Episode 38: Structure Leads to Better Stories
In October 2024, I had the pleasure of judging the Collegiate Ethics Case Competition at the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management. Having previously coached successful teams at this competition for many years, I was invited to return as a judge, despite having announced my retirement at the previous year’s event. So, what does this have to do with the structure of presentations?
Observations about Structure
The connection lies in the conversations I had with teams after the closing ceremonies, where we discussed how they could improve for next time. These discussions involved motivated students from prestigious institutions, such as the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Alberta, among others. The feedback from these conversations revealed similar themes.
First, the presentations consisted of a series of slides that failed to connect meaningfully with one another. Although the slides and content were impressive, a lack of cohesive structure hindered their ability to convey the overall story of their proposed solutions.
Second, a structural issue prevented teams from effectively linking the ethical discussion to the business solution. Although they presented strong ethical analyses and solid business strategies, they struggled to establish a clear connection between the two components.
Another Observation
A third issue, although perhaps less related to structure, was that some teams showcased an outstanding ethical case but presented a less robust business solution.
How to Build Structure
I believe that a major issue leading to structural problems in presentations is the tendency to prioritise slide aesthetics before developing the content and structure. I often tell my students that well-structured content and effective storytelling are more important than simply making slides look beautiful. If you can achieve both, that’s fantastic.
In case deliberations, the focus is on discovering and developing the content while deciding what the final solution will entail. During this process, slides are created, and the main talking points are established. However, in my experience, many presentations end up being a collection of slides with these talking points, lacking the connecting elements between the slides and the narrative that should ideally tie everything together. This often leads to presenters scrambling for their words during the presentation, especially when facing tight time constraints. The recurring question in each presenter’s mind is, “What am I going to say?”
One of the key goals I have for my teams is to not only develop meaningful content but also create engaging elements that resonate with the audience. As they examine the case, they should focus not only on extracting the necessary information for a quality discussion about the solution but also on incorporating their personal experiences and previous readings. This way, they can transform the content into a compelling narrative. The question becomes: how will you engage the audience, and how will you connect the content cohesively?
Reflecting on a past experience, I had a team tackle an ethics case involving Uber during the company's rise in the taxi industry. Instead of starting with the ethical dilemmas Uber faced, the team posed the question: “What does Uber need to do to gain widespread customer trust?” This question served as the structural backbone of the presentation, linking each piece of content to the next. The ethical considerations and other metrics acted as check marks for the content. Once we had established the content and its connections, we organised it into the required slides and then added aesthetic elements. Throughout the slide development process, we revisited the story and structure to ensure the slides supported both.
The outcome was impressive; the presentation was adapted into two versions of significantly different lengths (30 and 10 minutes). This flexible structure allowed us to quickly adjust the story to meet any situational requirements.
Looking back, that experience was inspiring for me as a coach early in my career, as it underscored the importance of structure. It also sparked my ongoing interest in how a strong structure facilitates interchangeable teammates, enabling anyone on the team to present any part of the presentation seamlessly.
Transitions
Transitions play a crucial role in presentations, especially in case competitions, yet they are often overlooked. Many people tend to think of transitions only between different speakers, which is important for maintaining structure and coherence. However, I believe that the most significant transitions occur between ideas and slides. I advise my teams that each slide should focus on a single message, and the presentation should be structured to transition smoothly between these messages to create an engaging, cohesive story.
Achieving this can be challenging. As an individual presenter, you need to consider how you will connect each slide and relate it to the central theme of your presentation, such as "How does Uber gain widespread customer trust?" Additionally, it's essential to communicate with the next speaker to coordinate how the transition will occur, especially if they will be covering a longer segment.
Another important aspect of transitions is how to approach the next speaker. In cases where speakers deliver short segments, moving directly to the next speaker often works well. However, when a speaker has a longer section, there is an opportunity for a brief wrap-up and a quick preview of what’s to come. It is up to the team and coach to define what constitutes a short versus a long section. In my view, a longer section involves several ideas or slides and typically lasts more than 3-4 minutes of speaking. If the team is frequently changing speakers, it is usually best for the next speaker to seamlessly continue from where the previous one left off.
One of my pet peeves is when a presenter says, “I am going to hand it off to…” or “I am passing it on to…”. As a coaching colleague of mine used to point out, we are not playing American football. Instead, presenters should provide a brief introduction to what the next speaker will address.