For example, I may start by asking the audience their vision of the future.  This will draw them into the presentation and get them to start diving into their memory and senses.
 

Duarte, N. (2011, November). The secret structure of great talks. Retrieved September 21, 2017, from https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks#t-1078521

Duarte, N. (2012, October 31) Structure Your Presentation Like a Story. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from https://hbr.org/2012/10/structure-your-presentation-li
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The communication skills book. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, Inc

WomensMedia. (2013). Why We're So Afraid of Change -- And Why That Holds Businesses Back. Forbes. Accessed at http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2013/04/08/why-were-so-afraid-of-change-and-why-that-holds-businesses-back/