Episode #261: The Purpose Of Our Presentation

What is the first question every executive should ask before creating a presentation?

Before opening PowerPoint or drafting a single bullet point, you must answer one critical question: “Who exactly will be in the audience?”

For internal presentations (All Hands, Town Halls, weekly divisional updates, marketing reviews, etc.), the level of detail, data, and terminology must match the organisational level, function, and experience of the listeners. For external talks (industry conferences, Chamber of Commerce speeches, benkyokai study groups, or public events), you need to consider the mix of roles, companies, and cultures in the room.

Only when you are crystal clear about the audience profile should you decide the purpose and structure of your talk. Otherwise, you risk delivering something too basic, too technical, or completely misaligned with what your stakeholders actually care about.

Mini-summary: Always define who is in the audience before deciding what to say. Clarity on the audience is the foundation for a high-impact business presentation.

Once you know your audience, you must decide the primary purpose of your talk. Almost every effective presentation for 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) in 東京 (Tokyo) fits into one or more of these four categories:

1. Inform

2. Convince or Impress

3. Persuade or Inspire to Action

4. Entertain (Engage Emotionally)

You can blend them, but trying to do all four equally usually weakens your impact. Choose one as the dominant purpose, then design your content and delivery around it.

Mini-summary: Decide whether your main goal is to inform, convince, persuade, or entertain. A focused purpose drives a sharper message and a clearer structure.

Executives and managers often need to inform their organisation or industry about key developments. Typical examples:

• Internal performance updates at All Hands or Town Halls

• Weekly reporting on division or section KPIs

• Marketing spend and campaign effectiveness reports

• Industry trend updates at conferences or benkyokai study groups

These talks are usually rich in data and insight: statistics, expert opinions, latest research, and case studies from the front line. The risk is becoming a “data dump” — cramming in every chart, table, and metric you can find.

To inform effectively:

• Select only the most relevant and high-impact data (“go for the gold; keep silver and bronze for Q&A”).

• Connect each data point to a clear implication or decision: “What does this mean, and what should we do?”

• Use case studies to highlight what is working and what is not, especially for leaders in リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) and 営業研修 (sales training) contexts.

Mini-summary: Informative presentations should deliver curated, high-value insights—not a data dump. Share only the data that supports decisions and action.

Many leaders believe their job is simply to “deliver the message”. In reality, every time you present, you are also selling yourself and your organisation.

If a speaker is dull, disorganised, or reads word-for-word from a script or slide, the audience doesn’t just judge the individual—they judge the entire company. A poor presenter can damage trust in the brand, especially in competitive markets where 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) in 東京 (Tokyo) are fighting for reputation and talent.

To convince and impress:

• Show strong belief in the importance of your message—your conviction is contagious.

• Deliver with clarity, structure, and energy, as you would learn in プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training).

• Provide evidence: customer stories, data, expert endorsements, or benchmark comparisons.

• Recognise the modern reality: your audience lives in an Age of Distraction and an Era of Cynicism. You must earn and keep their attention.

This is where Dale Carnegie’s century of global experience and 60+ years in Tokyo help professionals build credibility on stage through practical techniques used in our プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) and エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching).

Mini-summary: To convince and impress, you must be both credible and compelling. Your performance reflects not only you, but your entire organisation.

Persuasion is the leadership superpower. When your goal is to change behaviour—to get people to start, stop, or adjust something—your presentation must be designed to inspire action, not just share information.

Core elements of a persuasive, action-focused presentation:

• A clear, specific call to action: what exactly should people do after this meeting?

• Strong logical structure: problem → impact → solution → next steps.

• Emotional connection: why this matters now, and why it matters to them.

• Credible examples and stories to make the message real and memorable.

Winston Churchill’s famous “Never, ever ever ever ever give up” line in 1941 showed how a few words, delivered with conviction, can mobilise a nation. In today’s environment—economic uncertainty, industry disruption, and post-Covid realities—leaders in Japan need similarly persuasive, rallying presentations for their teams.

Our リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) and エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching) help leaders integrate persuasive storytelling into day-to-day communication, from strategy rollouts to DEI研修 (DEI training) initiatives.

Mini-summary: Persuasive presentations turn ideas into action. Combine logical structure, emotional impact, and a clear call to action to move people.

You don’t need to be a stand-up comedian to succeed in business presentations. In fact, for most managers and executives, forced jokes are risky—especially across cultures.

However, you do need to be engaging:

• Bring passion and genuine interest in your topic.

• Use examples, analogies, and simple stories that make complex ideas accessible.

• Notice what makes your audience smile or laugh—capture those moments and reuse them.

For 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) operating in Japan, the right level of “entertainment” is usually about energy, clarity, and authenticity, not comedy. In our プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) in 東京 (Tokyo), we focus on helping professionals project confidence and warmth—so their message lands, even with tough, skeptical audiences.

Mini-summary: You don’t have to be funny, but you do have to be engaging. Passion, energy, and relatable stories are more important than jokes.

After clarifying your audience and primary purpose, you can design a tight, strategic structure. One effective approach:

1. Close #1 (Primary Conclusion):
   Decide the main message you want your audience to remember and act on. This is the heart of your talk.

2. Close #2 (Reinforced Conclusion):
   Design a second, reinforcing close—a story, metaphor, or strong final statement—that locks in the first conclusion from another angle.

3. Main Body (Evidence & Logic):
   Build the content that justifies your close: data, case studies, examples, and logic. This is where you add “tons of evidence,” but with strict discipline on what truly supports your key message.

4. Opening (Designed Last):
   Finally, craft a powerful opening that grabs attention and leads naturally into your main message—often a question, a surprising fact, or a short story reflecting a real business pain.

This structure aligns well with how executives and managers in Japan evaluate messages during リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), and DEI研修 (DEI training): they want clear conclusions supported by solid reasoning and real-world relevance.

Mini-summary: Design your presentation backwards: decide your conclusion first, build the evidence second, then craft an opening that earns the right to be heard.

Dale Carnegie has spent over 100 years helping leaders worldwide transform how they communicate—particularly in high-stakes situations. In 東京 (Tokyo) since 1963, we support both 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) through:

• リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) for managers and executives

• 営業研修 (sales training) focused on consultative, trust-based selling

• プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) for high-impact business communication

• エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching) for senior leaders

• DEI研修 (DEI training) to support inclusive, high-performing cultures

The principles in this article—knowing your audience, choosing a clear purpose, and structuring your message strategically—are embedded across all of our programs.

Mini-summary: Dale Carnegie Tokyo helps leaders apply these presentation principles in real business situations, across leadership, sales, presentations, executive coaching, and DEI.

• Audience first, always: Never design slides before you are clear on who will be in the room and what they care about.

• Pick one main purpose: Decide whether your talk is primarily to inform, convince, persuade, or entertain (engage)—and design accordingly.

• Structure from the end: Start with your key conclusion, then build evidence, and only then craft your opening.

• Your performance is your brand: Every presentation shapes how stakeholders see you, your division, and your company.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.