01 June 2023

Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks

6Frameworks

15Insights

Episode overview

Nancy Duarte explains how empathy, audience-centered thinking, story structure, and visual clarity make presentations persuasive and memorable. She introduces the “what is / what could be / new bliss” contrast, shows how each slide should support one big idea, and argues that presentation format must fit the audience and stakes. The conversation also covers remote delivery, managing stage fright, communicating organizational change, and using story throughout product development.

Key ideas

Treat the audience as the hero and the presenter as a mentor who helps them overcome internal and external obstacles.
Structure persuasive communication by contrasting “what is” with “what could be,” then end by depicting the “new bliss” created by adopting the idea.
Use story’s tension-and-release cadence to create longing for a future state, even in short meetings, calls, and everyday moments of influence.
Ask whether people can see what you mean: use diagrams, drawings, demonstrations, memorable data, imagery, or vivid language to create alignment.
Anchor the whole deck in one audience journey and one big idea, then make each slide contribute a single supporting point.
Match the medium to the situation: a dense slide doc can circulate without a presenter, while a high-stakes live moment may work better with sparse visuals or no deck.
Reduce presentation anxiety with a personal pre-talk ritual, mental rehearsal, controlled breathing, and techniques that shift the body from fear toward calm or laughter.
Leaders sustain change through the five-phase movement of dream, leap, fight, climb, and arrive, using speeches, stories, ceremonies, and symbols as emotional fuel.

Transcript available · source text is retained privately and is not published

Frameworks in this episode

Communication4 steps

Audience Is the Hero, Presenter Is the Mentor

You are not the hero of your presentation — the audience is; your job is to be Obi-Wan, not Luke.

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Communication4 steps

Can They See What I'm Saying? (The Star Moment)

Make ideas visible — through a diagram, a drawn napkin, or one unforgettable star moment — so the whole room aligns on the same picture.

Read →

Peak Performance3 steps

Rewiring Stage Fright (The Pre-Talk Ritual)

Treat nerves as fight-or-flight chemistry and deliberately reset your body and mental model before you walk on.

Read →

Communication4 steps

The Slide Doc Spectrum (One Point, One Big Idea)

Match slide density to the medium — cinematic stage to circulated slide doc — while every slide makes one point serving one big idea.

Read →

Leadership5 steps

The Torchbearer Five-Act Movement Structure

Lead change as a movement across five acts — Dream, Leap, Fight, Climb, Arrive — fueling the right emotion at each phase.

Read →

Communication4 steps

What Is / What Could Be (The Presentation Sparkline)

Alternate between current reality and a better future to create longing that moves an audience to act.

Read →

People & resources mentioned

