How to Design the Main Body of Your Presentation — Building Chapters That Hold Attention and Deliver Impact

The opening grabs attention.
The close delivers your key message.
But the main body is where you prove your argument and build the logic that makes your message believable.

For a 30–40 minute presentation—common in 日本企業 and 外資系企業 settings—you have enough time to present three to five strong chapters. These chapters must be structured, evidence-rich, and strategically designed to maintain attention from start to finish.

Yet many presenters struggle here. They either overwhelm the audience with data, bury their strongest points, or offer dry content with no emotional resonance.

Mini-Summary: The main body does the heavy lifting; it must be structured, evidence-based, and captivating.

Effective presentation design is:

1. Close (key message)

2. Main Body (supporting chapters)

3. Opening (attention grabber)

You begin by defining the final takeaway, then construct the chapters that support it, and only then design the opening that earns the right to be heard.

This reverse-engineering prevents drift and keeps the entire presentation aligned.

Mini-Summary: Design backwards—start with the key message, then build chapters that support it.

When speakers prepare content, they often include too many points. But attention spans continue to shrink, and audiences shouldn’t be forced to dig through the mud to find your diamonds.

You must:

• Identify your strongest arguments

• Place them prominently near the front

• Use them as hooks to maintain audience engagement

• Remove or demote weaker content that distracts

This is like advising JMEC teams: many have gems hidden inside their business plans, but buried so deep that judges miss them entirely.

Mini-Summary: Put your strongest points upfront; don’t make the audience excavate to find them.

Think of your presentation like a well-written novel. Each chapter must:

• Transition smoothly into the next

• Follow a logical sequence

• Build momentum

• Lead the audience deeper into your message

Storytelling is essential. People forget data but remember stories.
So include:

• people the audience recognizes,

• places they can visualize,

• seasons or timing that create atmosphere.

Your audience consumes world-class storytelling through movies, streaming dramas, and novels. Their expectations are high. You need professional-level narrative flow to meet them.

Mini-Summary: Structure chapters with narrative flow—logic alone isn’t enough; stories make messages stick.

A flat delivery destroys good content. Each chapter needs its own rhythm.

Variation tools include:

• Increasing energy to elevate excitement

• Softening tone to build intimacy or seriousness

• Changing pace to emphasize points

• Shifting emotional intensity to keep interest alive

If you maintain the same tone for too long, the audience mentally checks out and retreats to their phones.

Mini-Summary: Energy variation keeps your chapters dynamic and your audience alert.

Hooks ignite curiosity. They make the audience lean forward and think, “I need to hear the rest of this.”

Example:

“Losing ten million dollars was the best education I ever received in business.”

Immediately, the audience asks:

• What happened?

• How did you lose it?

• What did you learn?

• How did you recover?

This is the power of a good hook.
Each chapter should have one.

Mini-Summary: Hooks turn chapters into irresistible stories that keep audiences eager for more.

Facts are essential—but raw data is deadly.
Data must be assembled into stories.

Example: delivering trade statistics in a speech, word-for-word, without narrative context (as you did when reading Ambassador Ashton Calvert’s speech) prevents emotional engagement. A lost opportunity.

Always ask:
“How do I turn these numbers into a meaningful story?”

Mini-Summary: Data alone doesn’t persuade; data embedded in stories does.

Use this strategic sequence:

1. Chapter Hook — attention-grabbing statement

2. Story or Context — emotional connection

3. Evidence — proof, data, credibility

4. Insight or Lesson — meaning and relevance

5. Transition — a short bridge to the next chapter

This keeps engagement high and ensures each chapter supports your key message.

Mini-Summary: Follow a chapter formula: hook → story → evidence → insight → transition.

• Design backwards: close → body → opening.

• Showcase your strongest points early.

• Ensure chapters flow logically like a story.

• Use hooks to create anticipation.

• Embed data inside compelling narratives.

• Vary pace, energy, and emotion throughout.

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.