Ingredients of a great story

Earlier this year, I sat down with the design team at Stripe to share advice on creating effective presentations and telling engaging stories. Here's what I shared with the team.

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Build structure

Start with why

Understand why your presentation exists. What are you trying to achieve? Are you explaining, motivating, or convincing? Who is your audience?

Write it out

Writing a script helps you quickly outline possible structures and keeps the focus on the content that best meets your presentation’s purpose.

Draw it out

If writing isn’t working, try drawing! Think about key visuals or concepts you want to convey. Sketch those out in logical order.

Avoid jumping into detail

Add detail only when your structure can support it. Otherwise, you'll get bogged down in unnecessary content—a common issue for new designers.

Use a blueprint

If you’re struggling, use familiar story structures like Rags to Riches, Hero’s Journey, or Elevator Pitch.

Define your timelines and tensions

Across any good story are clear timelines and tensions. Ask yourself “what are the key events or moments of tension in my story?” Build off those.

Then, add detail

Keep it simple

Simplicity helps your audience understand your message. And that's the ultimate goal.

One thing at a time

Avoid overloading slides with information. Present concepts, images, and data points one at a time to help your audience absorb the material.

Fidelity dictates feedback

Use a level of fidelity that reflects the feedback you want. Higher fidelity tends to prompt detailed feedback, while lower fidelity focuses on overall structure and flow.

Ditch the jargon

Avoid using technical jargon and acronyms without explanation. It can confuse your audience and distract from your message. Meet them at their level of understanding.

Make it real

Use real-world examples to help your audience visualize the context of your presentation. On the other hand, using 'lorem ipsum' in your designs can make it challenging for your audience to provide useful feedback and critique.

Thanks for reading!

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I hope these tips help you create and present your work with greater confidence.

If you'd like to see the full presentation shoot me a dm @dannyjpwilliams