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

Nancy Duarte is the CEO of Duarte Inc. and has helped create over 250,000 presentations for influential business leaders across the globe, including Apple, TED, the World Bank, and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. She’s also written six best-selling books, and her TED talk has garnered over 3 million views. She regularly contributes to HBR, MIT-Sloan, and Forbes, and her books are essential reading in leading business schools worldwide. In today’s episode, we discuss:
• Why empathy is at the heart of everything Nancy does
• Why you’re presenting more often than you think
• Tactics for creating interesting presentations and telling better stories
• The concept of a “torchbearer leader” and why it’s important
• Strategies for overcoming stage fright and nerves
• Tips for communicating and presenting remotely
• How Nancy landed Apple as a client and what she learned
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Find the transcript at: www.lennyspodcast.com/storyte...
Where to find Nancy Duarte:
• Twitter: / nancyduarte
• LinkedIn: / nancyduarte
• Website: www.duarte.com/
Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: www.lennysnewsletter.com
• Twitter: / lennysan
• LinkedIn: / lennyrachitsky
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Nancy’s background
(03:25) The insane number of presentations Nancy has helped create
(04:52) The most memorable presentation of Nancy’s career, and what it taught her
(07:04) The lasting impact of working with Al Gore
(09:00) How Nancy landed Apple as a client
(11:44) How working with Apple informed future presentations
(16:22) 3 things to remember when creating a deck
(17:33) The importance of empathy
(20:29) Empathy in action
(22:40) Why internal presentations are so high-pressure
(23:09) Signs you’re doing a good job making the audience the hero of the story
(25:38) The structure of great talks
(28:08) Lessons from great historical speeches
(30:02) You’re presenting more often than you think
(32:07) How Nancy uses this story structure in her marriage
(35:00) The framework What is? What could be? What is the ideal bliss?
(36:07) The importance of visuals
(41:12) Slide-making principles (titles, organization, and more)
(45:46) The Minto Pyramid Principle
(48:02) Think and plan before diving into software
(50:00) The Duarte process for crafting presentations
(53:18) How remote work has influenced the way we communicate and present
(55:46) Strategies for overcoming stage fright and nerves
(1:01:10) The concept of “torchbearer leaders” and why it’s important
(1:04:54) The surprising truth about informal vs. formal production quality
(1:07:37) Examples of PMs telling great stories
(1:11:49) Lightning round
Referenced:
• Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth: algore.com/library/an-inconve...
• Apple’s Think Different campaign: • Apple - Think Differen...
• The Secret Structure of Great Talks (Nancy’s TED talk): www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duart...
• The Structure of Great Talks graphic: www.google.com/search?q=nancy...
• I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr.: • I Have a Dream speech ...
• The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking and Problem Solving: www.amazon.com/Minto-Pyramid-...
• The Minto Pyramid Principle and the SCR Framework, by Lenny: www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/mi...
• Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols: www.amazon.com/Illuminate-aud...
• Marshall Ganz: www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/m...
• Brian Chesky: / brianchesky
• Airbnb’s Snow White storyboards: uxdesign.cc/how-airbnb-proved...
• The Writer’s Journey: www.amazon.com/Writers-Journe...
• Business Proposal: asianwiki.com/Business_Proposal
• Writer: writer.com/
Production and marketing by penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [e-mail].
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

[@dhanushyagunasekaran5842]

Absolutely enjoyed the podcast ! Thank you Lenny and Nancy Duarte !

[@nandana221]

Enjoyed this episode, very insightful. When we are wfh/video, we don't really think about presence. Having that as a conscious aspect is going to change things. Nancy talking about K-dramas was hilarious! Love K-dramas and their super-creative themes. Lenny and Nancy are both amazing!

[@CraigMilesYoutube]

This is really useful. I've been accepted to do a TEDx talk, and want to make it as good as I can. Thank you, both of you ❤

[@ChocolateMilkCultLeader]

You should have Patrick Akil from Beyond Coding Podcast here. Hes a class apart when it comes to asking insightful questions. Given your style, youd have great chemistry. Id be happy to make an introduction if you want

[@devikottary3937]

Wow! Just in wow with this gorgeous woman. Unsure, If I could say this as a viewer comment but Nancy Duarte is a gorgeous looking woman, her eyes are so fierce yet her personality is so amiable and her tone is just calming. Culmination for a fine presenter I guess. Besides, the 3 Mantras to follow for any presentations was super helpful. Icing on the top was the marriage tip! She made me realise what was I doing wrong in all these years of marriage. H/T to Nancy D and Lenny (how to do even mine such valuable speakers to your podcast)!