Looking for ways to create a bigger impact from your presentation? You might find the 80/20 rule helpful. This rule has been widely applied in fields ranging from economics to productivity to professional development. It comes from the 1895 writings of Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, which is why it is often referred to as the Pareto principle.
In order to use the 80/20 rule with your presentations, you have to know what makes the biggest impact on your audience. And you have to know how that relates to your goals. Presentations usually fall into one of 3 standard categories: persuasion, information, or entertainment. Let’s see how the 80/20 rule can apply to each of these presentation types.
Using the 80/20 Rule to Persuade
Say your presentation is focused on gaining revenue or sales leads. If you are giving a presentation tour at several companies, you’ll want to track how many sales come from which kind of companies. If Pareto’s principle is correct, approximately 80% of your sales will come from about 20% of the company presentations. Knowing what your 20% is, you can focus more of your attention on those types of companies in the future, increasing both your revenue and leads.
You might also find that the sales you gain come more from your time spent conversing with individuals following the presentation than it does from your actual time up front presenting. If this is the case, you might boost your sales by shortening the time of your presentation to allow for more one-on-one interaction afterward.
Using the 80/20 Rule to Inform
If your goal is more along the lines of informing your audience, you can still use the 80/20 rule to help. Use surveys and gather feedback following your presentation to find out what really helped the audience learn. Then, concentrate your efforts to align with those things.
For example, you might find, as many presenters do, that you need to focus more on the visuals you use during your presentation. In his work, Syntactic Theory of Visual Communication, Dr. Paul Martin Lester says, “Educational psychologist Jerome Bruner of New York University cites studies that show persons only remember ten percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they read, but about 80 percent of what they see and do.” With that in mind, and taking into account the multimedia nature of today’s learners, you might decide to switch the way you prepare for your next presentation. It might make sense to spend 80% of your time on your visuals and only 20% of your time on your words.
Using the 80/20 Rule to Entertain
Finally, you might be giving a presentation in which your goal is to entertain or inspire the audience. In that case, you’ll want to pay attention to what the audience responds to, typically, through audible response or laughter during the presentation. Hone in on what type of content seems to move the audience, and then continue to adapt your presentation accordingly. Keep letting go of content that falls into the 80%. And keep creating more content like the 20% that is more impactful.
No matter whether you aim to persuade, inform, or entertain, you can use the 80/20 rule to create a bigger impact. By discovering the 20% of your presentation that both moves your audience and aligns with your goals, you’ll be able to direct 80% of your effort towards the things that matter.
Ready to take your presentation to the next level? Here’s how.
