Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks

The Power of Presentations

In this podcast episode, Lenny interviews Nancy Duarte, a best-selling author, speaker, and CEO of Duarte Incorporated. Nancy shares her insights on how to improve presentations and communication skills.

The Importance of Contrast in Presentations

• Presenting well is not just for big stage talks.

• Having contrast as a framework can be used in any moment of influence.

• Contrast works in any format.

Introduction to Nancy Duarte

• Nancy is the CEO of Duarte Incorporated which has helped create over 250,000 presentations for influential business leaders and brands.

• In this episode, Nancy shares tactical advice on how to improve presentations and communication skills.

Sponsorship Messages

• Microsoft Clarity is a free tool that captures how real people use your site.

• Clarity offers features such as live session replays and heat maps to help identify product opportunities and conversion wins.

• Lenny's Jobs offers a platform for hiring managers to access hundreds of hand-picked candidates who are open to new opportunities.

Memorable Presentation Projects

• Nancy has worked on thousands of projects with each having two to 100 presentations in it.

• She estimates that she has worked on over 225,000 presentations directly or indirectly since 2014.

• One of the most memorable presentations Nancy worked on was Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth.

Key Takeaways for Presentations

• A presentation should have a clear and compelling message.

• Use contrast to create tension and keep the audience engaged.

• Structure your presentation like a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

• Use visuals to support your message and evoke emotions in the audience.

• Practice your delivery to reduce nerves and improve confidence.

Communication Framework for Relationships

• The communication framework involves understanding the needs of both parties in a relationship.

• It is important to listen actively, empathize, and respond appropriately.

• The framework can be used in personal or professional relationships.

Final Thoughts

• Presentations are an opportunity to inspire change and make an impact.

• Effective communication skills are essential for success in any field or industry.

• Nancy encourages listeners to continue learning and improving their skills through practice and feedback loops.

Working with a Large Figure Politician

In this section, the speaker talks about their experience working with a large figure politician and how they were surprised by his willingness to defer to their expertise.

Surprising Deference

• The speaker's team worked with the politician, who was previously a vice president and now a presenter.

• Despite being an experienced communicator, the politician would often pause and consider the team's proposals.

• More often than not, he would adopt the team's suggestions.

• The speaker was delighted that such a powerful customer would thoughtfully defer to them as experts.

Planting Seeds for Groundswell

In this section, the speaker discusses how the politician traveled for five years planting seeds for a groundswell before delivering his presentation.

Five Years of Preparation

• The politician traveled from city to city for five years before delivering his presentation.

• He went to Stanford campus and invited Bay Area elites to private VIP events.

• The team believes that people already knowing about the presentation helped it gain traction.

Building on Success

In this section, the speaker talks about how they built on their success after gaining traction with their presentation.

Training Program

• After gaining traction, they built a whole training program where people could be flown out to Tennessee to be trained by them.

• It became like a "train-the-trainer" program where people could become ambassadors for it.

Apple as a Client

In this section, the speaker talks about how they landed Apple as a client and what they learned from working with them.

Starting Out

• The speaker's husband had bought a Mac and thought it could be a business.

• They won contracts with NASA, Tandem (now HP), and Apple.

Lessons Learned

• The speaker learned that her husband was right about the potential of their business.

• She also learned to not dismiss new technology without giving it a chance.

The Early Days of Graphic Design on Macintosh

In the early days of the Macintosh, graphic designers were hesitant to use it due to its limitations. However, a small group of designers began experimenting with the tool and pushing its boundaries.

Pushing the Boundaries

• Graphic designers initially refused to use the Macintosh for design work.

• A small group of designers experimented with the tool and tried to figure out what they could do with it.

• They pushed the boundaries of how they illustrated things in the tool and how they would colorize clip art.

• The first 18 months were difficult, but eventually, their efforts paid off.

Presentations on Macintosh

• Apple was the first company to hook up a computer to a projector at scale.

• The projectors used at big venues like San Jose Convention Center were huge and risky.

• Apple pushed this tool into presentations, which were previously done using 35mm slides in an old Carousel.

• When they started doing presentations in this tool, everything was black and white.

