Presentation Skills That Will Take You to the Top (Collection), 2/e

9. The Cyrano Parable

The Story You Tell Versus the Slides You Show

Ever since its debut in Paris in 1897, Cyrano de Bergerac has held enormous attraction for audiences and performers. The original French actor, for whom playwright Edmond Rostand created the part, performed it more than 400 times. In the twentieth century, the story went on to be produced as a film six times—one of which earned an Oscar for José Ferrer in 1950, and another that starred Steve Martin in 1987—and as an opera five times.

While the story is based on a real seventeenth century poet and swordsman, it was Mr. Rostand’s nineteenth century interpretation that created its enduring appeal—and serves as a parable for presenters. Briefly stated, Cyrano is the story of a man ...