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Presentation Tip: Create a Storyboard that Sells

Written by: John Brennan

Article Overview: Whether you're trying to persuade one person or a thousand, you need to grab attention, build value and close with something meaningful and exciting.

Presentation Tip: Create a Storyboard that Sells

Here are some tips about storyboarding. When you create a storyboard instead of just typing bullets into PowerPoint, you can really map out your plot and create a more compelling flow for your presentation.

If you've developed TV spots, videos or major websites, you've done this before. You probably used huge boards filled with drawings to help the entire production team visualize your key points.

To create your storyboards, start with a pile of paper and colored markers. And if you're creating a sales presentation, grab a few sales & marketing team members to collaborate.

Here's the process:

1. List (or draw!) your audience members on the first sheet. During the entire presentation, they're going to be thinking "What's in it for me (WIIFM)?" You want to create a presentation that answers that question.

2. What action do you want your audience to take when you're done? Write it on another sheet and add a giant "B."

3. Grab three more sheets and come up with three key benefits that your audience members will realize when they take action. These benefits should be meaningful -- your audience needs to care about them. Again, they're thinking "WIIFM?" List one WIIFM per sheet.

4. What's the biggest benefit that can get your audience really excited about your topic? Write it down and add a giant "A." You'll create a hook around this point.

Now you're ready to get to the meat of your presentation. Your mission:

Grab their attention with the hook (A).
Tell a story that takes them on a journey that addresses their three key needs (1-3).
End with a conclusion that gets them excited about taking action (B).

To plan the detailed "plot points" for the heart of your story, list two or three major benefits or supporting points for each of the three WIIFMs. Write each one on a separate sheet, then narrow the list down to create only ten slides. You'll force yourself to stick to the most important points and save yourself from going overboard on the bullets.

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Article Tags: presentations, storyboard



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