{"id":957,"date":"2018-02-23T16:55:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T15:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/redelandschaften.de\/?p=957"},"modified":"2025-08-24T07:31:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T05:31:03","slug":"high-quality-presentation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/high-quality-presentation\/","title":{"rendered":"A really good high-quality presentation"},"content":{"rendered":"

A source of good and often inspiring lectures are certainly the TED Talks and their independent TEDx Talks. One of the speeches that has inspired me in recent years is the talk \u201cHow great leaders inspire action\u201d<\/a> by Simon Sinek. Of course, we can discuss whether his performance could be further optimized: There are only a few laughs in the audience, the eye contact between speaker and audience is not optimal and the speaker often takes his glasses (exactly 22 times) \u2013 to name just three examples.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, why is his 2009 TEDx talk the third most seen of about 3\u00a0000 TED talks worldwide? Why has his presentation, which he held live in front of just 50 listeners, been clicked more than 42 million times on ted.com and a good 15 million times on YouTube to date? So what did Simon Sinek do right?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Three strengths stand out in particular:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. His presentation has a clear structure \u2013 he addresses the topics directly, and he always refers directly to his main topic.<\/li>\n
  2. Sinek makes very strong, important statements, and repeats them several times. His wording is absolutely clear.<\/li>\n
  3. He masters the art of storytelling by illustrating three main stories.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What are the strengths in detail? What are the contents behind the structure, the statements and the stories that Sinek uses in his talk?<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Speech structure<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    From the very beginning, Sinek establishes a direct connection with his audience. Rather than through eye contact, he asks a direct question, and then formulates a second and more in-depth question. This is followed by the concrete question \u201cWhy is Apple so innovative?\u201d This continues with corresponding questions about what Martin Luther King and the Wright Brothers did differently from others \u2013 why they ultimately succeeded.<\/p>\n

    With these three examples, Sinek sets the themes from the very beginning to which he refers again and again in the course of his speech. Thus he maintains a clear structure throughout his speech.<\/p>\n

    Only then does he bring himself into play: \u201cAbout three years ago I made a discovery.\u201d He builds up suspense and stimulates the curiosity of his audience, which is about to happen. He reinforces it with the following statement: \u201cHere is the best part!\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Sinek leads his audience directly to the main part of his presentation: \u201cThe Golden Circle\u201d, which he visualizes on the flipchart. Simple and straightforward, easy to understand without any redundant elements: \u201cWhy \u2013 How \u2013 What\u201d. At this point he picks up on the examples Apple, the Wright Brothers and Martin Luther King that he mentioned at the beginning.<\/p>\n

    With questions and further examples he forms transitions: \u201cNow let me give you an example of the law of diffusion of innovation\u201d. Sinek concludes with two expressive statements and a very short ending: \u201cThank you very much!\u201d<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Clear main statements and a memorable language style<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Both in science and in the business world, there are countless presentations to this day that lack the common thread. In addition, the speaker\u2019s message often remains blurred and even does not always seem clear to the speaker himself. Great speeches, on the other hand, depend on clear, catchy messages. Early in his presentation, Sinek distinguishes inspiring leaders from others: \u201cThey all think, act and communicate in the exact same way, and it\u2019s the complete opposite to everyone else.\u201d He shows that the pattern behind it is \u201cprobably the world\u2019s simplest idea\u201d and then draws his so-called \u201cGolden Circle\u201d on a flipchart: a simple pattern, catchy and easy to understand.<\/p>\n

    Shortly afterwards another main statement follows: \u201cPeople don\u2019t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.\u201d He repeats this five times in his speech. One could argue whether he is not overdoing. I memorized this sentence well enough that I could recite it in my sleep. Sinek has thus achieved an important goal of good speeches: that his messages stick \u2013 even long after the talk.<\/p>\n

    There are further catchy statements to it: \u201cThe goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.\u201d Sinek varies this sentence with \u201c…if you hire people who believe what you believe, they work for you with blood and sweat and tears.\u201d and so: \u201cAnd if you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

