If you have time to only watch one presentation about giving persuasive presentations, make it Nancy Duarte’s recent TEDx East presentation.

After watching it, read the TED blog interview with Nancy Duarte where she describes the 3 Keys to Giving a Great Presentation and how she prepared her TEDx East presentation.

Seeing is believing

Here are just a few of the highlights to look for while watching Nancy Duarte’s How to Give a Persuasive Presentation:

• Engagement. See how quickly Nancy Duarte engages your interest by disarmingly presenting her core idea–one that relates to everyone, everywhere–in a matter-of-fact voice while standing on an empty stage.
• Relevance. The impact of the initial lofty idea is multiplied by showing the relevance of the idea in a manner than everyone can relate to, i.e., lesser ideas get accepted because better ideas aren’t presented as effectively.
• Visuals. The visual techniques that Nancy Duarte described in her bestselling books, Slide:ology: the Art and Science of Giving Great Presentations and Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences, is demonstrate by minimalist visuals often consisting of simple short words and phrases against a colored background…but, that, later, communicate more complex ideas.
• Pacing. At no point during the presentation was there a feeling of information overload, yet the presentation summarizes key ideas that have entertained millions and changed the course of history over and over again. Yet, I never felt that I was being “taught,” I never felt rushed.

It’s hard to reconcile the information density of the presentation with the actual elapsed time of just 18 minutes and 9 seconds.

To learn more

Learn more about giving persuasive presentations in Nancy Duarte’s Harvest Business Review Guide to Persuasive Presentations.

Nancy Duarte’s How to Give a Persuasive Presentation at TEDx East has important lessons for you, whether you’re an author, coach, consultant, entrepreneur, or self-employed professional. Regardless of how much you already know about storytelling and presentation techniques, you’ll come away from Nancy’s video and interview with a better understanding of how to structure your marketing messages, in person and on SlideShare. Share your favorite parts of the presentation, below.