Key Message. Delivered
Business Presentations with Structure
Published on 21. November 2012
Book
232 pages
978-3-648-03661-7 (ISBN)
Description
The ability to communicate in a structured and understandable way is essential for supporting decision-making in a company. Presentations are the standard communication tool for this. But one party always has to do the work: either the presenter or the addressee. We explain, writing as fellow practitioners, how to structure complex problems for communication in a logical way and formulate messages that are self-explanatory.
Professional communication is based on three elements: suitable content, clear structure and precise graphic design. In this book we outline an eight-step process that focuses on structure as the fundamental link between content and design. Using a fictional case study that highlights our method, we show how to structure topics so that you can get to grips with even the most complex problems.
More details
Product info
Buch
Series
Edition
1. Auflage 2011
Language
English
Place of publication
Freiburg im Breisgau
Germany
Publishing group
Haufe-Lexware
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 1.3 cm
Width: 24.1 cm
Thickness: 19.2 cm
ISBN-13
978-3-648-03661-7 (9783648036617)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Wolfgang Hackenberg | Carsten Leminsky | Eibo Schulz-Wolfgramm
Key Message. Delivered
Business Presentations with Structure
Book
07/2017
Haufe-Lexware
€48.00
Article is exhausted; no reprint
Additional editions
Wolfgang Hackenberg | Carsten Leminsky
Key Message. Delivered (Englische Ausgabe)
Business Presentations with Structure
E-Book
06/2025
2nd Edition
Haufe-Lexware
€49.99
Available for download
Wolfgang Hackenberg | Carsten Leminsky | Eibo Schulz-Wolfgramm
Key Message. Delivered - Englische Version
Business Presentations with Structure
E-Book
02/2013
Haufe-Lexware
€42.99
Available for download
Persons
Author
Wolfgang Hackenberg ist nach verschiedenen Managementfunktionen geschäftsführender Gesellschafter der Steercom GmbH. Zudem ist er Dozent und Referent zum Thema Strukturierung.
Carsten Leminsky ist geschäftsführender Gesellschafter der Steercom GmbH. Außerdem ist er Strategieberater und hält Seminare und Workshops zum Thema Strukturierung.
Eibo Schulz-Wolfgramm ist Geschäftsführer der Agentur K16, einer Spezialagentur für Businesspräsentationen. Er ist als Dozent für die Visualisierung von Präsentationen tätig.
Content
INTRODUCTION
Do or Die at the Projector
Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth"
About this Book
Communicating into the Fast Track
Make Yourself Understood
Logic is the Key
Structure First
Training is Everything
From One Practitioner to Another
The Foundations of Structured Communication
Triangology
1. UNDERSTANDING THE PYRAMID - GIVE YOUR ARGUMENTS A SOLID FOUNDATION
Pyramids - The Most Stable Structures in the World
Escalate to the Most Essential
Miss Marple versus Columbo
The "Emergency Call Principle"
Separating the Thinking and Writing Processes
Summary
2. DETERMINING WHAT IS REQUIRED - IDENTIFY THE KEY QUESTION
Your Thoughts Need Space
A Key Question is Fundamental
The Key Question is Rooted in the Baseline Scenario
The Key Question is also Formed in Part by Possible Problems and Challenges
Formulating the Key Question
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
3. STRUCTURING THE TASK - EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Gain Insight by Asking Questions
Master any Topic Using a Structured Question Tree
Structuring Topics: Top-Down or Bottom-Up?
A Perfect Question Tree is Characterized by a "Golden Descent"
The MECE Principle Ensures that the Logic is Watertight
Question Trees are an Ideal Tool for Project Planning
Gathering Data and Facts for Answers for the Question Tree
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
4. ADDRESSEE ANALYSIS - THINK YOURSELF INTO YOUR OBJECTIVES AND TARGET GROUPS
Time is the Most Valuable Commodity
Success Depends on the Approach Taken
Analysis of the Main Targets of Your Message
A Typical Communication Error
Knowledge (of the Target Group) is Power
Addressee Analysis - Who will be in the Room?
The Problem of the Mixed Group
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
5. DEFINING THE KEY MESSAGE - FORMULATE YOUR CENTRAL STATEMENT
The Necessity of the Key Message
"Make Your Point"
Good Key Messages "Stick"
The "SUCCES" Principle
Question-Answer Dialog
The "Elevator Pitch" and the "Stickiness Test"
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
6. BUILDING THE PYRAMID - DEVELOP ARGUMENTS FOR YOUR KEY MESSAGE
The Logical Thread
The Storyline -- The Structural Design
The Introduction
The Main Body
The Logical Group
The Logical Chain
Logical Group versus Logical Chain
Checking the Quality of Your Statements
Coming to an End
The Pyramid
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
7. THE GRAPHIC DESIGN OF PRESENTATIONS - GIVE YOUR IDEAS A FACE
The Graphic Design Tightrope between Standards and Creativity
[1] Simplicity, Conciseness, and Relevance
[2] Storyboard
[3] Corporate Standards
[4] Five Golden Rules
[5] Creativity
[6] Language
Creativity For All: Keep Things in Check
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
8. CREATING SLIDES - USE EXPERIENCE, TRICKS, AND TECHNOLOGY
You're Almost There
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
PowerPoint Still Leads the Pack
Professional PowerPoint
Schedule Sufficient Time
Reach for Established Tools
Supporting Tools
Summary
CLOSING REMARKS
Try It, Success will Prove You Right
The Authors
Reference List
Do or Die at the Projector
Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth"
About this Book
Communicating into the Fast Track
Make Yourself Understood
Logic is the Key
Structure First
Training is Everything
From One Practitioner to Another
The Foundations of Structured Communication
Triangology
1. UNDERSTANDING THE PYRAMID - GIVE YOUR ARGUMENTS A SOLID FOUNDATION
Pyramids - The Most Stable Structures in the World
Escalate to the Most Essential
Miss Marple versus Columbo
The "Emergency Call Principle"
Separating the Thinking and Writing Processes
Summary
2. DETERMINING WHAT IS REQUIRED - IDENTIFY THE KEY QUESTION
Your Thoughts Need Space
A Key Question is Fundamental
The Key Question is Rooted in the Baseline Scenario
The Key Question is also Formed in Part by Possible Problems and Challenges
Formulating the Key Question
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
3. STRUCTURING THE TASK - EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Gain Insight by Asking Questions
Master any Topic Using a Structured Question Tree
Structuring Topics: Top-Down or Bottom-Up?
