In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath suggest a simple technique to make your message more memorable: ask “Why?” three times.
It helps you move past surface-level points and uncover what really matters to your audience.
Let’s say you’re presenting a proposal for a workplace wellbeing programme. Your audience is the company’s senior leadership team.
First “Why?”: Why is this important? Because it helps employees stay healthy. Second “Why?”: Why should leadership care about that? Because it can lead to fewer sick days and higher engagement. Third “Why?”: Why does that matter? Because those improvements affect performance, retention and the company’s ability to attract top talent. That third “Why?” gets to the level where your message aligns with their priorities.
I once coached Tim Race, a former New York Times journalist, as he prepared a TEDx-style talk.
During our work together, he shared an idea worth reflecting on.
Journalists often ask themselves: What’s the headline thought?
It’s a simple question with a powerful purpose.
A headline thought is the core message – the thing that grabs attention and makes people want to know more.
This principle works in business communication, too.
In The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath write that purpose is a stronger predictor of performance than passion.
When someone’s values align with their work, they tend to perform better – even under pressure.
We often hear that passion makes a presentation better.
And there’s truth in that.
But purpose can go deeper.
Imagine two people speaking at a sustainability conference.
One is passionate about data.
The other shares a story about growing up near a polluted river, and how that experience shaped their decision to work in environmental policy.
Pixar is known for its storytelling, but what sets the studio apart is how it gives feedback.
During the making of Inside Out, early versions of the film didn’t land well with internal reviewers.
But instead of asking, “Did you like it?”, the team asked better questions:
“What didn’t feel true?”
“Where did you disconnect?”
“What are you taking away from this scene?”
Those questions led to rewrites that shaped the emotional depth of the final film.
In product design, early user tests often reveal a common issue: too much explanation at the start.
Teams build detailed walkthroughs and step-by-step guides. But when real users try the product, they lose interest before they even get to the good part.
So the team changes the opening. They simplify. They focus on showing value right away.
Presenting has the same dynamic.
Many speakers start with an agenda slide. It might feel like the right thing to do – but it often drains energy before the talk even begins.
Shunryu Suzuki, a Zen Buddhist teacher, once said: “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.”
That idea matters for anyone who wants to grow as a presenter.
A beginner’s mindset means staying open – even when you’re experienced.
It means welcoming feedback and staying curious.
Some of the most effective speakers I know ask for input after every talk. They try new things. They read, watch, listen and learn.
Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noticed something curious in his garden. Only a small number of pea plants were producing the majority of the peas.
Around the same time, he also saw that 80% of Italy’s wealth was held by 20% of the population.
That observation became a broader idea now known as the 80/20 principle – the idea that a small portion of input often leads to the majority of results.
During the Second World War, Winston Churchill issued a memo to his staff titled ‘Brevity.’
The message was simple: keep reports short.
He wanted clarity. He wanted decisions. And he knew long, vague writing slowed everything down.
Churchill requested short reports with the main points in clear, crisp paragraphs. He pushed his team to avoid what he called “woolly phrases” and official jargon that impeded clear thinking.
He encouraged direct language – even if it sounded a bit informal. What mattered was getting the point across, fast.