Clear Narratives helps leaders succeed in
high-stakes presentations.
Want to develop a stronger narrative and improve your delivery? We can help.
Clear Narratives knows the secrets of a great presentation
The shift to virtual meetings hasn’t changed the essential elements of a persuasive presentation:
Your narrative: a storyline, framed by one big idea and a few key points.
Your slides: charts, diagrams, and images that support the narrative.
Your delivery: an authentic presence that elevates the narrative and slides.
The secrets of a great presentation, gleaned from the hundreds we’ve done, include:
Empathy
Build from the audience’s perspective — their frustrations and aspirations.
A big idea
One sentence that relays your point of view and why the audience should care.
A few key points to support the big idea
In each case, assert your point, then deliver supporting evidence.
Examples are particularly effective. They prove the point while adding interest.
Tension
Build tension and release it. One storyline that often works: “You have a problem. It’s worse than you think. Here’s how to fix it.”
Tight construction
Great presentations are well-structured and concise, with seamless transitions.
Slides that support your storyline
Images and data visualizations should exist only in service to your narrative. Keep them simple.
Conviction
Ask the audience to embrace an idea. Be clear about the actions they should take.
Practice
The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll be. The goal: Poise, not perfection.
Coaching
Candid, constructive feedback elevates your presentations and separates you from your peers.
Why use Clear Narratives coaches?
You’ve been winging it. Repurposed slides, meandering storylines, and token rehearsals yield middling results. Instead:
Achieve bigger goals. Better presentations convince more people and win more business.
Save time. Expert coaches move you faster to a strong narrative, clear slides, and authentic delivery.
Benefit from our experience. We have run lines of business, coached hundreds of speakers, and delivered world-class presentations ourselves.
Clear Narratives Coaching for Individuals
Narrative Design
We help develop your storyline, isolate the big idea and key points, and recommend supporting evidence.
Output: A “fat” outline which translates into the frame for your slide deck.
plus Slide Building
We help frame your slide deck, find a powerful set of proof points, and co-develop the key slides you need.
Output: A slide deck that tells your story, including speaker notes on key slides.
plus Delivery Coach
We provide candid, constructive feedback on what you say and how you say it in a series of rehearsals.
Output: The confidence to deliver an authentic, clear presentation.
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Custom Presentation Development
We also do full storyboarding and scripting, research on proof points, slide design, and additional rehearsals.
Clear Narratives Training for Teams
“Secrets of a Great Presentation”
We present the nine secrets to you and your team. We’ll show real-world examples that put the secrets to work, and share lessons that will help you incorporate the secrets into your presentations.
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Secrets of a Great Presentation workshop
We lead a high-touch workshop for small groups. It includes an overview presentation, plus deep dives on narrative design, slide best practices, and the mechanics of authentic delivery.
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Custom workshops
Clear Narratives can customize a workshop to meet a client’s specific needs — for example, a larger group, or on a specific type of presentation or a particular topic, such as narrative design or slide best practices.
The benefits of working with Clear Narratives
Keynoting a virtual event? Presenting to the board? Kicking off a pivotal meeting? We help you:
Gain confidence. 85% of Americans report moderate to extreme anxiety when speaking publicly.
Project your competence. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner says oral communication is the biggest skill gap in today’s workplace.
Save your energy. Expert coaching gets you to a great presentation more efficiently than you can on your own.
You’ll benefit your firm by:
Accomplishing your business goals. A better presentation generates more leads, sways investors, wins partners, and convinces employees.
Raising your message above the din. The world is awash in content: content marketing, blogs, tweets, podcasts and more. A crisp, relevant, well-rehearsed presentation rises above the clutter.
Making the most of critical meetings. It’s rare for an entire organization or group of customers to come together in one place. Executives who shoot from the hip waste a golden opportunity.