Attributed to the moment in the episode. Timestamps are approximate.

People · 14

Lenny RachitskyMentionstoday we've got another very special compilation episode something I've been pulling on more and more with the podcast and the newsletter
“welcome to Lenny's podcast where I interview world-class product leaders and growth experts”
▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
Al GoreMentionsAl Gore's Inconvenient Truth
“famously Al Gore on his Inconvenient Truth presentation”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Nancy DuarteMentionsAuthor whose work JM Nichols gives to product managers developing communication, storytelling, and presentation skills.
“today my guest is Nancy Duarte”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Nancy DuarteMentionsAuthor whose work JM Nichols gives to product managers developing communication, storytelling, and presentation skills.
“Nancy is a best-selling author speaker and CEO of Duarte Incorporated”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Al GoreMentionsAl Gore's Inconvenient Truth
“it has to be Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth”
▶ Watch at ~5:00approx.
Steve JobsMentionsSteve Jobs is just uh the bar he held for the company and for technical talent and for excellence was not uh wavering.
“when I analyzed Steve Jobs's iPhone launch speech”
▶ Watch at ~26:00approx.
Steve JobsMentionsSteve Jobs is just uh the bar he held for the company and for technical talent and for excellence was not uh wavering.
“Dr King and Steve Jobs's iPhone launch speech”
▶ Watch at ~28:30approx.
Abraham LincolnMentionsthe very very short short talk that Abraham Lincoln gave in the Gettysburg address
“the very very short short talk that Abraham Lincoln gave in the Gettysburg address”
▶ Watch at ~30:30approx.
Martin Luther King Jr.Mentionsif Dr King had slides that day of the I Have a Dream speech
“if Dr King had slides that day of the I Have a Dream speech”
▶ Watch at ~40:00approx.
Patty SanchezCoineda co-author Patty Sanchez a hat tip to her
“a co-author Patty Sanchez a hat tip to her”
▶ Watch at ~1:01:00approx.
Marshall GanzMentionswe went met with Marshall Gans at Harvard to say hey could this be true because he studies movements
“we went met with Marshall Gans at Harvard to say hey could this be true because he studies movements”
▶ Watch at ~1:01:30approx.
Brian CheskyMentionsBrian chesky at Airbnb there was a whole article where we unpacked this moment in their product development cycle
“Brian chesky at Airbnb there was a whole article where we unpacked this moment in their product development cycle”
▶ Watch at ~1:08:00approx.
Joseph CampbellMentionshe took Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey made it 12 steps
“he took Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey made it 12 steps”
▶ Watch at ~1:12:00approx.
Chris VoglerCoinedChris vogler's The Writer's Journey where he took Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey made it 12 steps
“Chris vogler's The Writer's Journey where he took Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey made it 12 steps”
▶ Watch at ~1:12:00approx.

