Drink this Magic Formula to make High Impact Presentations

unless you want to present like a pro

As Toastmasters we are constantly refining our presentation skills at our Club meetings.  We do this either through our own speeches or through observation of others.

We demonstrate our desire to be fluent and impactful over and over again. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail. Mostly, you might agree, we are just somewhere in the middle.


How can we increase our success rate? Is there some magic potion that we can swallow?

Mix the following Magic Formula by Dale Carnegie1 to create an elixir for speaking success:

In your speech, mix 4 minutes of the Incident that Happened, followed by 1/2 minute of an Action to Take, and finish with 1/2 minute of a Benefit to be Gained. Be sure to add in Enthusiasm and a touch of Humor. Cooking time - 5 minutes. 

4 minutes - Incident: Relive a vivid, personal experience relevant to the point. Aristotle said, "The speaker’s character is one of his most effective agents of persuasion." We must be credible in our example and evidence. We must have earned the right to share our example or give direction. A personal incident is a sure-fire way to grab favorable attention: It pulls people in, opens them up to persuasion, and provides evidence as to why our idea is worth considering. When presenting to persuade, we spend most of our time providing the situation and evidence before asking the listener to do something.

1/2 minute - Action: Call on the listener to take a single, specific action. Too often we assume our listeners will know what to do once we have presented them with evidence to change their thinking or direction. We fail to persuade them if we don’t clearly explain what we want them to do. Other times, we may give a clear action but may ask them to do several things—leaving them unsure about which action should be the priority. Effective persuasion requires us to simplify the message and recommend one clear action for listeners to take.

1/2 minute  - Benefit: Clearly emphasize how the listener will benefit from taking the recommended action. Again, this portion of the communication must be clear, specific, and direct. It also must be based in reality. If the benefit we provide sounds too good to be true, the listener will doubt us. If what we are recommending benefits us more than the listener, the persuasion will seem manipulative and self-serving. So consider the listener’s point of view to be sure the recommendation is truly in his or her best interest. This balanced approach will be appreciated and will allow the listener to be more open to what we suggest.

If most of the time is spent on the Incident, then the time spent sharing an Action to Follow and a Benefit to be Gained will create a speech of high impact.

To see an example of using this Magic Formula to make High Impact Presentations in the Tampa Bay area, come be my guest at the next Dale Carnegie High Impact Presentations Free Session. Check it out at http://tampabay.dalecarnegie.com/events/high_impact_presentations_free_session/.

Speak up and be heard,

Robert Graves, MBA, DCT
Master Member Mentor & Corporate Club Coach
Toastmasters International

813-966-3058 direct cell or text      
813-667-6224 Executive Assistant

1 - The the text in the recipe was acquired from Communication Effectiveness - Present to Persuade at http://www.dalecarnegie.com/communication-effectiveness-present-to-persuade/ adapted by Robert Graves. All rights reserved.
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