A Perfect Question Tree is Characterized by a "Golden Descent"
The MECE Principle Ensures that the Logic is Watertight
Question Trees are an Ideal Tool for Project Planning
Gathering Data and Facts for Answers for the Question Tree
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
4. ADDRESSEE ANALYSIS - THINK YOURSELF INTO YOUR OBJECTIVES AND TARGET GROUPS
Time is the Most Valuable Commodity
Success Depends on the Approach Taken
Analysis of the Main Targets of Your Message
A Typical Communication Error
Knowledge (of the Target Group) is Power
Addressee Analysis - Who will be in the Room?
The Problem of the Mixed Group
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
5. DEFINING THE KEY MESSAGE - FORMULATE YOUR CENTRAL STATEMENT
The Necessity of the Key Message
"Make Your Point"
Good Key Messages "Stick"
The "SUCCES" Principle
Question-Answer Dialog
The "Elevator Pitch" and the "Stickiness Test"
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
6. BUILDING THE PYRAMID - DEVELOP ARGUMENTS FOR YOUR KEY MESSAGE
The Logical Thread
The Storyline -- The Structural Design
The Introduction
The Main Body
The Logical Group
The Logical Chain
Logical Group versus Logical Chain
Checking the Quality of Your Statements
Coming to an End
The Pyramid
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
7. THE GRAPHIC DESIGN OF PRESENTATIONS - GIVE YOUR IDEAS A FACE
The Graphic Design Tightrope between Standards and Creativity
[1] Simplicity, Conciseness, and Relevance
[2] Storyboard
[3] Corporate Standards
[4] Five Golden Rules
[5] Creativity
[6] Language
Creativity For All: Keep Things in Check
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
Summary
8. CREATING SLIDES - USE EXPERIENCE, TRICKS, AND TECHNOLOGY
You're Almost There
Case Study: Harry's Gourmet
PowerPoint Still Leads the Pack
Professional PowerPoint
Schedule Sufficient Time
Reach for Established Tools
Supporting Tools
Summary
CLOSING REMARKS
Try It, Success will Prove You Right
The Authors
Reference List
PYRAMIDS - THE MOST STABLE STRUCTURES IN THE WORLD
The Pyramids of Giza have fascinated mankind for over 4,000 years. It is not just their size and appearance that has aroused our interest: their stability, too, is unique. These tombs of the Pharaohs are the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. And this is due not least, of course, to their basic design. Each of the huge stone blocks from which they are made sits on at least two others. No single storm could ever leave a mark on these buildings, let alone topple them.
The same principles as those underlying the construction of the pyramids can and should be used by you when formulating your arguments. This will help ensure that you can successfully transmit what you are seeking to communicate.
ESCALATE TO THE MOST ESSENTIAL
We can thank Barbara Minto, an American communication consultant, for the Pyramid Principle. To improve the communication skills of her colleagues, this former McKinsey consultant developed the basics of pyramid thinking as practiced in business. That was in the late 1960s. Since then, the Pyramid Principle has been adopted globally as a tool for sorting large amounts of information and presenting important topics in a simple yet compelling manner. In short, it is the proven basis upon which strong communication structures can be built.
But what is it about the pyramid that makes it so special? Why is it so revolutionary in this context? The short answer to this is that by giving your presentations a pyramid structure, with the most important point you wish to make placed at the very top of the pyramid (and therefore at the beginning of the presentation), you can make it much easier for your readership or audience to understand what you are trying to convey. This is the case regardless of which presentation software you use, especially since such software did not exist in the 1960s.
The Pyramids of Giza have fascinated mankind for over 4,000 years. It is not just their size and appearance that has aroused our interest: their stability, too, is unique. These tombs of the Pharaohs are the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. And this is due not least, of course, to their basic design. Each of the huge stone blocks from which they are made sits on at least two others. No single storm could ever leave a mark on these buildings, let alone topple them.
The same principles as those underlying the construction of the pyramids can and should be used by you when formulating your arguments. This will help ensure that you can successfully transmit what you are seeking to communicate.
ESCALATE TO THE MOST ESSENTIAL
We can thank Barbara Minto, an American communication consultant, for the Pyramid Principle. To improve the communication skills of her colleagues, this former McKinsey consultant developed the basics of pyramid thinking as practiced in business. That was in the late 1960s. Since then, the Pyramid Principle has been adopted globally as a tool for sorting large amounts of information and presenting important topics in a simple yet compelling manner. In short, it is the proven basis upon which strong communication structures can be built.
But what is it about the pyramid that makes it so special? Why is it so revolutionary in this context? The short answer to this is that by giving your presentations a pyramid structure, with the most important point you wish to make placed at the very top of the pyramid (and therefore at the beginning of the presentation), you can make it much easier for your readership or audience to understand what you are trying to convey. This is the case regardless of which presentation software you use, especially since such software did not exist in the 1960s.