In an ideal world, people would use reliable information and sound logic to guide their thinking and decision making, but the reality is people use shortcuts or rules of thumb to make decisions. The six shortcuts in this post, according to the author of the books YES! and Influence, are universal rules of thumb that guide human behavior. The key is to understand these shortcuts and use them in an ethical manner to persuade others in your presentations.

Shortly after he returned to Apple in 1997, Steve Jobs gave an internal presentation to employees from the Town Hall building on the Apple campus . This was an important presentation to let employees know where the company stood and where it was heading. A great talk with remarkable marketing/branding lessons as well.

On the first or second day of my presentation classes, I have students discuss what words/concepts come to mind when they think or a “good presentation” or a “bad presentation.” This works for short seminars too to get discussion going and preparing people to think differently about presenting.

We are a storytelling animal. We are not a bullet-point memorizing animal. We are wired to be attracted to story and to learn from them and to spread them. Here you can see one of my TEDxKyoto talks on the art of story and presentation. I list ten tips to help you design and deliver effective presentations.