Resources · 62

Lenny's PodcastCoinedpodcast · Lenny Rachitsky
“welcome to Lenny's podcast where I interview world-class product leaders and growth experts”
▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
World BankMentionscompany
“Google the World Bank and famously Al Gore on his Inconvenient Truth presentation”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Duarte, Inc.Mentionscompany · Nancy Duarte
“CEO of Duarte Incorporated which has helped create over 250 000 presentations”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
GoogleMentionscompany · Google
“including Apple head Google the World Bank and famously Al Gore”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Microsoft ClarityMentionstool · Microsoft
“Microsoft Clarity a free easy to use tool that captures how real people are actually using your site”
▶ Watch at ~1:30approx.
Microsoft ClarityRecommendstool · Microsoft
“stop guessing get clarity check out Clarity at clarity.microsoft.com”
▶ Watch at ~2:00approx.
Lenny's Jobs TalentRecommendswebsite · Lenny Rachitsky
“check out lennysjobs.com Talent”
▶ Watch at ~2:30approx.
CiscoMentionscompany
“then they grew to massive Brands like Cisco”
▶ Watch at ~4:30approx.
An Inconvenient TruthMentionsdocumentary · Davis Guggenheim
“it has to be Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth”
▶ Watch at ~5:00approx.
An Inconvenient TruthMentionsdocumentary · Davis Guggenheim
“I remember when they called me to say it was going to become a movie”
▶ Watch at ~6:30approx.
Stanford UniversityMentionsplace
“he would go to the Stanford campus invite you know the Bay Area Elite”
▶ Watch at ~7:00approx.
TennesseeMentionsplace
“we built like a whole training program where I could fly people out to his place in Tennessee”
▶ Watch at ~8:30approx.
AppleMentionscompany · Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne
“Apple has been a client of yours since the day you were founded as an organization”
▶ Watch at ~9:00approx.
NASAMentionscompany
“I called NASA and I called tandem which is now HP and I called apple”
▶ Watch at ~10:00approx.
Tandem ComputersMentionscompany
“I called tandem which is now HP and I called apple”
▶ Watch at ~10:00approx.
HPMentionscompany
“I called tandem which is now HP”
▶ Watch at ~10:00approx.
MacworldRecommendsnewsletter
“just read a Mac World magazine just read it through once”
▶ Watch at ~10:00approx.
MacintoshUsesproduct · Apple
“there's about an 18-month window in the life cycle of the Macintosh where graphic designers refused to use it”
▶ Watch at ~10:30approx.
San Jose Convention CenterMentionsplace
“the projectors at these big venues like San Jose Convention Center I mean it was huge and it was risky”
▶ Watch at ~12:00approx.
FreeHandUsessoftware · Altsys
“we had to go into freehand convert it to this do this do these six steps”
▶ Watch at ~13:00approx.
KeynoteUsessoftware · Apple
“they use slides keynote uh they use PowerPoint like we use whatever tool the brand wants”
▶ Watch at ~14:30approx.
Microsoft PowerPointUsessoftware · Microsoft
“they use slides keynote uh they use PowerPoint like we use whatever tool the brand wants”
▶ Watch at ~14:30approx.
Think DifferentMentionsother · Apple
“when Apple came up with the think different campaign Steve Jobs was just back”
▶ Watch at ~14:30approx.
PhotoshopMentionssoftware · Adobe
“Photoshop was new and everyone's doing these beveled backgrounds”
▶ Watch at ~15:00approx.
TED Talk: The Secret Structure of Great TalksCoinedother · Nancy Duarte
“your audience is the hero that was in my TED Talk from 2011”
▶ Watch at ~17:00approx.
Star WarsMentionsfilm · George Lucas
“I think Obi-Wan Kenobi is a great example he did two things for Luke Skywalker”
▶ Watch at ~19:00approx.
Gettysburg AddressMentionsother · Abraham Lincoln
“the very very short short talk that Abraham Lincoln gave in the Gettysburg address”
▶ Watch at ~30:30approx.
I Have a DreamMentionsother · Martin Luther King Jr.
“if Dr King had slides that day of the I Have a Dream speech”
▶ Watch at ~40:00approx.
AirbnbMentionscompany · Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk
“when I was working on the super host program at Airbnb”
▶ Watch at ~40:00approx.
AmazonMentionscompany · Jeff Bezos
“the six page memo that's so popular to Amazon”
▶ Watch at ~43:00approx.
EppoMentionssoftware · Eppo
