Presentation storytelling 101: Your audience is the hero

Imagine you’re sitting in an auditorium, listening to a keynote speaker deliver a presentation at a huge software conference. Which scenario is more likely to give you goosebumps?

1. The speaker talks about who they are, what they do, all their accolades, and how game-changing their product is.
2. The speaker tells a story about how they relate to the pressure you face in your role and then details the positive change you could make at a professional and personal level by adopting certain practices, resources, and mindsets.

We’d argue that the latter sounds more appealing. That type of audience-centric content is what mic-drop moments are made of. And that’s the power of making your audience the hero.

Storytelling basics: Heroes in stories

Stories are one of the most powerful presentation tools. Full stop. And they’re available to everyone, right now. We are all innate storytellers, whether we believe it or not. But what makes a story compelling? Well, a few different things. But today, we’re going to cover a solid hero and villain.

A hero’s journey

At the heart of every traditional narrative is a hero’s journey. Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, and Harry Potter are all structured around a classic hero’s journey. Heroes in stories typically have in common:

• The main character, our hero, who starts in an ordinary world or state
• Our hero then encounters a challenge or opportunity
• Our hero then faces trials and roadblocks, but receives some help along the way
• And finally, our hero emerges in a new reality as a changed person

Contrary to popular belief, the hero’s journey is not reserved for fairy tales and movie screens; it can play a pivotal role in ensuring your presentation, pitch, or keynote is engaging, relatable, and impactful. Why? Because your audience is the hero. Not you, your company, or your product.

The audience as the hero

In the world of presentations and storytelling, Duarte’s philosophy has become commonplace: the audience is the hero, and the speaker is the mentor.

Empathy is at the core of The Duarte Method™ – and that means putting your audience at the center of everything you communicate. When you shift the focus from what you want to say – which is often related to your:

• Credibility;
• Achievements;
• And exciting new offerings.

To what the audience needs to hear, your message goes further. But this requires thinking deeply about your audience members’ state of being. You can use a series of questions found in our Audience Needs Map™ to help put yourself in the shoes of your audience members. This will help you make them the hero of your presentation.

Why your audience is the hero

Employing heroes in stories will help your presentation really stick and standout. But most business presentations start with “me-ness.” Companies often make the mistake of starting with an “About us” slide, or information about the company, or why they are better than their competitors. Yes, it is important that the audience know something about you and your company, but there are other ways to communicate this information (like a handout) so you can focus on making your presentation about your audience, which in turn, helps you connect with them.

1. Audience empowerment

Talking to the audience as if they are the main characters of the story empowers them to see their potential and capabilities. It makes them feel like you see their potential and capabilities. By making the audience feel seen, capable, understood, and empowered, you instill self-confidence, inspire action, and foster authentic connections.

2. Audience engagement

Our brains are wired to identify familiar information. As Richard Saul Wurman, the founder of TED says, “You only understand information relative to what you already understand.” So, when the audience is positioned as the hero and can envision themselves intertwined with your presentation narrative, they are more likely to be engaged and invested. Here’s more on the science of stories if you’d like to read up.

3. Audience transformation

The hero’s journey – and presentations – are all about transformation. As a presenter, you want your hero-filled audience to transform in some way by the end of your talk. You want to move them from feeling, believing, doing, or thinking one thing, to feeling, believing, doing, or thinking something else. Hence, the reason for your presentation in the first place.

Okay, we’ve covered the importance of heroes in stories. And we’ve positioned the audience as the hero. But this is only the first step in helping them transform. Now, you must take on the role of the mentor.

The speaker as the mentor

Behind every great hero is a great mentor. Luke Skywalker had a Yoda, Harry Potter had a Professor Dumbledor, and Dorothy had a Glinda. So, if heroes in stories have mentors, your presentation needs one, too.

It’s the mentor’s job to guide, support, and equip the hero with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate their journey successfully. In Duarte’s model, the speaker assumes the role of the mentor. The mentor:

• Offers valuable information;
• Practical advice;
• And strategies that the audience can apply.

