Unsure about the company’s future
Financial distractions breeding
low productivity
MOVE FROM
Confident we will succeed
Motivated to create even
better products next quarter
MOVE TOBIG IDEA
Q3 revenue is down, and we’re
still in the lead, but if we slow
down, we’ll lose market share
134 Resonate
Structure can be used to drive a desired outcome. Where and how you associate one piece of information with
another creates meaning and determines how others will receive it. Skillfully arranged information creates emotional
appeal and leads to the desired emotional impact at the end of the presentation.
Below is an example of a third-quarter update presentation. Most organizations regularly deliver these reports to
communicate the progress being made toward corporate goals. Notice that the “move to” states that the employees
should feel confident and motivated to help.
Order Messages for Impact
Demotivating Structure
This structure does not motivate the audience to feel confident that they will succeed.
Script
Welcome, every-
body, to the Q3
update. I just
want to let you
know that the
Q3 revenue was
down. The rumors
are true.
And you guys
were able to turn
out some new
products this
quarter, and I’m
really proud of
you for that.
The numbers
are down. But
hey, we’re up
15 percent in
number of new
clients. That’s
good. Good
job, everyone.
Our market
share is also up,
so that’s not bad.
We’re not doing
too bad com-
pared to our
competitors.
All this happened in
a quarter in which
the analysts pre-
dicted we’d be down,
so it was expected.
Thanks for coming
today, and have a
great day.
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Structure Reveals Insights 135
Motivating Structure
Now look at the same material presented in a different order with a pinch of added emotional appeal. Simple
structural shifts and celebratory marvel changed the presentation’s tone and outcome. Each point builds on
the previous one, and it culminates in a motivating crescendo.
Script
Welcome, every-
body, to the Q3
update. When
the forecasters
looked at this
quarter, they said
our industry—our
company in par-
ticular—was the
little engine that
couldn’t. They
said we wouldn’t
be able to make
the climb.
But how did we
do compared
to our competi-
tors? SuperCo is
down 12 percent.
DuperCo is down
8 percent. How
far down are we?
<pause> We
are down only
2 percent.
The way information is structured makes
a difference in the outcome.
In spite of that,
we have shaken
up the market
in a down econ-
omy! Our new-
client wins are up
15 percent over
last year. In fact,
four of the new
clients are large
multinational
organizations
that have been
on our target
list for over
three years!
Yes, revenue is
down, but let’s
give that context:
The economy is
down; our indus-
try tracks with
the economy,
and so it’s down;
our company is
a leader in our
industry and
tracks with it,
so of course our
revenue would
be down.
So how has that
impacted our
market share?
We have made
significant
gains—not only
domestically but
also abroad.
Even though
the marketplace
has endured a
season of chaos
and uncertainty,
you have made
this season one
of my proudest
moments.
Just look at the
products we’ll be
rolling out in Q4.
Wow, aren’t they
beautiful? It takes
innovation and
tenacity to create
stunning products
with this magnitude
of market disrup-
tion, and you did
it! If you can be
this creative in an
uncertain environ-
ment, I can’t wait to
see what you’ll do
when the market
turns around. We’re
not only the engine
that could; we’re an
engine that can’t
be stopped!
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