How to Structure Presentations That Engage and Persuade

The Three-Part Structure:

• Introduction (10-15%): Capture attention, establish relevance, preview main points
• Body (70-80%): Deliver your core content in a logical sequence
• Conclusion (10-15%): Summarize key points, reinforce main message, call to action

PSB Structure:

• Problem: Clearly articulate the challenge, pain point, or opportunity
• Solution: Present your approach, product, or idea that addresses the problem
• Benefit: Explain the positive outcomes and value that will result

Problem: "Our current project tracking relies on multiple spreadsheets across different departments. This has led to information silos, duplicate work, and missed deadlines on 30% of our projects last quarter. Team surveys indicate that employees spend an average of 5 hours per week just trying to locate and update project information."

Solution: "The integrated ProjectFlow system would create a single source of truth for all project data. It features real-time updates, customizable dashboards for different roles, and automated notifications for key milestones and deadlines. Implementation would take 6 weeks and include comprehensive training for all team members."

Benefit: "By implementing ProjectFlow, we can expect to reduce project delays by 80%, save approximately 200 work hours per month across the organization, and increase cross-departmental collaboration. Based on similar implementations, we project a 15% increase in on-time project completion and a full return on investment within 9 months."

What-So What-Now What Structure:

• What: Present the facts, data, or situation objectively
• So What: Explain why this matters, the implications, and the impact
• Now What: Outline recommendations, actions, or decisions needed

What: "Our market analysis shows that 65% of consumers in our target demographic now make purchasing decisions based primarily on sustainability factors, up from 37% just three years ago. Additionally, 72% are willing to pay a premium of up to 20% for products with verified environmental benefits."

So What: "This shift represents both a significant threat and opportunity for our business. Our current product line scores below industry average on sustainability metrics, putting us at risk of losing market share. However, our R&D team has already developed eco-friendly alternatives that could position us as industry leaders if brought to market quickly."

Now What: "I recommend we take three immediate actions: First, accelerate the development timeline for our eco-friendly product line to launch within 6 months. Second, implement sustainability certification for our manufacturing processes. Third, develop a marketing campaign highlighting our commitment to environmental responsibility. These steps require an initial investment of $1.2M but project to increase market share by 5% within the first year."

SCR Structure:

• Situation: Establish the context and background information
• Complication: Introduce the challenge, change, or problem that has arisen
• Resolution: Present your analysis, recommendation, or solution

Situation: "For the past decade, our company has maintained a 35% market share in the premium segment, with 85% of our revenue coming from our flagship product line. Our business model has focused on high-margin products with limited market penetration."

Complication: "Three new competitors have entered the market in the past 18 months, offering similar quality at lower price points. Our market share has declined to 28%, and our most recent customer acquisition costs have increased by 40%. Industry forecasts suggest this trend will accelerate as the market matures."

Resolution: "We need to implement a two-pronged strategy: First, differentiate our premium offerings through exclusive features and enhanced customer experience to justify our price point. Second, develop a new mid-tier product line to compete directly with new market entrants. Our analysis shows this approach could recover 60% of lost market share within 12 months while maintaining overall profit margins above 30%."

Monroe's Motivated Sequence:

• Attention: Capture interest with a startling statistic, question, or story
• Need: Establish a need or problem that requires addressing
• Satisfaction: Present your solution that addresses the need
• Visualization: Help the audience imagine the benefits of implementing your solution
• Action: Specify exactly what steps the audience should take

Attention: "Last year, our organization lost 1,200 workdays to stress-related illness, and our employee turnover reached a five-year high of 23%. Behind these statistics are real people—our colleagues—struggling with burnout and work-life imbalance."

Need: "Our current approach to employee wellbeing is fragmented and reactive. We offer benefits but lack a comprehensive strategy to support mental and physical health. Our employee satisfaction surveys show that 67% of our team members feel their wellbeing is not adequately supported, and 78% report experiencing work-related stress at least weekly."

Satisfaction: "The Whole Person Wellness Program I'm proposing would integrate physical, mental, and social wellbeing initiatives into our company culture. The program includes flexible work arrangements, mental health resources, fitness incentives, and community-building activities, all supported by manager training and regular wellbeing check-ins."

Visualization: "Imagine arriving at work feeling energized rather than exhausted. Picture a workplace where team members support each other's wellbeing, where taking a mental health day carries no stigma, and where career advancement doesn't require sacrificing personal health. Companies that have implemented similar programs report up to 30% reduction in absenteeism, 25% lower healthcare costs, and significant improvements in employee retention and satisfaction."

Action: "To make this vision a reality, I'm asking for executive sponsorship of this initiative, approval of the $85,000 first-year budget I've outlined, and the formation of a Wellness Committee with representatives from each department. With your approval today, we can begin implementation next month and start measuring impact by the end of the quarter."

PREP Structure:

• Point: State your main message or argument clearly
• Reason: Explain the rationale or evidence supporting your point
• Example: Illustrate with a specific example, story, or case study
• Point: Restate your main message to reinforce it

Point: "Implementing a structured daily stand-up meeting will significantly improve our team's communication efficiency and project coordination."

Reason: "Currently, our team communicates primarily through email and ad-hoc conversations, which has resulted in information gaps, misaligned priorities, and duplicated efforts. A brief, focused daily meeting creates a consistent communication rhythm and ensures everyone has visibility into critical updates and blockers."

Example: "When our product development team piloted this approach last quarter, they reduced email volume by 35% and reported a 40% decrease in 'emergency' project issues. Team members specifically noted feeling better informed about interdependent work and more confident in their priority alignment. Their sprint completion rate improved from 72% to 94% within two months."

Point: "By implementing a 15-minute daily stand-up meeting following the format I've outlined, we can achieve similar improvements in communication efficiency and project coordination across all our teams."

Framework Selection Guide:

• For persuasive presentations: Problem-Solution-Benefit or Monroe's Motivated Sequence
• For informative presentations: What-So What-Now What or PREP
• For strategic recommendations: Situation-Complication-Resolution
• For quick updates or sections: PREP
• For complex topics: Consider combining frameworks (e.g., use PREP structure within each section of a larger What-So What-Now What presentation)