Episode #306: What Do I Leave In and What Do I Take Out

Are your leaders overwhelming clients and stakeholders with too many slides, charts, and “must-keep” data? For many 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) in 東京 (Tokyo), presentations in leadership meetings, sales pitches, and town halls have become dense, rushed, and forgettable—hurting both message impact and brand perception.

This page explains how to transform overloaded slide decks into clear, story-driven presentations that support leadership, sales, and executive communication success.

Presenters often behave like “information hoarders.” They never delete old decks, constantly recycle past slides, and keep adding “just one more valuable chart or image.” Over time, they create a massive slide library, especially in organisations that regularly deliver プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) or sales updates.

The real issue is not the content itself—images and frameworks can be useful for years. The problem is selection. After dozens or hundreds of talks, leaders accumulate a huge amount of material and struggle to decide:

• How much content fits realistically in the time?

• Which slides truly serve this specific audience and objective?

Because we admire our own research and numbers, we resist cutting anything. The intention is good (“I want to give maximum value”), but the result is a deck that is far too long.

Mini-summary: Slide hoarding comes from a desire to add value, but without strict selection, decks become overloaded and unfocused.

One common complaint from executive and client audiences is the rushed ending: the presenter suddenly realises time is almost up and races through the last 15–20 slides—or skips them entirely.

For an audience, especially decision-makers in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies), this feels like a bad value exchange:

• They traded their limited time for insight.

• Instead, they see important-looking content flashed by with no explanation.

The message this sends about the speaker and the company:

• Poor time management: The presenter appears unprepared or inexperienced.

• Lack of respect: The audience’s time seems like an afterthought.

• Brand damage: If this is how the company communicates, what does that imply about execution in other areas?

In leadership, sales (営業研修 / sales training), and DEI研修 (DEI training) contexts, this rushed behaviour undermines trust and credibility.

Mini-summary: Trying to “fit everything in” leads to rushed, low-impact endings that damage both personal and corporate brand.

Many business professionals in 東京 (Tokyo) spend hours refining slides—and zero time on rehearsal. Ironically, rehearsal is the fastest way to discover you have too much content.

In a timed run-through, you immediately see:

• Which sections take longer than expected

• Where explanations become too detailed

• How rushed and breathless you feel nearing the end

For example, in a TED-style talk scenario, one speaker initially prepared eight chapters. Only during rehearsal did it become obvious that the final chapter had to be cut entirely to avoid rushing. Unlike a typical internal meeting with 50–100 people, recorded talks or large external presentations live online essentially “forever.” A rushed, messy performance becomes a permanent record of your brand.

Leaders receiving エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching) quickly learn:

A 10–15 minute rehearsal can save your reputation in a 20–30 minute talk.

Mini-summary: Rehearsal reveals instantly whether your slide count and stories fit the time, allowing you to cut content before you damage your impact in front of a real audience.

Executives often believe that “more data = stronger argument.” The result is:

• Slide after slide of numbers

• Multiple bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs

• Dense tables and tiny labels

Very quickly, even intelligent, motivated audiences tune out. They cannot process or remember a “tsunami of numbers.” In practice:

• Most of the data is forgotten within hours.

• Only the overall feeling (“That was heavy and tiring”) remains.

For leadership, sales (営業研修 / sales training), and DEI研修 (DEI training) initiatives, the goal is not to show everything you know. The goal is to make a few critical numbers unforgettable and actionable.

A better approach:

• Select fewer, more strategic metrics.

• Use visual hierarchy so key figures stand out.

• Allocate time to explain context, not just display numbers.

Mini-summary: Overloading slides with data weakens recall and engagement; selective, well-explained metrics create stronger, more actionable impact.

Instead of just showing a number like “Voice of Customer: 72%,” you can use storytelling to make that number meaningful and memorable.

Imagine you are presenting VOC results for a product or service in Japan:

1. Raw number: The slide shows 72%. At first glance, this looks mediocre.

2. Cultural context: You explain that Japanese buyers tend to be strict scorers—more conservative than customers in many other markets.

3. Industry example: You share how luxury brands in Japan discovered that their customer satisfaction scores were consistently 20–30 points lower than in other countries, despite strong loyalty and high repurchase behaviour.

4. Adjustment: To compare fairly across markets, companies sometimes adjust Japanese scores upward by as much as 30%.

5. Reframed meaning: Suddenly, that “72%” might actually represent the equivalent of 93.6% in global terms.

By wrapping the number in a story, audience members remember both the figure and its meaning—long after the presentation. This approach is essential in プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) and リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) for 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) who operate in or report on Japan.

Mini-summary: A single story around a key number (like 72% VOC in Japan) can drive far greater recall and understanding than 10 slides of charts and tables.

It is useful for executives and managers to maintain a powerful slide library:

• Proven graphics and frameworks

• High-quality images

• Strong data visuals

• Case studies and customer stories

However, the goal is not to show as many of these slides as possible in every talk. Instead, leaders should:

1. Start with the outcome: What do you want this audience to think, feel, and do after the presentation?

2. Work backward to content: Choose only slides that directly support that outcome.

3. Identify story-friendly slides: Select visuals that invite storytelling—customer cases, before/after comparisons, Voice of Customer anecdotes, etc.

4. Rehearse and timebox: Run through the entire talk, including stories and Q&A, to ensure everything fits comfortably.

For senior leaders in 東京 (Tokyo) investing in リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching), and DEI研修 (DEI training), this discipline creates presentations that are simple, memorable, and strongly aligned with corporate strategy.

Mini-summary: Treat your slide library as a curated toolkit, not a shopping list—select only what supports the outcome, then rehearse to ensure clarity, timing, and impact.

• Less is more: Cutting slides and focusing on a few high-impact messages increases clarity, confidence, and audience trust.

• Rehearsal is non-negotiable: Even a short rehearsal reveals content overload and protects your personal and corporate brand.

• Story beats spreadsheet: Select key metrics and wrap them in relevant, culturally aware stories—especially when presenting Japan data to global stakeholders.

• Curate, don’t hoard: Maintain a strong slide library, but choose only what serves this audience, this objective, and this time limit.

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.