Reshaping Presentation Medium

This section discusses how Apple reshaped presentation medium by mapping it to brand requirements and making visuals cinematic.

Mapping to Brand Requirements

• Apple takes different tools such as slides keynote or PowerPoint depending on what each brand wants.

• They push each medium according to brand guidelines.

Making Visuals Cinematic

• Apple takes brand guidelines and pushes them into spoken word medium so that when people stand up on stage, visuals become an experience in itself.

• Steve Jobs' return marked a turning point for Apple's branding efforts.

• Photoshop was new at that time, but everyone was making hideous templates.

• The designer found inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock posters and used a stock video of particulates floating through the air to create a revolutionary six-color Apple poster.

Tips for Giving Great Presentations

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of empathy in presentations and provides three tips for giving great presentations.

Empathy-Centric Approach

• Empathy is important to Duarte as everything they do is empathy first.

• The presenter should think about who they are speaking with and how they can help them get unstuck.

• It's important to consider how hard what you're asking your audience to do will be for them.

Three Tips for Starting a Deck

• Your audience is the hero.

• Infuse your talk with story.

• Ask yourself, "Can they see what I'm saying?"

The Role of Empathy in Storytelling

In this section, the speaker explains why empathy is so important in storytelling and shares some personal experiences that have influenced her approach.

Importance of Empathy

• Empathy is at the core of everything Duarte does.

• The speaker was raised by a clinically narcissistic mother who lacked empathy, which has influenced her focus on empathy in her work.

• It's essential to think about who you are speaking with when communicating and presenting.

The Presenter as Mentor

• The presenter should come alongside the audience and help them get unstuck or bring a magical tool.

• In myths and movies, it's often the mentor who holds the power in the room of a presentation.

• The balance of power is with the audience, not the presenter.

Example from Duarte's Internal Process

• Before doing a presentation that requires goals or an annual vision talk, Duarte conducts a listening tour based on surveys and interviews to gather information from their audience.

• They then compare this information to what they plan to ask their audience to do and conduct a gap analysis.

• The team creates a rough cut of the presentation based on this information.

Delivering Effective Presentations

In this section, the speaker discusses the challenges of delivering presentations and shares insights on how to make them more effective.

Making the Listener the Hero of Your Story

• To make your presentation resonate with your audience, empathize with their challenges and make them the hero of your story.

• If you're doing it well, you'll see visible signs that they get it. People will come up to you after a talk and say positive things about it.

• Infuse your talk with story by utilizing story structures such as a three-act structure. Incorporate the rise and fall of tension in your presentation to create longing in your audience.

The Power of Storytelling

• Story has been fused into our brains for tens of thousands of years. By incorporating attributes of story like a beginning, middle, and end, you can align your audience's brains with yours.

• A well-structured presentation can pull on the rise and fall in a way that creates longing in your audience.

• By painting a verbal picture of an alternate future using storytelling techniques, you can bring your whole audience to this future state.

Visualizing Story Structure

• The greatest speeches over all time have a rise and fall structure. To visualize this structure, use quarter-inch graph paper to map out words over time.

• A zigzag pattern is not effective for mapping something over time because there is too much data loss. Instead, use teeth-like shapes that go up and down over time.

Conclusion

Effective presentations require empathy for the listener's challenges and utilizing storytelling techniques to create a rise and fall structure that creates longing in your audience. Visualizing this structure can be done using quarter-inch graph paper and teeth-like shapes.

The Power of Contrast in Storytelling

In this section, the speaker discusses how contrast can be used to create a sense of longing for the future and make people leave their current state or status quo. She also talks about how contrasting stories have been used effectively in historical speeches and presentations.

Using Contrast to Create Longing for the Future

• Traversing between what is and what could be creates a sense of longing for the future.

• This makes people leave their current state or status quo.

• Contrast can be used to create this motion of traversing between what is and what could be.

Historical Examples of Contrasting Stories

• The State of the Union address is an interesting example where contrast has been effectively used.

• Dave Jones was great at using contrast when he launched the iPhone speech.

• Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was a short but effective eulogy that also made use of contrast.

Using Story Structure in Presentations

In this section, the speaker talks about how story structure can be used in presentations to create a framework for contrasting stories. She also discusses how even short presentations can benefit from using this structure.

