The speakery presentation canvas

8 Steps to a solid presentation framework

We all know Strategyzer's Business Model Canvas. It's helpful and great. However, we've also seen other "variations" on the BMC that aren't so useful. I've developed a format based on my personal experience and writing process and draws from the work, questions, concerns, and weaknesses of solid keynote speakers who have below-average presentations. I've tried my hardest to make something that actually works, saves time and dramatically improves presentations, and I'm calling it The Speakery Presentation Canvas. 

01 The Synopsis

Imagine that your presentation is a book. The synopsis is at the back of that book. It's the text that most people read before buying the book. The outline doesn't only help you hone your thinking but makes it easier to sell your talk to event organisers, employers or line managers. 

The synopsis is more than just having a text you can put on a website and send to potential speaker agents, conferences or event agencies; no, the synopsis is your elevator pitch. The synopsis frames your presentation. It gives it meaning. Describing and selling your keynote externally will help you internalise the presentation. The synopsis also turns your presentation into a product: it's a keynote in a box, something understandable, and something that people can buy. 

This part of the process is your opportunity to introduce a storytelling layer before anyone has even seen your talk - you can give your presentation context, place it in a moment, and put it in a once-upon-a-time. The synopsis's purpose is to spark interest in a potential audience or buyer and ignite your creativity and push you to be more ambitious. 

People will get a sense of your presentation, and, more importantly, so will you. 

02 The presentation structure

Every story has a beginning, middle and end, and so should your presentation. The first act typically covers the status quo or the current situation of what you'll be presenting. In act two, we introduce chaos or change. This is the "something happened" part of the presentation - an event, person, decision or "thing" that altered what was happening in act one. Finally, in act three, we resolve the chaos, find answers and leave the audience with the tools to do something with the information. Give each chapter a title. Giving the chapter a title will help frame the chapter's content, how you tell the story and what kind of internal or external stories you want to use. 

If you'd like to know more about how stories work and, more importantly, why they work, you should read: Into The Woods by John Yorke. Status quo, Chaos and Resolution are John's ideas. It's a fantastic book. I found it very helpful and believe that you will too.

Act One

The contents of act one (status quo) should normally be a mix of anecdotal stories, external stories that give the status quo of your story context, and key facts that support the overall theory of what the audience is about to see. This is the "once upon a time in a land far, far away" chapter. 

Act Two

In act two, we introduce the significant change. Something shifts in the story you are telling. Maybe sales dropped, crypto bombed, the steam engine was invented, Gutenberg started printing bibles, Airbnb was launched, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, or we chose to go to the moon. Act 2 is where any story, presentation or keynote makes it clear to the audience that this significant change, whatever it may be, is relevant to them and that they need to understand, navigate and embrace it. Act two is often dramatic, sometimes uncomfortable and can even be provocative. It's the mic-drop part of your presentation. 

Act Three

Where act two might leave an audience feeling shocked, provoked or confused, act three is there to pick up the pieces. You should be giving the audience a set of tools, answers or possible ways forward in act three. It's where the story is resolved. Act three provides the audience with closure. Acts one and two are the storytelling parts of your presentation, but it's the tools you give the audience in act three that your audience will remember you by. 

03 Your Audience

Who is the intended audience for your presentation? Salespeople? Young people? Boomers? Internal or External audiences? Beginners, intermediates or experts? Who do you want to present your story to, and why should they care? And don't simply write "everybody". You have a specific story you want to tell, and a particular audience will benefit from listening to it. You don't need to try and be everybody's darling, so define the audience before writing, and when you have, write your presentation accordingly. This works exceptionally well if you know who will be in the audience: pitching to a small group of investors, or a potential client or presenting to the board? Write down the names of the people who will be there and think about what they need to hear and see. 

04 Audience takeaways

Writing a list of things the audience will take away from your presentation sounds deceptively easy, but it is both hard to do as it is critical. Therefore, you must write these down and define them before you start writing your presentation. You'll find most of the audience takeaways will be packed into the third act of your presentation. 

I like to think in terms of a structured to-do list:

Doing

What do you want the audience to do with the information you're giving them? Do you want them to change their behaviour, download a white paper, or invest in your company? What do you want them to do and why?

Thinking

What ideas do you want to seed in their mind? What examples, case studies, or relevant stories do you want them to consider? How do you want to make them think?

Chasing

Who do you want them to chase after with the information you've just given them? Their boss, business partners, lovers, friends, investors? What's the knock-on effect of what you've shared with them? 

Solving

What problems does your presentation or your way of thinking solve? The idea behind The Speakery Canvas is to solve the issues of writers-block, lack of presentation structure, poor storytelling, stage fright and lack of confidence. What does your idea solve?