“EPO is a Next Generation a b testing platform built by Airbnb alums for modern growth teams”
▶ Watch at ~44:30approx.
CameoUsescompany
“companies like DraftKings zapier click up twitch and Cameo rely on EPO to power their experiments”
▶ Watch at ~44:30approx.
TwitchUsescompany
“companies like DraftKings zapier click up twitch and Cameo rely on EPO to power their experiments”
▶ Watch at ~44:30approx.
DraftKingsUsescompany
“companies like DraftKings zapier click up twitch and Cameo rely on EPO to power their experiments”
▶ Watch at ~44:30approx.
ZapierUsessoftware · Zapier, Inc.
“companies like DraftKings zapier click up twitch and Cameo rely on EPO to power their experiments”
▶ Watch at ~44:30approx.
ClickUpUsessoftware · ClickUp
“companies like DraftKings zapier click up twitch and Cameo rely on EPO to power their experiments”
▶ Watch at ~44:30approx.
The Pyramid PrincipleMentionsbook · Barbara Minto
“what's your take on the Minto pyramid principle”
▶ Watch at ~45:30approx.
EppoRecommendssoftware · Eppo
“check out people at get eppo.com”
▶ Watch at ~45:30approx.
The Pyramid PrincipleRecommendsbook · Barbara Minto
“the mental principle is amazing”
▶ Watch at ~46:00approx.
McKinsey & CompanyMentionscompany
“her work was based in going super deep in mckinsey's thinking over time”
▶ Watch at ~47:30approx.
PixarMentionscompany
“we make presentations the way Pixar makes movies”
▶ Watch at ~50:30approx.
ZoomMentionssoftware · Zoom Video Communications
“a lot of presentations now are actually remote and on Zoom”
▶ Watch at ~53:00approx.
IlluminateCoinedbook · Ben Davis
“you wrote a book called illuminate”
▶ Watch at ~1:01:00approx.
IlluminateMentionsbook · Ben Davis
“I loved writing that book a co-author Patty Sanchez a hat tip to her”
▶ Watch at ~1:01:00approx.
Harvard UniversityMentionsplace
“we went met with Marshall Gans at Harvard to say hey could this be true because he studies movements”
▶ Watch at ~1:01:30approx.
The Lord of the RingsMentionsbook · J. R. R. Tolkien
“you can talk about Frodo like Sam and only a few Hobbits followed him”
▶ Watch at ~1:03:00approx.
LinkedInUseswebsite · LinkedIn
“on LinkedIn I post a lot that's where my primary channel is”
▶ Watch at ~1:06:00approx.
AirbnbMentionscompany · Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk
“Brian chesky at Airbnb there was a whole article where we unpacked this moment in their product development cycle”
▶ Watch at ~1:08:00approx.
Snow White AirbnbRecommendswebsite
“if you just Google Snow White Airbnb you can watch a video”
▶ Watch at ~1:11:30approx.
The Hero’s JourneyMentionsother · Joseph Campbell
“he took Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey made it 12 steps”
▶ Watch at ~1:12:00approx.
The GospelsRecommendsbook
“I always classically recommend the gospels because there's just so much love and groundbreaking thinking there”
▶ Watch at ~1:12:00approx.
The Writer’s JourneyRecommendsbook · Christopher Vogler
“one of the best books if you want to pick that up is um Chris vogler's The Writer's Journey”
▶ Watch at ~1:12:00approx.
DisneyMentionscompany · The Walt Disney Company
“it was Disney he was a Disney story analyst”
▶ Watch at ~1:12:00approx.
Business ProposalRecommendstv show
“it's called business proposal and he watched it with me”
▶ Watch at ~1:12:30approx.
Writer.comUsessoftware · Writer
“a tool I just paid for last week it's called writer.com”
▶ Watch at ~1:13:30approx.
Writer.comMentionssoftware · Writer
“I'm actually an investor in that company”
▶ Watch at ~1:14:00approx.
TwitterUseswebsite · Twitter
“I'm on Twitter at Nancy Duarte”
▶ Watch at ~1:16:00approx.
Duarte.comRecommendswebsite · Duarte, Inc.
“they can find me at duarte.com”
▶ Watch at ~1:16:00approx.
Duarte.com/NancyRecommendswebsite · Duarte, Inc.
“there's also a duarte.com Nancy where I've got a ton of free stuff”
▶ Watch at ~1:16:00approx.
SpotifyRecommendssoftware · Spotify
“you can subscribe to the show on Apple podcast Spotify or your favorite podcast app”
▶ Watch at ~1:17:00approx.
Apple PodcastsRecommendssoftware · Apple Inc.
“you can subscribe to the show on Apple podcast Spotify or your favorite podcast app”
▶ Watch at ~1:17:00approx.
Lenny's PodcastRecommendspodcast · Lenny Rachitsky
“you can find all past episodes or learn more about the show at lennyspodcast.com”
▶ Watch at ~1:17:00approx.

