Using Hero's Journey in Presentations [Guide + Example]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Oct 5
- 7 min read
Our client, Dan, asked us an interesting question while we were making his presentation. He asked,
"Can a storytelling framework really make a presentation more memorable?"
Our Creative Director answered,
"Yes, if you map your content to the hero’s journey, your audience remembers the story, not just the slides."
As a presentation design agency, we work on many high stakes presentations throughout the year and in the process, we’ve observed one common challenge: most presenters focus on information instead of narrative.
In this blog, we’ll explain what a Hero’s Journey Presentation is, share an example, show you how you can build one using the framework, and answer a few common FAQs on the subject.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
What is the Hero’s Journey Framework of Storytelling
The hero’s journey is a storytelling blueprint followed for thousands of years: from myths to blockbuster movies. At its core, it’s about transformation: a hero leaves the familiar, faces challenges, grows, and returns changed.
In presentations, the "hero" can be your audience, product, or idea. The framework gives your content a natural flow, making it memorable because people don’t just process information—they experience it.
Typical stages include:
The Ordinary World: The current state or problem.
The Call to Adventure: The opportunity for change.
Challenges and Trials: Obstacles along the way.
The Transformation: How the hero overcomes challenges.
The Return: The solution or insight that changes everything.
From experience, presentations built on this framework keep audiences engaged and make key points stick. You’re guiding them through a story, not just showing slides.
Example of a Hero's Journey Presentation
Over the years, we’ve seen many high-stakes investor and sales decks built using the hero’s journey structure. But one deck that has stayed with us is the investor pitch deck of a company called Farewill. They used this framework so effectively that they made an extremely serious topic (death) feel like a viable and compelling business opportunity.
Here’s the deck for your reference...
How Can You Build Your Own Presentation Using the Hero’s Journey Framework
So how can you build your own presentation using the hero’s journey framework? Let’s start by thinking about the hero. In a traditional story, the hero is the protagonist who grows and transforms. In your presentation, the hero can be your audience, your product, or even your idea. This might feel weird at first. You might be thinking, “My idea is not exactly a hero.” And that’s fine. You do not need a knight in shining armor. Your hero is the entity that faces a challenge and comes out transformed.
That is enough to anchor the story.
Once you identify your hero, the next step is to map out the journey. Here is the structure in a way that actually works for presentations.
1. The Ordinary World
This is the stage where you show the audience where they currently are. What is their status quo?
What problem are they facing? In presentations, this is where you make the audience feel understood. If you are creating an investor pitch, this could be the current market problem that needs solving. If it is a product launch, this is where you highlight the pain points your product addresses.
Here is a key insight from experience: if you skip this step, the rest of the story falls flat. People need context. They need to see the gap between where they are and where they could be. Without this, your solution feels like it came out of nowhere. You are essentially asking people to trust your idea without giving them any reason to.
And trust is the currency of presentations. Without it, your slides are just shapes on a screen.
2. The Call to Adventure
Once you have established the ordinary world, it is time for the call to adventure. This is the moment where your hero sees the opportunity to change the status quo. In presentations, this could be the insight that sparks your solution. Maybe it is a trend in the market, a breakthrough technology, or simply an unmet need that no one else is addressing.
Here is the nuance: the call to adventure should feel compelling and urgent. If you treat it like just another bullet point, your audience will nod politely and forget it five minutes later. You want them to feel the possibility of change, the tension between staying in the ordinary world and stepping into something new.
3. Challenges and Trials
Now comes the part most presenters dread. This is where your hero faces obstacles. In a presentation, this is where you acknowledge the difficulties, the risks, and the doubts. It might feel counterintuitive to highlight challenges. You might think, “Won’t this scare the audience?” The answer is no. People do not trust perfection. They trust realism. They want to see that you understand the hurdles and that your hero, your idea, can overcome them.