When to Use Story Structure in Presentations

• Many people think that story structure should only be used for big stage talks or important presentations.

• However, even basic conversations or moments of influence can benefit from using story structure as a mental model.

Benefits of Using Story Structure in Short Presentations

• Even short presentations, such as eulogies like Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, can benefit from using story structure.

• A quick "what is what could be new Bliss" framework can work well even in basic conversations or phone calls.

Communication Tips for Empathy and Clarity

In this section, the speaker discusses communication tips that can help improve empathy and clarity in conversations.

Making Your Listener the Hero of the Story

• The speaker suggests making your listener the hero of the story by coming at it with empathy.

• This approach involves understanding your listener's perspective and using language that resonates with them.

• An example is given of a campaign that encourages people to think differently, which makes them feel creative and empowered.

Infusing Your Presentation with Story

• The speaker recommends infusing your presentation with a story structure: what is, what could be, and new bliss.

• This structure helps to frame your message in a way that is easy to understand and memorable.

• The "what is" part sets up the current situation or problem, while "what could be" offers a vision for improvement.

• The "new bliss" part provides an ideal outcome or happy ending.

Asking Yourself if They Can See What You're Saying

• To ensure clarity in communication, ask yourself if your audience can see what you're saying.

• Visual aids such as diagrams or pictures can help convey complex ideas more effectively.

• If visual aids are not available, drawing on a napkin or whiteboard can also be helpful.

Overall, these communication tips emphasize the importance of understanding your audience's perspective and framing your message in a clear and memorable way. By doing so, you can improve empathy and clarity in conversations.

Importance of Alignment

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of alignment in achieving a common goal. She shares her experience of seeing patterns and creating a clear picture in her mind's eye, which may not be easily understood by others.

Alignment is Key

• Alignment around a common goal is crucial for success.

• Leaders should strive to bring their vision down to earth and communicate it clearly to their team.

• Creating a graphic representation of the steps and insights can help everyone see the same thing and avoid confusion.

Seeing Patterns

• Some people have the ability to see patterns and create a clear picture in their mind's eye.

• However, this may not be easily understood by others who only see fragments of the bigger picture.

Importance of Visualization

• Visual aids such as slides or graphics can help convey complex ideas more effectively.

• Slides should support verbal communication rather than distract from it.

Tips for Effective Slides

In this section, the speaker provides tips on how to create effective slides that support your presentation.

Organizing Your Deck

• Each slide should make one point that supports your big idea or main message.

• The big idea is your point of view and what's at stake if they do or do not adopt it.

• Depending on where you work, some people want something that's not the key insight at the top of the slide while others do so it's up to you to decide.

Creating a Slide Doc

• A slide doc is a presentation that can be circulated via email and should include more words, stronger pictures, and full sentences.

• The front of the slide doc should only have five slides while everything else follows behind it.

Principles of Effective Slide Making

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of having one idea per slide and ensuring that each slide supports the main idea of the talk. The speaker also emphasizes the need to modify content based on the audience and their communication style.

One Idea Per Slide

• Having one idea per slide is important for effective communication.

• Each slide should support the main idea of the talk.

• Avoid making a single slide unless it supports the one big idea of your whole talk.

Modifying Content Based on Audience

• Modify and map all content based on who you're talking to.

• Know your audience's communication style and map to that.

• High-stakes presentations may require high-density slides if that's how they communicate in their culture.

Introduction to EPO A/B Testing Platform

In this section, the speaker introduces EPO, a next-generation A/B testing platform built by Airbnb alums for modern growth teams. The speaker highlights some key features of EPO and mentions some companies that rely on it.

Introduction to EPO

• EPO is a next-generation A/B testing platform built by Airbnb alums for modern growth teams.

• Companies like DraftKings, Zapier, ClickUp, Twitch, and Cameo rely on EPO to power their experiments.

• There are no commercial tools that integrate with a modern grow team stack; this leads to wasted time building internal tools or trying to run your own experiments through a clunky marketing tool.

