{"id":824,"date":"2023-11-16T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T10:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thoughts.futurepresent.agency\/?p=824"},"modified":"2024-04-12T16:02:06","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T15:02:06","slug":"overcoming-the-monster-presentations-that-triumph-over-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thoughts.futurepresent.agency\/news\/overcoming-the-monster-presentations-that-triumph-over-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Presentation Story Structures: Overcoming the Monster"},"content":{"rendered":"
Who can resist the thrill of seeing the Hero\u2019s hard-fought victory over a monstrous adversary play out? This classic narrative arc, Overcoming the Monster, has been an audience favourite for as long as there have been stories. Let\u2019s look a little closer.<\/p>\n
Okay, time for a super-speedy recap of narrative arcs, in case you\u2019ve somehow managed to skip all our other blogs and get here as your first stop. Each narrative arc serves a particular purpose and provides a unique perspective for presenter and audience. Today we\u2019re going to focus solely on the exhilarating arc of Overcoming the Monster.<\/p>\n Incorporating narrative arcs into presentations isn’t just about crafting a fanciful and dramatic tale. An audience’s inherent familiarity with the shape of a narrative arc can help you to take complex information and make it more digestible, memorable and relatable for your audience.<\/p>\n The Overcoming the Monster arc provides an engaging narrative of near-defeat, struggle and eventual victory, which makes it an excellent choice for presentations that aim to solve a specific, significant challenge.<\/p>\n This arc helps to maintain audience engagement the whole way through your presentation whilst also making your content more emotionally impactful. But how does it actually look when it translates into a deck?<\/p>\n Let’s break it down.<\/p>\n Step one: defining your cast. As always, understanding the characters playing a part in your presentation is step one. This remains the same regardless of the arc you choose to use. In the context of your presentation, there are always three characters: the Hero (your audience, their brand or sometimes their customers), the Guide (you, your company and your solution) and the Villain\/Monster (the challenge you’re solving). Define your cast and we guarantee you’ll already begin to see how the story will come together.<\/p>\n Step two is to set the scene. In this narrative arc, as you can see from the diagram above, we begin with our Hero at a steady point of success. Then we’ll see that triumph ripped out of their hands by our dastardly villain. In presentations, this often means highlighting the potential havoc our Villain (or challenge) will wreak on the Hero if left unchecked. We use the presentation to paint a picture of a bleak future, where the Hero comes dangerously close to total failure.<\/p>\n Step three is sketching out our Hero’s path to triumph. Illustrate how a partnership between the two of you will equip them with the tools (your product) they need to overcome the Monster (their industry challenge). Your deck should revolve around these solutions, keeping your Hero the central focus of every slide.<\/p>\n
\nA narrative arc is the overarching shape of a story. It\u2019s the thread that binds together beginning, middle and end into a recognisable pattern. Here at Future Present, we craft presentations around six major narrative arcs: Rags to Riches<\/a>, Overcoming the Monster, the Hero\u2019s Journey<\/a>, In Medias Res, Man in a Hole<\/a> and Sparklines.<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
Why Overcoming the Monster?<\/h2>\n
Unleashing your presentation’s monster<\/h2>\n
Overcoming the Monster irl<\/h2>\n