Formula of Good Presentation
Introduction:
● Formula is famous in speeches throughout Western world history
● Formula of good presentation:
1. Attention getter
2. Thesis
3. Preview of main points
4. Transitions
Outline:
1. Attention getter: Command the room. Don’t just introduce yourself.
a. Humor
b. Story (short, quick story)
c. Quotation (cite source, right person)
d. Rhetorical question
e. Striking statement (cite source: fact, stat)
2. Thesis: 1 concise sentence in introduction; specific to presentation; answer bottom line;
summarize point of view (central idea, argument, opinion, position; debatable).
a. Have an arguable thesis:
▪ “Best time to invest is during first job.”
▪ “Most effective way to lose weight is by eating less, not exercise more.”
b. Make it stand out: (use one of these to introduce)
▪ “I argue…”
▪ “My point is…”
▪ “What I hope you take away today is…”
▪ “I would like you to consider this point…”
▪ “The bottom line is…”
3. Preview of main points: Mental roadmap telling audience what to expect.
a. “Today I will…” “And so, the first…” “Now I’ve talked about… I will move on to…”
(Use exact same language on preview and throughout transitions.)
▪ Description
▪ Significance
▪ “In order to… I will explain…”
▪ “Today I’d like to share this info, by first… then… next…. finally…”
▪ “As you can see… I have found that…”
▪ “I’d like to share that problem, and then share solution”
4. Transitions: Move through the points.
Show and Tell examples:
● ATTENTION GETTER: This raincoat isn't rainproof. It’s also the coat I use most often.
● THESIS: My point is… (What I want you to take away from this is…) that even useless,
badly designed, terrible things can be meaningful on a personal level.
● PREVIEW: I will start by describing why this coat is completely useless in any weather,
and then explain why I still love it despite everything.
● MAIN POINTS: __
● MEMORABLE THOUGHT: Get back to attention getter.
Never end with “so yeah!” (Unclear, must command and prevent awkward clap)
● TIME: 1:30 min – 2:00 min