On presenting: A Lesson from Lincoln.

There’s a reason people fear making presentations. It’s hard! Really f-ing hard! Much harder than it looks, don’t you think?

Sure, we’ve heard all the advice. Yet, if you’re like me, you still struggle to understand how to best convey your knowledge and expertise without boring the crowd with a data dump. You might also wonder, how do I convincingly sell an audience on my idea or motivate them to take action? And perhaps most of all, how do I do all this in a way that is memorable?

As you ponder these challenges consider this story about Abraham Lincoln.

It’s 1864 and the civil war is raging. The country’s in turmoil and Lincoln is seeking re-election. He’s scheduled to deliver a speech to the National Union League. As the incumbent he could decide to focus his speech – as many successful people looking to make a case often do, by outlining the reasons why he is the best person for the job. To do this he might try to impress the crowd by providing a list of his major accomplishments during the first term; he might also offer an array of dramatic statistics to support the important work he’s done on behalf of the country. Instead Lincoln, a master communicator with a great sense of humor knew that what people remember most are stories, so he chose to share a metaphor to make his point. As he accepted his party’s nomination in advance of the general election he’s quoted as having said, “ I don’t allow myself to suppose that either the convention or the League have concluded to decide that I am either the greatest or the best man in America, but rather they have concluded, it is best not to swap horses while crossing a river, and have further concluded that I am not so poor a horse that they might not make a botch of it in trying to swap.”*  

By using an anecdote his audience could easily relate to and by delivering it simply with a touch of self-deprecation, Lincoln deftly managed to engage his audience, drive home his big idea and give them something memorable. The phrase, often re-told during that campaign, not only contributed to his eventual re-election, it’s an expression that endures even today as, “don’t change horses midstream.”

So next time you need to make a presentation why not take a cue from Lincoln. Skip the lists and data points and tell a story. Like Lincoln, make an emotional connection with the audience by just being yourself, and finally, stick to one main idea, not twenty.  

This much I know.

-Jeanine

 *From “The Language of the Civil War” pp. 92-93

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