HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations (HBR Guide Series)

Introduction

If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.

—Woodrow T. Wilson

We work in a first-draft culture. Type an e-mail. Send. Write a blog entry. Post. Whip up some slides. Speak.

But it’s in crafting and recrafting—in iteration and rehearsal—that excellence emerges.

Why worry about being an excellent communicator when you have so many other pressing things to do? Because it will help you get those things done.

So as you conceive, visualize, and present your message, don’t skimp on preparation, even if you’re giving a short talk. It actually takes more careful planning to distill your ideas into a few key takeaways than it does ...