If you are making a presentation to persuade others (be they your customers or your colleagues) then you should make use of the “Five-Sentence Method” to present your case. The basis of the five sentence method is that the lead-in, the arguments you use to persuade your audience, the contradictory assertions you make and the conclusions you draw, all takes place in five steps. This presentation skills method has three main variants.
The three main variants of the five sentence presentation skills method that you can use. These are:
The Chain Method
In the chain method the five individual points that you make build on each other and are logically ordered. The result is a five-part chain of reasoning or proof that leads your audience stepwise to your conclusions. For example:
1. You have the problem...
2. And want to make sure that...
3. This will require an effort, namely...
4. But it will pay off because...
5. The result will be...
The Rhombus Method
With the rhombus method your talk or presentation has the geometrical form of a rhombus: an introduction, three arguments, case studies, examples or pieces of market research and a conclusion. For example:
1. My proposal is...
2, 3, 4. There are three arguments in favour of this...
5. That’s why you should ...
The Dialectical Method
Using this method you cite not only contrary opinions, but also the reasons given by the opposing or competing parties. The conclusion you reach is that the answer lies in between. For example:
1. The technical people say...
2. and give these reasons...
3. The commercial experts think...
4. and argue...
5. The answer lies in between. This is...
Try using one of these variants of the five sentence presentation skills method next time you want to persuade a group of people to your point of view.