    At the end of his talk, Sinek again brings in two particularly effective statements, summarizing all the previous ones to the point: \u201cLeaders hold a position of power, or authority. But those who lead inspire us…and it\u2019s those who start with WHY that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Of course, words alone do not have a strong effect, but also the right emphasis and the right tempo. In fact, Sinek sometimes talks quite fast. Although he makes pauses between the individual sections of his performance, these are quite short. It almost seems as if he wants to include as much content as possible in the limited time. Apart from that, his words have been carefully chosen, which suggests a very good preparation for his speech.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Storytelling: Stories out of the midst of life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Whether in science or business, presentations thrive on entertaining stories. Dry talks, which are based only on facts and figures, are more quickly forgotten than presentations, which also include personal experiences or lively retellings of stories. Sinek recounts Apple\u2019s success here with his \u201cGolden Circle\u201d: Poor marketing messages from average companies focus on the \u201cWhat\u201d and the \u201cHow\u201d. In the real Apple message, on the other hand, the \u201cWhy\u201d is in the spotlight. Sinek continues vividly about \u201cHere is how Apple actually communicates…\u201d, \u201cThese are the people who stood in the line for six hours to buy an iPhone…\u201d and \u201cThe reason that person bought the iPhone in the first six hours was because they believed…they were first.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The story of the Wright Brothers is no less pictorially told, which is why I bring more details here. First Sinek integrates Samuel Pierpont Langley as an opponent, then he forms the backdrop in front of which the scene plays at the beginning of the 20th century: \u201cThe pursuit of powered man flight was like the dotcom of the day \u2013 everybody was trying it.\u201d A nice, easy to understand comparison of technical progress then and now.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Sinek also makes opposites clear. This is how he characterizes Langley with the words \u201c\u2026money was no problem\u2026\u201d, \u201c\u2026he was extremely well connected, he knew all the big minds of the day\u2026\u201d, and the Wright Brothers: \u201c\u2026they had none of what we consider the recipe of success: They had no money, they paid for their dream with the proceeds of their bicycle shop\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

    Then he resolves the situation: \u201cThe difference was: Orville and Wilbur were driven by a cause, by a purpose, by a belief. They believed that if they could figure out this flying machine, it\u2019ll change the course of the world. Samuel Pierpont Langley was different: He wanted to be rich, and he wanted to be famous. He wasn\u2019t pursued of the result, he wasn\u2019t pursued of the riches\u2026[he] just worked for the paycheck.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The end of the story: \u201cAnd eventually, in December 17 1903, the Wright Brothers took flight\u2026and for the proof that Langley was motivated by the wrong thing: The day the Wright Brothers took flight \u2013 he quit\u2026he wasn\u2019t first, he didn\u2019t get rich, he didn\u2019t get famous \u2013 so he quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The whole story is told by Sinek in just over two minutes: Catchy, all the important things are brought to the point and at the end again with a direct reference to the \u201cGolden Circle\u201d on the flipchart.<\/p>\n

    Finally the third story \u2013 and here too Sinek describes the situation in a few words: \u201cIn the summer of 1963 250\u00a0000 people showed up on the mall in Washington to hear Dr. King speak. They sent out no invitations, and there was no website to check the date \u2013 how do you do that?\u201d Here, too, he refers to the \u201cGolden Circle\u201d, then he ends with a surprising interlude that makes the audience laugh: \u201cAnd by the way: He gave the \u201cI have a dream\u201d speech, not the \u201cI have a plan\u201d speech.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Rhetoric with style<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    What is striking in all stories: Sinek uses the rhetorical stylistic device of the anaphor, i.e. the repetition of the same or similar words. In this way he reinforces the effect of his statements. Three examples:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u201cYear after year after year after year\u2026\u201d (Apple),<\/li>\n
    • \u201cI believe\u2026I believe\u2026I believe\u201d (Martin Luther King) and<\/li>\n
    • \u201cHe wasn\u2019t first, he didn\u2019t get rich, he didn\u2019t get famous \u2013 so he quit.\u201d (Samuel Pierpont Langley).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What can we learn from this? First of all, Simon Sinek obviously hit the zeitgeist with the topic of \u201cLeadership\u201d, it was just en vogue. Secondly, several rhetorical strengths come together here: He brings in three stories of well-known personalities and companies that provide a clear framework for the actual topic \u201cStart with Why\u201d. Sinek tells the stories figuratively, their meaning is immediately obvious, and he refers them again and again to the \u201cGolden Circle\u201d on the flipchart. Last but not least, he repeatedly uses amplifiers so that he adds more weight to his statements.<\/p>\n

      Thus Sinek ultimately succeeds in applying an initially theoretical treatise to real situations and thus in telling interesting stories. He concludes his talk with a strong statement encouraging further reflection and concrete action.<\/p>\n

      This shows that a well-prepared talk can underline the speaker\u2019s expertise and set him apart from the average presentation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A source of good and often inspiring lectures are certainly the TED Talks and their independent TEDx Talks. One of the speeches that has inspired me in recent years is the talk \u201cHow great leaders inspire action\u201d by Simon Sinek. Of course, we can discuss whether his performance could be further optimized: There are only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nicht-kategorisiert"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=957"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3644,"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/957\/revisions\/3644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}