A key strategy to make a persuasive and compelling presentation!

Persuading people to come along and inspiring them to take action is a critical part of a leader’s job.

Though it’s tempting to assume that you only need to be smart and creative to achieve success here, research shows that even the most brilliant executives need to possess the skills to influence people. The last mile in getting anything done is convincing others to come along.

Whether it’s presenting a business case to the board or pitching to investors – you have few seconds to grab their attention. Many don’t realize that they’re boring their listeners with their detailed presentations; leave alone persuading them to take action.

A key strategy to make a persuasive and compelling presentation is to talk about the big picture.

Your listeners want to know the answer to one question: “So what?”

Explain why they need to invest in your product or idea - what problem it solves? You can get to the features and attributes later. The functions and features are the details. Remember that your time to persuade is limited, so answering why it matters to them will have the most impact.

According to brain researcher and Professor John Medina, if your listeners don't know the big picture or the big idea, they'll be unlikely to pay attention to the details. "Don't start with details," Medina writes in his popular book Brain Rules. "Start with key ideas and, in hierarchical fashion, form the details around these larger notions."

If you're pitching a new product, the problem it solves is the big picture.

For example Canva’s big idea is "An easy-to-use photo and video editor in one graphic design app”

The big picture invokes excitement and interest. If you want people to pay attention, don't start with details.

?Start with the big picture. This is how great leaders inspire action.