2 THE PRESENTATION SCORECARD (HOW IT WORKS) In this chapter we will look at the basic layout of the Presenta-
tion Scorecard and I will provide a general explanation as to how it works. There are four components to the scorecard: R5 The eight key components of great presentations. R5 The eighty-eight elements found in presentations. R5 The four TRUE criteria essential for great presentations. R5 The presentation template. The Presentation Scorecard is designed to be very easy to follow. It lists the different presentation components, the elements
within each component, the score each element receives and each of the TRUE criteria it meets. It also leaves you room to score your own presentation.
Let’s look now at the four components of the scorecard.
THE EIGHT PRESENTATION COMPONENTS The scorecard is divided into eight essential components which, when you dissect your presentation into its component parts, are the sections that should be clearly visible:
THE PRESENTATION SCORECARD
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1. The Pre-Presentation 2. The Presentation Opening 3. The Presentation Roadmap 4. The Presentation Message 5. Audience Engagement 6. The Presentation Delivery 7. The Presentation Close 8. The PowerPoint Slides Each of these components will be looked at in detail in the following chapters.
Remember, presentations don’t have to include PowerPoint
slides, but I have included them here as a component part
because of the frequency with which they are used. However, in many ways they have become a crutch for presenters, and it
is important that you don’t fall into this trap – they should only be used if they will enhance your presentation.
THE EIGHTYEIGHT SCORECARD ELEMENTS Each presentation component contains elements that will
either help or hinder a presentation. Within the scorecard there are eighty-eight of these elements. The scoring system is
straightforward. An element receives ten points for each of the TRUE criteria it meets (see below). Therefore, the maximum score each element can get is forty points. For example, an element such as a quotation will engage your audience and
18 PERSUADE ON PURPOSE
make them think, but won’t necessarily help them to recall your
message or make the message easier to understand. Therefore, a
quotation will score twenty points. However, another element, a story, will make the audience think, will make it easier for them to recall the message, will make it easier for them to
understand the message and will engage them. For that reason a story is an example of an element that scores the maximum forty points.
Where an element hinders the effectiveness of a presenta-
tion it is given a -40 score. An element with a minus score is deemed to meet none of the TRUE criteria and will in fact
make it more difficult for the TRUE criteria to be met. An
example of an element with a minus score is a PowerPoint
slide that is full of text. The chapter on slides will explain this further.
In principle, the higher the score your presentation gets on
the scorecard the more effective it will be. That said, you don’t need to use every positive score element in each section every
time. The idea is to recognise which elements will help your
presentation and which ones will hinder it, and use the helpful ones accordingly.
THE FOUR TRUE CRITERIA Great presentations need to meet four essential criteria. Meet-
ing these criteria is what will help you to create and deliver a clear compelling message. Within each of the eight presenta-
tion components you will find elements that meet some or all of these criteria. The four TRUE criteria are:
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1. THINK. Your presentation should make the audience
think. They should be moved to consider the points or
message you are making. Do they agree or disagree? To
get them thinking, your message must be relevant to them and should offer them a new or alternative view.
2. REMEMBER. A great presentation should be easy to remember. The audience should be able to recall the key
points and overriding message a day, a week, a month
after the presentation has been delivered. Given that
presentations are often delivered to influencers and not to the economic buyers or decision makers, it is important that influencers can recall your key points when they sit
down with the economic buyer, which can be weeks after your presentation.
3. UNDERSTAND. A great presentation should be easy to understand. There should be no confusion or doubt. It
should be easy to follow. It should have a logical sequence. 4. ENGAGE. A great presentation should engage the audi-
ence. It should grab their attention at the beginning and hold it throughout.
These are the criteria which are essential for the scoring of the elements of each of the eight components. I use the acronym TRUE to refer to these throughout the book.