The 4 C’s of Compelling Presentations

Lonnie Pacelli is an Accenture/Microsoft veteran with four decades of learnings under his belt. He frequently writes and speaks on leadership, project management, work/life balance, and disability inclusion. Reach him at [email protected] and see more at ProjectManagementAdvisor.com.

  Communications Management  

In my four decades as a professional, I’ve delivered many presentations and keynotes. Some went well, others totally bombed. Through my learnings about both the good and bad, I’ve identified key success factors necessary to create and deliver compelling presentations. The factors, which I call the “4 C’s of Compelling Presentations,” have helped me more effectively get my point across. Let’s dig right in…

1. Choreograph your content and delivery

• Think what and how during development – When preparing presentation content, I think about not only what I am delivering, but how I will deliver it--what points to emphasize, where to use stories, and how to use gestures and actions.
• Use a relevant opening story – When I start, I immediately launch into an opening story. I do this because the audience is generally not expecting it. Many presenters start out with tired openings like, “Good morning. I can’t hear you, I said GOOD MORNING!” Sheesh. Launch right into an opening story that sets the framework for your topic.
• Vary tone, pace and volume – Think through where you want to raise or lower your voice, speak faster or slower, or vary your intonation to emphasize content. You could have great content, but if you come across like watching paint dry, you won’t get your point across. Keep …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.