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Kindle Notes & Highlights
If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.
two separate presentations.
Follow a 10% rule of thumb: If your appendix is 50 slides, devote about 5 slides to your summary at the beginning.
It has two components: Your point of view: The big idea needs to express your perspective on a subject, not a generalization like “Q4 financials.” Otherwise, why present? You may as well e-mail your stakeholders a spreadsheet and be done with it. What’s at stake: You’ll also want to convey why the audience should care about your perspective. This helps people recognize their need to participate rather than continue with the status quo.
That’s not a big idea; it’s a topic—no point of view, no stakes. Change it to “Your department needs to update its workflow management software,” and you’re getting closer. You’ve added your point of view, but the stakes still aren’t clear. So try this instead: “Your department will struggle to meet key production deadlines until we update the workflow management software.”
People will move away from pain and toward pleasure. Prod them (with words like “struggle” from the first example; “destroying” and “killing” from the second) so they feel uncomfortable staying in their current position. Lure them toward your idea with encouragement and rewards (the promise of meeting deadlines; protection of endangered species).
Inventory of Personal Stories Important times in your life: Childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, later years Relatives: Parents, grandparents, siblings, children, in-laws Authority figures: Teachers, bosses, coaches, mentors, leaders, political figures, other influencers Peers: Colleagues, social networks, club members, friends, neighbors, teammates Subordinates: Employees, mentees, trainees, interns, volunteers, students Enemies: Competitors, bullies, people with challenging personalities, people you’ve been hurt by, people you’ve hurt
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