the Funnel

27 Oct the Funnel

We had a date with Walter White. Bryan Cranston was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Santa Fe International Film Festival. After hearing his Emmy Award acceptance speech years ago for Breaking Bad, we assumed his interview would be exceptional.

We weren’t disappointed. Cranston shared his process when preparing for his role as LBJ on Broadway. He said that when he begins work on a character, he places his research and material into the large end of a funnel. This includes the character’s backstory, idiosyncrasies, and mannerisms. As he gets to know the character and takes on his voice, Cranston edits the funnel, shedding items he can’t apply. He distills everything down to the essence of the character.

This method works equally well for presentations. As you construct a talk, research your topic and throw everything into the large end of a funnel. Then, as you assess what will best serve the audience, distill your message, talking points, and stories into a tightly focused presentation that has a brisk, forward-moving narrative arc. Using this method, Cranston has won many awards. Emulate him and you too may be hired for repeat performances.