What is your Point B?

Who is your audience, and what is their WIIFY?

What are your Roman Columns?

Why have you put the Roman Columns in a particular order? In other words, which Flow Structure have you chosen?

“This is important to you because . . . ” (The presenter fills in the blank.)

“What does this mean to you?” (The presenter explains.)

“Why am I telling you this?” (The presenter explains.)

“Who cares?” (“You should care, because . . . ”)

“So what?” (“Here’s what . . . ”)

“And . . . ?” (“Here’s the WIIFY . . . ”)

Question. A question directed at the members of the audience.

Factoid. A striking statistic or little-known fact.

Retrospective/prospective. A look backward or forward.

Anecdote. A short human-interest story.

Quotation. An endorsement about your business from a respected source.

Aphorism. A familiar saying.

Analogy. A comparison between two seemingly unrelated items that helps illuminate a complex, arcane, or obscure topic.

Modular. A sequence of similar parts, units, or components in which the order of the units is interchangeable.

Chronological. Organizes clusters of ideas along a timeline, reflecting events in the order in which they occurred or might occur.

Physical. Organizes clusters of ideas according to their physical or geographic location.

Spatial. Organizes ideas conceptually, according to a physical metaphor or analogy, providing a spatial arrangement of your topics.

Problem/solution. Organizes the presentation around a problem and the solution offered by you or your company.

Issues/actions. Organizes the presentation around one or more issues and the actions you propose to address them.

Opportunity/leverage. Organizes the presentation around a business opportunity and the leverage you or your company will implement to take advantage of it.

Form/function. Organizes the presentation around a single central business concept, method, or technology, with multiple applications or functions emanating from that central core.

Features/benefits. Organizes the presentation around a series of your product or service features and the concrete benefits provided by those features.

Case study. A narrative recounting of how you or your company solved a particular problem or met the needs of a particular client and, in the telling, covers all the aspects of your business and its environment.

Argument/fallacy. Raises arguments against your own case, and then rebuts them by pointing out the fallacies (or false beliefs) that underlie them.

Compare/contrast. Organizes the presentation around a series of comparisons that illustrate the differences between your company and other companies.

Matrix. Uses a two-by-two or larger diagram to organize a complex set of concepts into an easy-to-digest, easy-to-follow, and easy-to-remember form.

Parallel tracks. Drills down into a series of related ideas, with an identical set of subsets for each idea.

Rhetorical questions. Asks, and then answers, questions that are likely to be foremost in the minds of your audience.

Numeric. Enumerates a series of loosely connected ideas, facts, or arguments.

Reference the Flow Structure. Make repeated references to your primary Flow Structure as you track through your presentation.

Logical transition. Close your outbound subject; lead in to your inbound subject.

Cross-reference. Make forward and backward references to other subjects in your presentation.

Rhetorical question. Pose a relevant question, and then provide the answer.

Recurring theme. Establish an example or data point early in your presentation, and then make several references to it throughout your presentation.

Bookends. Establish an example or data point early in your presentation, and never mention it again until the end.

Mantra. Use a catchphrase or slogan repeatedly.

Internal summary. Pause at major transitions and recapitulate.

Enumeration. Present related concepts as a group, and count down through each of them.

Do the math. Put numeric information in perspective.

Reinforce Point B. Restate your call to action at several points throughout your presentation.

Say your company name. State your company, product, or service name often.

Direct reference. Mention specifically, by name, one or more members of your audience.

Mutual reference. Make reference to a person, company, or organization related to both you and your audience.

Ask questions. Address a question directly to one or more members of your audience.

Contemporize. Make reference to what is happening today.

Localize. Make reference to the venue of your presentation.

Data. Make reference to current information that links to and supports your message.

Customized opening graphic. Start your presentation with a slide that includes your audience, the location, and the date.

Bumper slides. Graphic dividers inserted between major sections of the presentation to serve as clean, quick, and simple transitions.

Indexing/color coding. Uses a recurring object as an index, highlighted in different colors to map the different sections of a longer presentation.

Icons. Express relationships among ideas using recognizable symbolic representations.

Anchor objects. Create continuity with a recurring image that is an integral part of the illustration.

Anticipation space. Uses empty areas that are subsequently filled, setting up and then fulfilling subliminal expectations.