Spot an error or want something removed? Request a correction or removal.

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 2

Hot Take42:30

Why a Slide Doc Beats Amazon's Six-Page Memo

For persuading peers without a live presenter, Nancy recommends a 'slide doc' with full sentences, stronger pictures and a long appendix that you can circulate over email. She argues that because a slide doc combines words and pictures, it beats the fashionable Amazon six-page memo.

A slide doc is built in presentation software but reads like prose
It uses full sentences, stronger pictures and can carry a long appendix
It travels over email so people absorb your thinking without you present
Words plus pictures make it superior to the text-only six-page memo

“that's called a slide doc you put more words you put stronger pictures”
Nancy Duarte · 42:30

“we contend the DF words and pictures the six page memo is better”
Nancy Duarte · 43:00

#slide-docs#communication#amazon#presentations

Hot Take56:00

The Most Nervous Presenters Usually Have the Best Content

Nancy argues that people who are thoughtful and contemplative, and therefore nervous about speaking, tend to have far better content than those who wing it. She reframes stage fear as a fight-or-flight response and tells anxious speakers to imagine a friendly, delighted face in the audience instead of scowling judges.

Thoughtful, nervous speakers usually have richer content than confident winging
Stage fear is a fight-or-flight instinct, the body feeling threatened
Picture a friendly, happy face in the seats before you stand up
The scowling, judging faces you fear are only in your head

“you have probably got gorgeous content in your heart that the world needs to hear”
Nancy Duarte · 56:00

“picture yourself as that friendly face the one that's happy to see you”
Nancy Duarte · 57:00

#public-speaking#nerves#confidence#psychology

Explainer· 3

Explainer18:30

The Audience Holds the Power, So the Presenter Is the Mentor

Nancy explains that she first assumed the presenter is the hero, then realized the presenter is really the mentor while the audience is the hero. The audience holds the balance of power because they choose to accept or reject the idea, so the presenter's job is to come alongside them like Obi-Wan and help them get unstuck.

The presenter is the mentor, not the hero of the talk
The audience holds the power because they accept or reject the idea
A mentor comes alongside the hero and hands them a tool
The presenter should help the audience get unstuck, not center themselves

“the audience gets to make a choice if they accept or reject your idea”
Nancy Duarte · 19:00

“the presenter should come alongside the audience and help them get unstuck”
Nancy Duarte · 19:00

#storytelling#presentations#empathy#audience

Explainer36:30

Star Moments and Drawing to Get Everyone Seeing the Same Thing

Nancy describes giving audiences a 'star moment', something they'll always remember, whether dramatic data, an evocative story, or a picture. She recounts a powerful CEO whose retail rollout stalled because nobody could articulate her vision, until Nancy drew what the CEO saw in her mind's eye and the breakthroughs followed.

A star moment gives people something memorable: data, a story, or an image
Diagrams help audiences understand where a product sits and how it works
A CEO's 100,000-worker rollout stalled because nobody could articulate her vision
Drawing the picture in her mind's eye unlocked alignment and progress

“you can use something in your talk that gives people something they'll always remember we call that a star moment”
Nancy Duarte · 36:30

“nobody could articulate at all what she saw in her Mind's Eye”
Nancy Duarte · 39:30

#presentations#visual-communication#alignment#case-study

Explainer1:01:00

The Torch-Bearer Leader Who Only Sees a Few Feet Ahead

From her book Illuminate, Nancy explains that a leader is a torch-bearer who, like someone in a cave, can only see about five to eight feet ahead, but that light is enough to dissipate the fear of those following. No leader sees the future clearly; they just know the direction, and communication fuels people's emotions through the journey.

A leader is a torch-bearer, not someone who sees the whole future
A torch lights only five to eight feet, enough to calm followers' fear
No leader has perfect clarity; they know the direction to travel
Leading change requires fueling followers' emotions along the way

“we chose a torch because a torch if you're in a cave and you have a torch you only see about five eight feet around…”
Nancy Duarte · 1:02:30

“nobody sees the future clearly like nobody has that kind of level skill”
Nancy Duarte · 1:02:30

#leadership#illuminate#change#communication

Story· 7

Story05:00

The Five Years Behind Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth

Nancy's team worked with Al Gore for five years before An Inconvenient Truth, quietly touring city to city and planting seeds for a groundswell before it became a movie. She recalls Gore as an unusually humble client who would pause and defer to her team as experts, and admits she didn't believe a movie about a slideshow would ever take off.

Duarte worked with Gore for five years before the film, not just one talk
Gore toured privately to VIP and elite audiences, building demand over time
The 'overnight success' was really years of repeated, refined delivery
Nancy initially dismissed the idea of a film about a slideshow

“we had worked with him for five years before An Inconvenient Truth”
Nancy Duarte · 05:00

“who's gonna go see a movie about a slideshow anyway”
Nancy Duarte · 06:30

#storytelling#al-gore#presentations#case-study

Story09:00

How Nancy Cold-Called Her Way Into Apple, NASA and Tandem

Nancy's husband begged her twice, on his knees, to see the Macintosh as a business, insisting she read a Mac World magazine. She made cold calls to NASA, Tandem and Apple and won contracts at all three at once, slipping in during an 18-month window when snobby graphic designers refused to touch the 'toy' Mac.

