How can I have more impact when I present at meetings?
Have you ever searched for a recipe for dinner and found one of those blog sites where - instead of giving you the recipe up front - the writer starts by telling you all about their family history with dinners growing up, the way their grandmother set the table just so, and the current week’s events that made them crave that particular recipe, when all you want to do is to hop right to the ingredients and instructions?
Unfortunately, many times our work presentations feel the same way to our audience, and we’re unknowingly creating frustration and friction in their opt-in process.
You need the summary up front
On the professional side, we’ve all been in a meeting where we wait patiently for the speaker to warm up, build their case, walk through their slides, and eventually make their way to a key point that they’ve been saving for a “big reveal.”
On the one hand, that makes sense: they’re sharing the data that led them, piece by piece, to a particular conclusion. They want to bring you through a similar journey, hoping that if you see things the way they do, you’ll buy in to their point of view and endorse their recommendation.
On the other hand, by sharing pieces of the data first without sharing the recommendation it supports, they risk losing their audience’s attention, they don’t give their team the full respect of true participation in the outcome, and worse, they could lead their peers to an opposing conclusion than the one they prefer.
The Inverted Pyramid
Instead, when you’re the one leading the discussion, you can use a concept called the ‘Inverted Pyramid’ to make your communications much more impactful.
The inverted pyramid is a communications approach that top consultants use to engage their executive clientele in strategic decision-making. It involves starting with the most important information first, followed by supporting details and then background data. This puts the proposal or conclusion front and center, making it more likely that the reader or listener will engage with the content. It’s used in many business circles, and there’s even a similar idea for briefing the President of the United States called ‘Bottom Line Up Front,’ or BLUF.
The concept of the inverted pyramid can be applied to any type of communication, including presentations, social media, team meetings, job interviews and investor pitches.
In Practice
Consider the case of Emily, who needed to present a new strategy to the executive team. She and her team had done a lot of research on why leads weren’t closing, and she wanted to recommend a new marketing technology to the company to help drive more conversions.
In these kinds of high-stakes presentations, Emily typically would have carefully built up to the final conclusion, presenting a lot of data about the lead conversion issues, the many technology vendors they reviewed, the selection criteria for the final recommendation, and some other points before making her strong case for her chosen solution. Often when she presented, her peers would interrupt and challenge her slides early in the presentation, leaving her to rush through the final recommendations at the end and making her feel like she wasn’t making the strongest case she could. Sometimes, executives would be taking notes or looking at their phones while she presented the data, and would only engage once she reached the clear finale of her pitch.
This upcoming meeting, involving a big investment for her team, felt really important to get right, and Emily wanted a fresh approach. She decided to flip the script and use the inverted pyramid concept that a consultant friend had told her about.
Emily began her presentation with a clear statement of her proposal, its cost, and how it would benefit the team, saying that she wanted to get right to the point first and then go back and walk them through what led to her conclusion.
Immediately, she could see that there was a new kind of respect and attention in the room, and people were engaged right from the start. While she made her case and shared the data, she was surprised to see heads nodding and appreciation for the rigor her team had followed during the process. When it came time for questions, there were a few tough ones about the cost and the time to implement, but this time she felt like she had collaborators instead of the typical critics.
How can you get this type of engagement in your own communications?
Tips for Leading with Your Main Point
Let's explore some tips for using this technique:
Identify your main point: Before you communicate your main point, you need to know what it is! Before you start communicating, take some time to identify the most important information you want to convey. This might be a key message, a call to action, or a core premise that your audience needs to know.
Lead with the summary: Once you've identified your key point, lead with it. This might mean starting your presentation with a bold statement or opening your email with a clear sentence summarizing your message.
Then provide supporting details: After you've led with the big conclusion, provide supporting data to back up your message. This might include metrics, research, anecdotes, or other relevant information.
Keep the pyramid in order: As you communicate your message, be sure to build from your top point down to your main supporting conclusions, keeping it concise at all times. At the end, tie it back to your main conclusion, at which point you can ask for input from your audience.
Conclusion
Whether you're an executive presenting to your team or a candidate for a job or board role, leading with your main point is a powerful tool for communication.
When you start with your main point and use the inverted pyramid technique, you can grab your audience's attention and get more engagement, buy-in, and impact for your ideas.