Create clear and convincing internal communications, strategic plans, research reports and other boardroom-style slides.
Evidence
As you reveal your argument – answer first and support points – the executive will keep asking “why?” and it is natural for you to now reveal the evidence that supports each point in your above-water argument.
Brain research shows this approach of answering a question first and then revealing your supporting evidence, is more persuasive than offering your evidence first and then making summarizing your conclusion.
Lead with your strongest evidence, and order your data in some way. Options include cause/effect, effect/cause, chronological, ranking and solution/problem.
Use logical evidence but don’t overlook the important role of emotion in driving strategic decisions. Most evidence you see in business slides are logical, like charts, graphs and tables. But in fact, logic is not what drives human behavior. We are more influenced by emotions and the speaker’s credibility than just their logical evidence.
All great persuaders, including lawyers, politicians and business executives, know that logic is not enough. Don’t sell your own ideas short. Order your evidence slides to be coherent, but also persuasive.
Next: Storyboard
