A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end – but not necessarily in that order.

So says Jean-Luc Godard. And he’s good at telling stories.

In the many Presentation Skills courses that we have run over the years I have met some great people with huge knowledge and enthusiasm for their work.

There are other equally interesting people who come with a doom laden sense that their subject is very dry and boring to any sentient being. Of course if they believe that to be the case then they will undoubtedly be proved right by the audience reaction.

So time and time again I find myself asking:

What’s the point?

For anyone about to make a presentation or a pitch this is the single most important question you must ask yourself before you begin. If you don’t know the answer then to be honest I wouldn’t bother to go ahead.

Once you know, then you’re off….

The standard structure for a presentation seems to be to creep up on it slowly with a bit of context and history. This is, in one way, great for the audience because we can have a quick snooze in the safe knowledge that we’re not going to miss anything important. Not so great for the presenter though.

Think about it in terms of a James Bond film.

Does a Bond film start with where our hero was born and went to school – what secret agent exams he passed to become licenced to kill and what grades he got?

No.

A Bond film starts with an extremely expensive action packed sequence usually involving explosions, fantastic locations, cars, and Bond being fabulously dangerous, dynamic, efficient, glamorous and cool. All of which lets us know what we’re in for. That’s the pre title sequence. It’s a lot of budget up front.

This high powered beginning hooks us in and we are then happy to allow the storyteller to give us a breather and fill us in by setting up the plot.

How many books or films or TV episodes or whole TV  series start with the murder?

The hooks are why we continue to watch. We want further explanation. We become curious to turn the metaphorical page to find out more.

In a presentation or a pitch find out what the point is before you start. What’s interesting to you? Why is what you’re saying interesting or relevant to us? Then tell us the point up front.

After that you can go into context and history if you like because we’ll know why we’re listening.

Otherwise…why bother? What’s the point?