When people start a new company or business, one of the initial steps involves the creation of a mission statement. According to a 2013 Time Small Business Tip of the Day, a large part of a mission statement’s value lies in its ability to bring focus to an entity. Typically comprising of at least one sentence, but no more than a few sentences, a mission statement benefits an organization immensely. But this benefit is derived more internally than externally when it comes to your presentations.
Here’s why we believe it’s time for you to delete your deck’s mission statement slide for good:
It’s boring
There’s too many words in your mission statement. Therefore, the slide you put that mission statement on will be incredibly wordy – lacking the space necessary for sophisticated and clean presentation design.
There’s no context
If you only include your one or two sentence mission statement as text on a slide, the information will be less memorable to your audience. Provide a bit of context for listeners by employing literary tools and delivery skillsets to relay your company or organization’s mission in an engaging, but brief manner. Try humanizing your mission statement through storytelling. For example, tell a short story about why you started your business or how you became interested in the industry. Create that personal connection to make your mission more relatable.
It lacks specificity
As it is designed to do! No business business wants to pigeonhole itself and cut off circulation for innovation. But when you are giving a presentation and informing audiences about your company at one point in time, some specificity is needed. Since your mission statement won’t necessarily provide that, it’s up to you to find another way to get that message across. And the bright side is this… There are several different methods for conveying the same information your mission statement conveys in a more engaging and audience-specific manner.
Conclusion
Your mission statement is an important detail to add to your deck. But it can definitely play a center stage role if you attack it from a different angle and give it a different purpose. Use the space you would have normally allotted for your mission statement slide to inspire audiences and rally them around an issue, product, or service you believe in. Delete your mission statement slide. And add something even better. The mission statement may define the direction of your company or organization, but it can also define the direction of your presentation message. For more information about how to improve specific slides within your presentations, review the links below!
The 9 Worst Mission Statements of All Time
Why Your Company Must Be Mission-Driven
12 Truly Inspiring Company Vision and Mission Statement Examples
Analyzing Your Agenda Slide: A Few Key Tips
