Sublime

A good purpose statement is, “We want to put a computer on every desktop.” This tells a lot: the customer, the size, the cost, maybe even the shape, etc. It’s very clean and provides guidance.

Is there a layer of management you need to appeal to? Is there a type of customer in the room with a lot of sway over the industry?

When asked, “What’s your presentation about?” most people answer with a phrase like “Software updates.” That’s not a big idea; it’s a topic—no point of view, no stakes. Change it to “Your department needs to update its workflow management software,” and you’re getting closer. You’ve added your point of view, but the stakes still aren’t clear. So tr

Our storytelling book, Resonate, spawned a TEDx talk that got more than a million views total.

Each slide should pass what I call the glance test: People should be able to comprehend it in three seconds. Think of your slides as billboards.