Excellent Presentation

"Beyond pointing out these general truisms, I shall confine my discussion to the general areas of Asia." –MacArthur

3. Position/Situation/IssuesMr. Koegel clarifies: "How are things positioned? What is the situation? What are the issues?"

"This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable rights" of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned." –King

"Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight. We've never had a tragedy like this." –Reagan

"Mustering half of the earth's population, and 60 percent of its natural resources, these peoples are rapidly consolidating a new force, both moral and material, with which to raise the living standard and erect adaptations of the design of modern progress to their own distinct cultural environments." –MacArthur

4. Results/Benefits/ConsequencesAs the author asks, "What are the benefits, ramifications, consequences and implications of taking or not taking action?"

"But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice." –King

"Whether one adheres to the concept of colonization or not, this is the direction of Asian progress and it may not be stopped." –MacArthur

5. Step/Action Plan/Time LineAccording to Koegel, "Use the next step as your call to action. It will help prepare your audience for what you expect of them and what they can expect of you."

"We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children." –King

"We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue." — Reagan

"In this situation, it becomes vital that our own country orient its policies in consonance with this basic evolutionary condition rather than pursue a course blind to the reality that the colonial era is now past and the Asian peoples covet the right to shape their own free destiny." –MacArthur

The Power of PassionOf course your presentation to Harvey and Velda Oldebucks will not and should not sound like the magnificent "I Have a Dream." But it can contain the same basic elements. And it should be delivered with an appropriate amount of passion.

If the first step to developing exceptional presentation skills is literally having something to say, then the second is to believe passionately. If you don't believe it, your audience will not either.

Even if you are already an outstanding presenter, you can get better. You might even become exceptional.

—

Bill Good is chairman of Bill Good Marketing Systems in Draper, Utah; see www.billgood.com.