Her husband literally got on his knees to convince her the Mac was a business
A few cold calls landed NASA, Tandem and Apple simultaneously
They entered early in the product life cycle when designers dismissed the Mac as a toy
The company started as 'Duarte desktop publishing and graphic design'

“just read a Mac World magazine just read it through once”
Nancy Duarte · 10:00

“I made some phone calls I called NASA and I called tandem which is now HP and I called apple and we won contracts at…”
Nancy Duarte · 10:00

#apple#entrepreneurship#origin-story#cold-calling

Story12:30

The Slide That Was Just the Word 'BIG' in Hot Pink

At a 1992 Apple sales conference, a sales leader asked Nancy to fill an entire black slide with the word 'big' in hot pink so it would literally light the faces of the audience. When it appeared in rehearsal the production team gasped, and Nancy realized presentations could return to how they looked when they were done well.

The ask was one word, 'big', in magenta pink on a black background
The goal was for the slide to illuminate the audience's faces
The rehearsal reveal drew gasps and squeals from the production team
It was a turning point that showed the medium could be beautiful again

“I want it to actually light the faces of the people in the audience”
Nancy Duarte · 13:00

“the production team gasped a couple people squealed”
Nancy Duarte · 13:30

#slide-design#apple#presentations#case-study

Story15:00

Reinventing Think Different With Hitchcock's Particulates

When everyone was making beveled, cluttered Photoshop backgrounds, Nancy rejected that look for Apple's Think Different campaign. Recalling Alfred Hitchcock posters full of floating particulates, she found stock footage of particulates and placed the six-color Apple logo on top, a restrained choice that stood out against a world of hideous templates.

The trend was busy, beveled Photoshop backgrounds with lots of clutter
Nancy drew inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock posters with floating particulates
The six-color Apple logo sat on simple particulate footage
Restraint that fit the Apple brand set a standard for other brands

“remembering the Alfred Hitchcock ones that had his particulates”
Nancy Duarte · 15:00

“we stuck the six color apple on top of it that was so revolutionary”
Nancy Duarte · 15:30

#apple#brand-design#restraint#case-study

Story17:30

Why Empathy Sits at the Core of Everything Nancy Builds

Nancy traces her obsession with empathy to being raised by a clinically narcissistic mother who couldn't model it. That void is why she keeps clawing at empathy as important, and why every book and model she creates puts empathy at the center, starting with the question of who you're actually speaking to.

She was raised by a clinically narcissistic mother lacking empathy
The absence of modeled empathy drives her to prioritize it
Every book and model she makes has empathy at its core
Communication starts with knowing who you're speaking with

“narcissists are missing the empathy Gene so I feel like that void of not having it modeled for me is why I keep clawing at…”
Nancy Duarte · 18:00

“every single book and every single model that I ever make has empathy at the core”
Nancy Duarte · 18:00

#empathy#communication#personal-story

Story57:30

Nancy's Pre-Talk Ritual: Laughter, Not Heavy Metal

Some speakers pump up with heavy metal, but Nancy has to calm her over-the-top energy, so she hides in the darkest backstage corner, breathes, and watches saved funny videos to chemically shift from nerves to laughter. When she once tried the head-banging, jumping approach, a medical client got so worried about her breathing they thought she needed a doctor.

Nancy calms down rather than hypes up before speaking
She watches saved funny videos to shift her body chemistry to laughter
A learned breathing pattern helps her reset before walking on stage
Trying the jump-and-pump approach once alarmed a client into calling a doctor

“right before I walk on stage I chemically my whole body chemically shifts from nervous to laughter”
Nancy Duarte · 58:30

“we're a little worried about Nancy we think she might not need to see a doctor she could never control her breathing and we're really…”
Nancy Duarte · 1:00:30

#public-speaking#nerves#rituals#personal-story

Story1:07:30

The Airbnb 'Snow White' Walk in the Customer's Shoes

Nancy recounts how Brian Chesky's team hired an illustrator to draw each scene of a customer's day, from the alarm going off to booking. Walking through that day in the life made them realize their strategy was wrong and they needed to go mobile-first; Lenny confirms the 12-frame host-and-guest journey became the company's strategy.

