76 Resonate
Presentations should have a destination. If you don’t
map out where you want the audience to be when they
leave your presentation, the audience won’t get there.
If a sailor wanted to travel to Hawaii, he wouldn’t hop in
the boat, open the sails, guess at a direction, and fully
expect to arrive after a few days of sailing. It simply
doesn’t work that way. You have to set a course, and
that means developing the right content. The destina-
tion you define can serve as a guide. Every bit of
content you share should propel the audience toward
that destination.
Keep in mind that a presentation is designed to trans-
port the audience from one location to another. They
will feel a sense of loss as they move away from their
familiar world and closer to your perspective. You are
persuading the audience to let go of old beliefs or habits
and adopt new ones. When people deeply understand
things from a new perspective to the point where they
feel inclined to change, that change begins on the inside
Preparing for the Audience’s Journey
(heart and mind) and ends on the outside (actions and
behavior). However, this typically doesn’t happen with-
out a struggle.
That struggle usually manifests as resistance—something
that can be harnessed if you plan for it. When a sailboat
is sailing against the wind, the sails are positioned to har-
ness the wind. If done well, the boat sails faster than the
wind itself—even though the gusts are opposing it. While
you might not be able to control the severity of audience
resistance, you can “adjust your sails” (message) and use
it to gain momentum. When harnessed properly, the seem-
ingly counterproductive force creates forward progress.
However, just like sailing, it needs to move back and forth
to get there (just like the presentation form).
The journey should be mapped out, and all related mes-
sages should propel the audience closer to the destination.
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WIND RESISTANCE
DESTINATION
START
Define the Journey 77
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