Key Features of EPO

• Slice and dice data by device types country user stage

• Deliver results quickly avoiding annoying prolonged analytic cycles

• Helps you easily get to the root cause of any issue you discover

• Supports tests on front-end, back-end, email marketing, and even machine learning plans

The Minto Pyramid Principle

In this section, the speaker discusses the Minto Pyramid Principle and how it can be effective in certain situations. The speaker also shares their own version of a conclusion or result.

The Minto Pyramid Principle

• The Minto Pyramid Principle is amazing.

• Your main section heads should add up, and all the slides should support them.

• Stating the conclusion first is great with execs or when fundraising.

• Sometimes you need longer to unpack a future state that people need to long for.

Conclusion or Result

• Start with the new bliss; tie it to humankind and how they will benefit.

• This is different from just showing up with an 800-page deck and unpacking results.

Tips for Creating Effective Slides

In this section, the speaker provides tips for creating effective slides when preparing for small meetings.

Tips for Creating Effective Slides

• Do some thinking first if it's important.

• Sketch out your ideas before creating slides.

• Change your environment up a little bit to get into a creative mindset.

• Keep in mind what's important to make it effective.

Crafting Effective Presentations

In this section, the speaker discusses how to create effective presentations by focusing on the narrative and slide types that best convey information.

Creating Effective Slides

• Focus on getting the narrative right before creating slides.

• Use slide types that best convey information, such as tables for dense project information.

• Use commonly known frameworks or slides to align around a process, even if they are dense.

Crafting an Awesome Presentation

• Craft a narrative, big idea, and script before visualizing certain moments and chunking it out.

• Sometimes work on key models right away and circulate them around the company to build consensus.

• Make presentations like Pixar makes movies by crafting a clear structure and working out all kinks in the narrative before Stand and Deliver moment.

Remote Presentations

• Coach people to look into the camera during remote presentations.

Coaching for Remote Communication

In this section, the speaker discusses how remote communication has changed the way people communicate and how coaching is needed to improve soft skills such as presence and eye contact.

Soft Skills in Remote Communication

• A new study shows that soft skills suffer in remote communication, with people losing their ability to make good eye contact.

• Classic ways of conveying information in real life are changing due to remote work, leading to a need for new communication skills.

Challenges of Hybrid Workplaces

• With some people working remotely and others in the office, those who are remote may have a hard time being heard.

• The undulating life cycle of new communication skills required while working remotely is constantly changing.

Overcoming Nervousness When Public Speaking

In this section, the speaker shares tips on how to overcome nervousness when public speaking.

Understanding Fight or Flight Instinct

• Stepping out on stage can trigger fight or flight instinct, making you feel threatened like you would be attacked by an animal.

Preparing for Public Speaking

• Thoughtful speakers tend to have better content than those who wing it.

• To calm nerves before going on stage, sit in one of the seats of the auditorium and picture friendly faces happy to see you.

• Change your visual model from thinking that people will scowl or judge you to thinking that they are happy to see you.

• Some public speakers play heavy metal music and skip around the convention center to get fired up, while others find a dark corner backstage and calmly sit and breathe.

• Watching funny videos or listening to funny things can chemically shift your body from nervousness to laughter.

Breathing Pattern and Pre-Talk Ritual

In this section, Nancy Duarte talks about her breathing pattern and pre-talk ritual.

Breathing Pattern

• Nancy shares that she has learned a breathing pattern to help control her fear of public speaking.

• She takes three deep breaths, gulping in air while her lungs are full before letting it out slowly.

Pre-Talk Ritual

• Nancy shares that she used to try headbanging to heavy metal music to pump herself up before a talk but found it didn't work for her.

• Instead, she now does calming and contemplative meditation as part of her pre-talk ritual.

Torch Bearer Leadership

In this section, Nancy Duarte discusses the concept of torch bearer leadership from her book "Illuminate".

Five Act Structure

• Nancy explains that every presentation is part of a larger movement with a five act structure: dream, leap, fight, climb, arrive.

• The dream phase involves verbalizing the future vision.

• The leap phase is when people commit to the journey.

• The fight and climb phase is the messy middle where people face challenges and roadblocks.

• The arrive phase is when the vision becomes realized.

Torch Bearer Leader

• A torch bearer leader knows where they're headed but may not see it clearly themselves.

• They use speeches, stories, ceremonies and symbols at each phase of the journey to give emotional fuel to those traveling with them towards their bigger initiative.

