How to Make Your Next PowerPoint Tell a Story

If you’re using PowerPoint just to put numbers on a screen, you’re missing the power that comes from a dynamic presentation.

Presentations do more than convey data. They tell a story.

The really good PowerPoint presentations use data to reach an audience – not to fill a screen.

Try using some of these lines to build storytelling into your next PPT presentation:

Here’s how it looked at the beginning.

Watch what happened next.

Can you see the trend starting to build?

Pay attention: This is where the story changes.

Let’s look at the key players.

This step changed the whole narrative.

When/where/how did we first hear from the new players on this scene?

The next chapter proved more difficult.

A story isn’t over until it’s over – and this story isn’t over.

Here’s the conflict.

Here’s our fork in the road.

The data moved us to this next phase.

The results give all of us a new story.

Here’s where you play a role.

Tip: In additional to using these storytelling phrases when you speak, try using a few lines as stand-alone visual messages on the screen. Your PowerPoint (and you) will pack real clout.