Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks

Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks — Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth Summary | Galaxy of Podcasts

The Conversation Breakdown

Build and resolve tension

⏱ Untimed topic

Duarte describes story structure as a beginning, middle and end with a rise and fall of tension. A presentation can borrow that movement to help people follow a difficult change. The structure is a communication tool, not proof that any proposal deserves agreement.

Begin with what is

⏱ Untimed topic

She says to establish the audience's current situation before describing a possible future. That shared starting point gives listeners a reason to follow the next idea. State the reality clearly instead of assuming everyone already sees the same problem.

Contrast what is with what could be

⏱ Untimed topic

Her structure moves between the current state and a possible future, ending with the new bliss if the idea is adopted. The contrast creates a reason to care about change. Keep the future credible and distinguish evidence from aspiration.

Plan a memorable star moment

⏱ Untimed topic

Duarte calls a striking piece of data, evocative story or memorable picture a star moment. It can give an audience something concrete to remember. Choose one that supports the main point rather than adding drama unrelated to the decision.

Help people see the same idea

⏱ Untimed topic

She recommends diagrams, sketches and other visual tools when words leave people imagining different things. A shared picture can expose misunderstandings about a product or system. Verify the picture is accurate, not merely attractive.

Ground the deck in an audience journey and big idea

⏱ Untimed topic

She asks where the audience starts, where you want them to go, your point of view and what is at stake if they adopt it or do not. Those answers organize the presentation. Begin with them before assembling old slides that may not serve the purpose.

Give each slide one supporting point

⏱ Untimed topic

Duarte says each slide should make one point in support of the deck's big idea. Slides for reading alone and slides used in a live talk may need different amounts of explanation. Cut material that does not support the audience's understanding of the main idea.

Executive Summary (TL;DR)

Key Takeaways

Build and resolve tension

Begin with what is

Contrast what is with what could be

Plan a memorable star moment

Help people see the same idea

Ground the deck in an audience journey and big idea

Give each slide one supporting point

The Conversation Breakdown

Build and resolve tension

Begin with what is

Contrast what is with what could be

Plan a memorable star moment

Help people see the same idea

Ground the deck in an audience journey and big idea

Give each slide one supporting point

Core Frameworks & Ideas

What is and what could be

Star moment

Audience journey and big idea

Actionable Next Steps

Notable Quotes

The One Thing to Remember