For example, if you are pitching a new product, don’t just say it is amazing. Show the potential challenges in adoption and then explain how you address them. This is where your narrative builds tension. The audience starts to care because every good story has conflict. Without conflict, there is no transformation, and without transformation, your presentation becomes forgettable.
4. The Transformation
After facing trials, the hero transforms. In presentations, this is the moment where you show the solution in action. This is the payoff, where the audience sees the change your idea or product brings. But here is a secret from our experience: it is not enough to show features. People do not remember features. They remember outcomes, moments of change, and aha experiences.
Think visually. Think emotionally. Use stories, examples, or scenarios that show the transformation. We have seen decks where a product’s transformation was illustrated with a single before-and-after visual. That visual alone made more impact than ten slides full of bullet points. Your job is to make the transformation tangible and relatable. Make the audience feel it. If they can see it, they will believe it.
5. The Return
Finally, the hero returns to the ordinary world transformed. In presentations, this is the point where you bring everything together. You remind the audience why the journey mattered, what has changed, and what action they should take next. This stage is often underestimated, but it is crucial.
Without a proper return, the story feels incomplete. Your audience may like your slides, but they will forget the message.
A practical tip: end this stage with clarity. Your audience should know what the next steps are. Whether it is investing in your idea, adopting your product, or changing behavior, make the outcome clear. In our experience, presentations that end ambiguously or with too many options dilute the impact of the journey.
How to Apply the Framework in Practice
Now that you understand the stages, let’s talk about execution. Here is what works for us and our clients:
Start with a narrative outline, not slides.
Too often, teams start with visuals and then try to fit a story around them. Reverse this. Write down the hero’s journey in bullet points, mapping each stage to a key message.
Use visuals strategically.
In a hero’s journey presentation, visuals should enhance the story, not distract. A simple diagram showing the progression of challenges and transformation can be more powerful than any stock photo.
Incorporate emotional triggers.
We have observed that stories that evoke curiosity, empathy, or even mild tension hold attention far better than facts alone. Don’t shy away from moments that make the audience feel something.
Iterate relentlessly.
Rarely does a hero’s journey presentation hit the mark on the first draft. Test it on a small group, refine the flow, cut unnecessary content, and emphasize the turning points. Every slide should serve the story.
Practice the delivery.
A hero’s journey presentation relies on rhythm and pacing. If you rush through the challenges or transformation, the audience loses engagement. We advise our clients to practice storytelling out loud, not just clicking slides.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even though the hero’s journey is powerful, we have seen some mistakes:
Skipping stages.
Some teams jump straight from the problem to the solution. The audience never experiences the journey.
Overloading slides with data.
Data is important, but it should support the story, not replace it.
Neglecting the hero.
If the audience or idea is not treated as the hero, the story falls flat. Make sure someone or something is transforming.
Weak endings. A strong return is as important as the transformation. Without it, the journey feels incomplete and the message is lost.
The hero’s journey framework is not a gimmick. It is a proven method to make your story compelling and memorable. When applied correctly, it transforms presentations from forgettable to unforgettable.
FAQs on Hero’s Journey Presentations
1. Who should be the “hero” in my presentation: me, my product, or the audience?
It depends on the context. In an investor pitch, your company or idea is often the hero. In a sales presentation, the hero is usually your client. In a product launch, the hero can be your product transforming the user’s life. The key is to pick one perspective and stick with it throughout the story.
2. Won’t following the hero’s journey make my presentation predictable?
Predictable in structure, yes. But that’s a strength, not a weakness. Audiences recognize the flow subconsciously, which makes it easier for them to follow and remember. What matters is how you fill the stages with insights, data, and emotion. That’s where originality shines.
3. What’s the biggest mistake people make when using the hero’s journey in presentations?
They skip the conflict. Too many presenters jump straight from the problem to the solution. That shortcut kills engagement. Conflict and challenge are what make the transformation believable. Without them, the story feels flat and the presentation forgettable.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.