Whenever you do a presentation, you’re essentially selling something—an idea, a viewpoint or a product. On your next presentation, weave a story with a vivid analogy around your data instead of simply stating facts that may be meaningless to your audience.

It’s poignant to say “imagine spending three-day weekends with your family every week” instead of “our software will cut your processing time by 20%.”

“California is the most populous U.S. state.” Your message will be more memorable if you say “At Disneyland, I came to realize that there are more Californians than there are Canadians.”

Which message will your audience remember? “California accounts for 13% of the $13.84 trillion U.S. GDP.” or “I had a nice pizza for lunch and it reminded me that if California were a separate country, its GDP will be comparable to Italy.”

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