Episode #39: Show Me, Don't Tell Me

Why do smart, elite professionals still deliver unprofessional presentations in Japan?

Japan is a business culture where job titles and seniority carry real weight. But the moment a leader steps in front of an audience, status stops protecting credibility. What people see—the slides, the structure, the delivery—becomes the proof of competence. If the presentation looks chaotic or the speaker fails to connect, trust drops fast, no matter how impressive the résumé.

Mini-summary: In Japan, authority earns attention, but only clarity and skill earn belief. Your delivery is your credibility.

A presentation can collapse before the speaker even begins. Dense, multi-colored, data-heavy slides bury meaning instead of revealing it. If an audience needs more than two seconds to understand the point of a slide, the slide is doing damage. Worse, it forces the presenter into “explaining the slide” rather than leading the audience.

Mini-summary: When slides become complicated, they stop supporting the talk and start competing with it.

Great slides are not documents. They are visual cues that amplify one clear idea at a time. The most effective approach is:

• One idea per slide.

• Minimal text. Use headlines, not paragraphs.

• Two-color palette max for contrast and simplicity.

• Zen-like visual discipline so the audience can grasp the meaning instantly.

Your audience is not there to read what you already know. They are there to understand what you want them to believe and do.

Mini-summary: Slides should distill thinking, not display everything you know. Simplicity persuades.

Graphs tempt presenters to prove everything at once: long timelines, multiple comparisons, endless labels. But audiences don’t absorb dense charts in real time. The smarter method is to treat graphs like visual wallpaper—context, not content. Then isolate the key proof:

• Show the graph as background.

• Follow with a slide highlighting one turning point.

• Use a large single number or short callout to focus attention.

This lets you guide belief instead of hoping the audience finds your meaning inside clutter.

Mini-summary: Data should support your story, not drown it. Isolate what matters most.

What basic delivery logistics separate professionals from amateurs?

Even a strong message fails if delivery blocks connection. Common presentation mistakes include:

• Standing in front of the monitor and reading the screen.

• Turning your back on the audience.

• Letting the lights go down so people can’t read your face.

Professional logistics are simple:

• Stand audience-left of the screen so they see you first, then the slide.

• Keep the lights on to read audience reactions.

• Face the audience at all times and use gesture, expression, and voice to lead attention.

Mini-summary: Delivery is a physical skill. If the audience can’t see you, they can’t trust you.

Missouri’s “show me, don’t tell me” principle applies perfectly to business presentations. Leaders are judged by outcomes in the room: clarity, confidence, logic, and connection. A senior title may open the door, but the presentation decides whether people follow.

Mini-summary: Your slides and delivery are your leadership in action.

Engaged employees are self-motivated. Self-motivated people become inspired. Inspired teams drive growth. The question is whether your leadership communication actually inspires people—or just informs them.

Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo (ダール・カーネギー・トレーニング東京 / Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo) builds leaders who communicate with clarity, credibility, and persuasive power 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)

• DEI training (DEI研修 / DEI training)

With over 100 years of global expertise and more than 60 years in Tokyo (since 1963), we serve both Japanese (日本企業 / Japanese companies) and multinational firms (外資系企業 / multinational companies), helping executives deliver messages people trust and act on.

Mini-summary: We turn capable leaders into inspiring communicators who drive action across Japan’s toughest business environments.

• Executive credibility in Japan depends on what audiences see and feel, not your title.

• One-idea slides and disciplined simplicity make messages persuasive and memorable.

• Data wins only when it’s isolated, highlighted, and framed as proof for your story.

• Great delivery is logistical and human: face the audience, keep lights on, lead attention.

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.