Airbnb hired an illustrator to draw every scene of a customer's day
Walking the day in the life exposed a wrong, non-mobile strategy
The exercise pushed them to a mobile-first strategy
The 12-frame host-and-guest journey became the company's actual strategy

“they realized that they had their strategy wrong that they needed to move as soon as possible to a mobile first strategy”
Nancy Duarte · 1:08:00

“here's the Journey of a host and a guest that's like 12 frames of that journey”
Lenny · 1:10:30

#airbnb#storytelling#product-strategy#case-study

Q&A· 1

Q&A45:30

Nancy's Take on Starting With the Conclusion (Minto Pyramid)

Asked about the Minto pyramid principle of leading with the conclusion, Nancy calls it amazing but audience-dependent. Conclusion-first works well for execs and fundraising, while other audiences need to be taught to long for the future state and require more time to unpack it.

The Minto pyramid principle is strong but not universal
Leading with the conclusion suits execs and fundraising pitches
Some audiences must be taught to long for the future state
Nancy's 'conclusion' is the new bliss tied to human flourishing

“when you state the conclusion first that's a great thing to do with execs it's a great thing to do when you are fundraising”
Nancy Duarte · 46:00

“they really need to be taught to long for this future State”
Nancy Duarte · 46:30

#minto-pyramid#presentations#fundraising#structure

Tool· 1

Tool1:13:30

Writer.com: An AI Tool Trained on Your Own IP and Voice

Nancy is excited about writer.com, a tool built on multiple language models that she is training on all her IP, books and blog posts so it learns her voice. With good prompts in, she gets a good product out, and she is also an investor in the company.

Writer.com is built on multiple language models
It can be trained on your own IP, books and blog posts
It learns your voice to help you write faster
Nancy is an investor in the company

“it's going to be trained on our own like all my IP all my books every blog post it'll learn the voice”
Nancy Duarte · 1:14:00

“I'm actually an investor in that company”
Nancy Duarte · 1:14:00

#writer-com#ai#tools#writing

Takeaway· 1

Takeaway1:05:00

Her Scrappy Uncorrected Video Beat the Polished, HD One

Nancy shot one video with HD makeup, a film crew and perfect lighting, then posted a rando, uncorrected clip where she looked a little orange but was packed with information. The scrappy, informative version became her highest-viewed video, convincing her that audiences want content, not swooshy production value.

One video was fully polished with makeup, crew and lighting
The other was uncorrected, informal and dense with information
The scrappy, informative version got the most views
Audiences want the content more than high production polish

“it's not color corrected but it's super informative”
Nancy Duarte · 1:06:00

“people want the content”
Nancy Duarte · 1:06:30

#video#content#production-value#linkedin

Key ideas

Frameworks in this episode

Audience Is the Hero, Presenter Is the Mentor

Can They See What I'm Saying? (The Star Moment)

Rewiring Stage Fright (The Pre-Talk Ritual)

The Slide Doc Spectrum (One Point, One Big Idea)

The Torchbearer Five-Act Movement Structure

What Is / What Could Be (The Presentation Sparkline)

People & resources mentioned

People · 14

Resources · 62

Insights & moments

◆Hot Take· 2

Why a Slide Doc Beats Amazon's Six-Page Memo

The Most Nervous Presenters Usually Have the Best Content

✶Explainer· 3

The Audience Holds the Power, So the Presenter Is the Mentor

Star Moments and Drawing to Get Everyone Seeing the Same Thing

The Torch-Bearer Leader Who Only Sees a Few Feet Ahead

❝Story· 7

The Five Years Behind Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth

How Nancy Cold-Called Her Way Into Apple, NASA and Tandem

The Slide That Was Just the Word 'BIG' in Hot Pink

Reinventing Think Different With Hitchcock's Particulates

Why Empathy Sits at the Core of Everything Nancy Builds

Nancy's Pre-Talk Ritual: Laughter, Not Heavy Metal

The Airbnb 'Snow White' Walk in the Customer's Shoes

?Q&A· 1

Nancy's Take on Starting With the Conclusion (Minto Pyramid)

✦Tool· 1

Writer.com: An AI Tool Trained on Your Own IP and Voice

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Her Scrappy Uncorrected Video Beat the Polished, HD One

Hot Take· 2

Explainer· 3

Story· 7

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Tool· 1

Takeaway· 1