A good mentor understands what the hero is dealing with and makes a point to empathize with them. Instead of glazing over the challenges the hero faces or the resistance to change they have, the mentor acknowledges their hardships and validates their feelings.

After empathizing, the mentor also supports the hero by helping them overcome their fears and doubts by offering expertise, resources, and encouragement that will help guide them forward. This support is crucial for motivating the audience to embrace what’s possible.

It may feel like we’re talking about myths and folklore, but this applies when it comes to making great presentations, too. (We wrote a whole book on it called Resonate® if you were curious.) Coming from a place of empathy and mentorship will make your message resonate on a deep, authentic level.

A final word of mentorship caution: It’s easy to believe that as the mentor, it’s your job to solve the hero’s problem. But you aren’t there to solve the problem, you’re there to help them solve the problem (with your product or service).

Now that we’ve covered who the hero is and who the mentor is, there’s another story component we can’t forget.

The importance of the antagonist

A hero and a mentor make a powerful pair. But like any good story, your presentation can’t be all sunshine and rainbows: You need some conflict (also known as an antagonist or an antagonistic force).

Every movie, book, or play has a protagonist (a hero) and an antagonist (a villain). In business presentations there may not be an evil lord vying for control of the universe, but there are other barriers the hero faces. The antagonist could be:

• An ineffective process;
• Declining revenue;
• A rising competitor;
• Employee burnout;
• Or some other rut that the audience is struggling to get out of.

The protagonist’s journey (and thus, the mentor’s presentation) is defined by the effort to overcome the challenge. This conflict is central to the plot, clarifying what is at stake and underscoring the importance of the solution or insight that the mentor presents. Channeling this challenge is the key to motivating others to change.

Some of you may think that addressing challenges in presentations is depressing and unnecessary. We get it, we do … but we respectfully disagree. Addressing an issue the audience faces not only helps them relate to you, but this sense of conflict also keeps them engaged as they become invested in how to overcome the challenge.

Not to mention, that if there wasn’t an opposing force making the hero’s life difficult, the hero wouldn’t need a mentor in the first place! Although antagonists are often thought of as evil villains in the movies or unavoidable evils in life, they’re a big part of what makes a story worth listening to. After all, without challenge, there would be no need for change. It may feel counterintuitive, but a little bit of conflict is essential for a compelling story and an effective presentation.

By recognizing these roles and incorporating them into presentations, speakers can craft narratives that are not only engaging but also deeply resonant and persuasive.

The moral of the story

Keeping the audience at the heart of your presentation or speech is the key to making your message relevant, impactful, and memorable.

Remember, the antagonist (the challenges) and the protagonist (the audience) are vital elements that drive the story forward. The mentor (or speaker) is incredibly important, but not the star of the show. By empathizing with your audience and offering support, you can draw them in, win them over, and ultimately, help solve their problems.

In every presentation, aim to empower your audience as the hero by acknowledging their challenges and providing the guidance they need to transform their reality for the better.

To hear more about The Duarte Method™ and the power of storytelling in business, check out Nancy Duarte featured on an episode of Lenny’s Podcast talking about how to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks.

If you want to put foundational storytelling principles into practice and analyze the heroes and antagonists in your next presentation, check out Resonate®, a live online (or in-person) workshop based on Nancy’s best-selling book.

In Resonate®, you’ll learn the secrets to persuasive communication that help you:

• Analyze your audience so you can deliver value, even when they resist
• Clarify the core of your idea
• Create supporting content with the story structure used by history’s greatest communicators
• Distill and communicate complex ideas with clarity

Or, if you’re past the point of learning about story principles and want to recruit a few experts to help handle your next high-stakes communication engagement, contact our agency about communication strategizing, writing, designing, and coaching. We’ll build everything your next presentation needs while keeping your audience the hero for you!