Recently a friend gave a presentation to a bunch of senior managers and sales people in which he wanted to get them to use a new IT system. They were a hard, flea-bitten and cynical bunch for whom IT largely means hassle and cost. So how would you handle the situation? How would you go about convincing that audience?

My friend did it with one slide. On the slide was a photograph of a big pile of money. It was the first slide he used, immediately grabbing their attention. He started out talking about money, not IT, and how it was important stuff. He thus showed that he understood their situation and the fundamental importance of money, both at business and personal level.

He then talked about the systems they were using now, and how they were losing money. And showed another slide with just money on to emphasize this. By the time he came around to talking about the proposed IT system (and yes, with more talk and pictures of money) they were a slavering mob, desperate to get it installed as soon as possible.

His secret was not that difficult and rather simple: find out what really turns on the other person and then frame everything in this light. The pictures of money served to make this point blindingly obvious to the point where the audience saw the solution as synonymous with that which they craved.

Not everyone is turned on by money and not everyone has a single passion. Passions can also be shared as others are infected with powerful images. Remember the Live-Aid movement of the 1980s, where the images of starving children in Africa ignited a whole generation of young people into social responsibility and concern for others around the world.

The bottom line is that great presentations are not hard, but can be hard-hitting. With passion and powerful images, you can conquer the world.