Final Thoughts on Leadership

In this section, Nancy Duarte shares some final thoughts on leadership.

Leading Change

• Nancy notes that leading change has been Non-Stop and the only constant in recent years.

• She emphasizes the importance of fueling the right emotions to keep people motivated towards a bigger initiative.

The Torch Metaphor

• Nancy explains that the torch metaphor is a powerful one for leaders, as it gives them a sense of light but not necessarily the entire picture.

• As leaders, they need to be able to see some portion around them and use speeches, stories, ceremonies and symbols to guide their followers towards their vision.

Video Content Production Quality

In this section, the speaker discusses how video content production quality has changed over the years and how it affects the success of the content.

Expectation for High-Quality Video Content

• The expectation for high-quality video content has shifted over the last five to eight years.

• Everyone can show up as an expert, so showing up as a keynoter is not necessary.

• Polished videos with infographics and spinning swooshy things are not necessary to get the message across.

Experimenting with Video Quality

• The speaker experimented by posting a rando shot of herself that was super informative but not polished.

• This video ended up being her highest viewed video on LinkedIn.

Moving Towards Expertise

• The company is rolling out a program where they will be producing more videos from their team of experts.

• They want to make it so that anyone can watch any video from any expert in their company.

Telling Stories in Product Management

In this section, the speaker talks about how storytelling can be used in product management to move things along by adding meaning or why and then wrapping it in a story.

Example of Storytelling in Product Development Cycle

• Brian Chesky at Airbnb hired a pick illustrator to illustrate each scene as they walked through the life of their ideal customer.

• They realized they had their strategy wrong and needed to move towards a mobile-first strategy.

Benefits of Storytelling in Product Management

• Adding meaning or why and wrapping it in a story can get a product chosen or rejected.

• It can help unpack any sort of story or reason behind decisions made during product development.

Airbnb's Design Strategy

In this section, the speaker talks about how Airbnb developed its design strategy by focusing on six key frames and making them awesome. They visualized their vision for the future and hired storyboard artists to draw these keyframes.

Developing a Design Strategy

• Airbnb's design strategy was to focus on six key frames and make them awesome.

• The company visualized its vision for the future, which was super clear.

• Storyboard artists were hired to draw these keyframes, which helped in understanding what guests and hosts were going through and where they could do better.

Lightning Round Questions

In this section, the speaker answers six lightning round questions related to books, movies/TV shows, interview questions, products discovered recently, minor changes in approach to developing presentations that had a big impact on ability to execute and get them out, and tips for giving better presentations.

Recommended Books

• The speaker recommends the gospels because of their groundbreaking thinking and love.

• For those interested in story, Chris Vogler's "The Writer's Journey" is an excellent book that helps people understand story and archetypes.

Favorite Movie/TV Show

• The speaker enjoys watching Korean dramas (kdramas), with one of her recent favorites being "Business Proposal."

Favorite Interview Question

• The speaker asks candidates to tell a story about themselves as part of their hiring process since empathy is important at the company.

Favorite Product Discovered Recently

• The speaker is excited about a tool called writer.com, which uses multiple language models and the company's own IP to help write faster.

Minor Change in Approach to Developing Presentations

• The speaker's team came up with an annotation system that helps everyone on a project know the exact status of each slide, making it easier to edit and collaborate.

Tips for Giving Better Presentations

• To become a better presenter, pick a topic you are passionate about and work on that talk or stand up.

Presenting from the Soul

In this section, Nancy Duarte talks about how great presenters tap into their passion point to deliver a presentation that connects with the audience.

Passion is Key

• Great presenters present from their soul and tap into their passion point.

• Passion is what makes a presenter great and helps them connect with the audience.

Contact Information

• To reach out to Nancy Duarte, visit duarte.com or find her on Twitter at @NancyDuarte.

• There's also a ton of free stuff available on duarte.com that covers many of the topics discussed in this presentation.

Communication Skills

• Everyone can help Nancy by becoming a better communicator and working hard on clarity.

• Improving communication skills can cure many problems and make everyone around you happier people.

Conclusion

• The importance of being a good communicator is emphasized as it can solve many problems.