Episode #38: Designing Our Presentation Part Two

Are your presentations losing senior leaders’ attention before you reach the point?

If your slides are crowded, your opening is slow, or your message sounds “safe,” you’re not alone. In many Japanese companies (日本企業 / Japanese companies) and multinational firms (外資系企業 / multinational companies) in Tokyo (東京 / Tokyo), audiences are busy, skeptical, and distracted. The first minutes decide whether they lean in—or mentally leave the room.
Mini-summary: Executive attention is scarce. Your opening and slide design must win it fast.

They open with tension. Powerful openings often use:

• Rhetorical questions that feel like real questions. When done well, people can’t tell if they should answer—so they focus.

• Expert quotes that anchor the topic and raise authority.

• Statistics that signal evidence, not opinion.

• A provocative or shocking statement that forces curiosity.

The goal isn’t drama for its own sake. It’s to create a gap between what the audience expects and what you deliver—then fill that gap clearly.
Mini-summary: Use questions, quotes, data, or a provocative insight to create curiosity and attention.

Sometimes. Flagging your conclusion early can help time-pressed executives follow your logic. But overuse makes your talk predictable, and predictability is the enemy of attention.

In today’s distracted environment, anything that feels formulaic invites the audience to drift into unrelated thoughts. Use this technique sparingly and only when it strengthens impact.

Mini-summary: Lead with the conclusion only when it adds clarity; avoid sounding formulaic.

Because people forget titles. Even if your talk title was set in advance, most listeners won’t remember it word-for-word unless it’s on a slide in front of them.

Your opening is your real chance to cut through internal “noise.” It must be designed precisely and delivered exactly as planned—no detours, no casual comments about the lead-up.

Mini-summary: Titles fade quickly; openings shape attention and credibility.

Arrive early and talk with participants about the topic. When you later reference a comment from someone you met, two things happen:

1. That person feels seen and valued.

2. The invisible wall between speaker and audience disappears.

You become part of the group, not a distant presenter.

Mini-summary: Pre-talk conversations create instant rapport and trust.

Design your talk first. Then build slides to support, not substitute, your message. When you know your flow:

• You don’t need dense text.

• You can use single-word slides, images, diagrams, or short phrases.

• Your eyes stay on the audience—not on the screen.

• The audience looks at you because the slide isn’t competing for attention.

This approach is memorable precisely because it contrasts with the norm.
Mini-summary: Build slides after the speech design, and keep them minimal to amplify attention.

Why do simple slides stand out in Japanese business settings?

Many Japanese presentations lean toward “Baroque” slides: heavy detail, multiple fonts, and crowded screens. Japan values detail and the written word, but that doesn’t mean everything must be on the slide.

Clear communication often means less on screen, more in the speaker. This global best practice is still underused in Japan, which creates a major opportunity for leaders who present differently.
Mini-summary: Minimal slides feel fresh in Japan and make you more memorable.

How do engaged employees connect to leadership communication?

Engaged employees are self-motivated. Self-motivated people are inspired. Inspired teams grow businesses—so the question for leaders is: are you inspiring your people?

Dale Carnegie Tokyo helps leaders and organizations build that inspiration through leadership training (リーダーシップ研修 / leadership training), sales training (営業研修 / sales training), presentation training (プレゼンテーション研修 / presentation training), executive coaching (エグゼクティブ・コーチング / executive coaching), and DEI programs (DEI研修 / DEI training).

Mini-summary: Inspirational communication drives engagement, and engagement drives growth.

• Strong openings use tension—questions, data, quotes, or provocative insights—to win attention fast.

• Reveal conclusions early only when useful; avoid predictability.

• Design the talk first, then create slide support with minimal text.

• In Japan, simple visual slides are rare and therefore highly memorable.

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.