How to Win the Olympic Games with a Brilliant Presentation? Part #2

Tell personal stories!

Storytelling is the best way to connect to people on an emotional level. But very few business leaders are real storytellers, and traditional PowerPoint presentations are sometimes really boring particularly because of the fact that these are mainly one-way-communication tunnels with no real-time reaction to the presenter.

The Tokyo Olympics presentation was different. Each of the speakers, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, shared a personal anecdote about how sport changed their lives. For Abe it was archery, which he took up in college and soon after archery returned an Olympic sport. Mami Soto was recalled and continued this interactive presentation. She told a story about the tsunami of 2011 and its aftermath. She said, “The tsunami hit my hometown. For six days I did not know if my family were still alive.

And, when I did find them, my personal happiness was nothing compared to the sadness of the nation. I collected messages from schools and took them home. I also took food supplies. And other athletes did the same. Together, we organized sport activities to help restore confidence. Only then did I see the true power of sport: To create new dreams and smiles. To give hope. To bring people together.”

Stick to the "rule of three"!

The message sounds better and science shows that we can only hold about three points in short term memory. The rule of three could be found all over the presentation. Most of the other speakers also used the rhetorical device in their message.

Demonstrate passionate commitment! 

The most inspiring public speakers deliver their message with passion, enthusiasm, and excitement. Making a strong emotional appeal wasn't entirely comfortable for all of the speakers, but Varley encouraged them to step out of their comfort zones (which is really a big challenge for the Japanese people) and to appeal to the I.O.C on a personal level. They were encouraged to tell personal stories, to smile, and to use strong words that repeated their passion for sport and for the city of Tokyo. The result was a perfect presentation that was more direct and emotional than the I.O.C members were expecting. Tokyo’s 2020 bid president concluded with a direct and passionate appeal to the audience: “Tokyo is the right city at the right time. A city that will deliver. A nation that shares and upholds the Olympic Values. And people who will work tirelessly with you, in support of those precious values.” If you watch this presentation, you’ll also see that each speaker makes a powerful gesture during their portion of the pitch.

Schedule practice time! 

The best presentations are well rehearsed. Rehearsals for the September presentation began in July with each speaker working on language (the presentation was delivered in English and French), pronunciation, and delivery. All the speakers arrived at the event site early and conducted rehearsals for more than a week in an auditorium.Practice is important because the more you practice, the less nervous you’ll be.