BNI feature presentations are your best opportunity to get the room thinking about who they can introduce to you. Yet most members waste that chance by following a structure that fails to grab attention.

https://youtu.be/wVCBCwqIDJ4

The standard 10-minute format taught in BNI training goes something like this:

• Talk about yourself for the first couple of minutes – your family, hobbies, pets, and interests.
• Explain what your business does and who you work with.
• Ask for referrals.
• Take questions at the end.

According to Darren Jamieson, experienced BNI member, marketing professional, and co-founder of Engage Web, that order is a recipe for a forgettable talk. The audience doesn’t care about your background until they’ve seen proof that you can help them or someone they know.

In this BNI Education Slot, Darren presents a proven alternative – The Case Study Structure. This method immediately builds credibility, keeps attention, and makes it crystal clear who you want to meet.

Step 1 – Open with a Headline Result

Start with a short, powerful statement about a result you’ve achieved for a client. For example:

“Our client doubled their turnover in six months.”

This instantly makes people curious and positions you as someone worth listening to.

Step 2 – Detail the Problem

Before talking about solutions, explain the challenge your client faced. By describing the problem in detail, you create recognition – others in the room will have experienced it themselves, or they’ll know people who have.

Step 3 – Share the Results in Depth

Outline the transformation that took place once you solved the problem. This is where your audience starts to connect the dots between the client’s success and their own potential referrals.

Step 4 – Reveal the Method or Solution

Only after building the story should you explain how you achieved the result. At this point, people are listening closely because they want to know the “how”.

Step 5 – Deliver a Clear Call to Action

Finish by stating exactly who you want to meet – specific names, companies, or industries. Avoid ending with questions, as this can derail the focus and dilute your conclusion.

Why This Works

Darren’s approach is all about relevance. Instead of spending the opening minutes on personal stories, you start with impact. You show that you can solve real problems and deliver measurable results. And because it’s framed as a story, the audience is more likely to remember it – and remember you when the right referral comes along.

The Case Study Structure isn’t just for your 10-minute slot. Darren explains that you can adapt it for a 60-second pitch, a full-hour keynote, or anything in between. The principle stays the same: lead with proof, make it relatable, and finish with a clear action.

If you want your next BNI feature presentation to be memorable, engaging, and referral-generating, it’s time to ditch the holiday snaps and start using the Case Study Structure.

Full Video Transcript

[00:00]
So, this case study structure is something you can do in a 10 minutes that will get you more referrals and get other people interested in speaking to you and wanting to refer you because they know you’re going to help.

[00:19]
In this BNI Education Slot, I’m going to talk to you about a different structure you can use for your BNI 10 minutes.

[00:26]
Now, during the official training that you’re going to do for BNI – that you’ve probably done already as a member – you’ll have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of BNI members do presentations or 10 minutes using this same sort of method. BNI teaches you to do the first two minutes or so on yourself – on you, your family, your hobbies, your likes, your interests, your children, your pets, that sort of thing.

[00:50]
It then goes into about your business, what you do, the clients that you do it for. Then it goes on to who you’re looking for, your referrals, and then finally questions at the end.

[01:02]
And that is a terrible structure for a 10 minutes. That is an absolutely terrible structure for a 10 minutes because if you’re doing any kind of presentation, any kind of talk, you do not start off with an introduction about yourself – because nobody cares about who you are until they know you’re worth listening to.

[01:26]
You shouldn’t be talking about yourself. You shouldn’t then go on to what you do and who you do it for when nobody really knows whether you’re any good at what you do. You shouldn’t then end with questions because you’re giving someone the opportunity to say something that takes the focus off your message and leave it as the last memory of what you’ve said.

[01:45]
So, I’m going to give you a structure now which I’ve used myself during 10-minute talks. It can be stretched out and done as a 45-minute or an hour-long presentation. You could even use this structure for a 60 seconds, and I have done that before as well.

[02:02]
It’s a case study structure. So rather than talking about yourself – because let’s face it, nobody is interested in listening to you – they want to know that you can help them or you can help their clients or that you’re worth referring.

[02:18]
So the structure is: the introduction for the 10 minutes – the first one or two lines would be a headline on the results. The results you’ve got for someone else.

[02:37]
You then go into detail on the problem. What was the problem this particular client or customer had when they came to you? If you focus on the problem, there will be other people in the room that have had that problem or know someone who has.

[03:20]
Then, you go from the problem into the results. What were the results you got for that client? What was the effect of that problem going away? Where are they now in their business or life?

[03:56]
Finally, once you’ve done that, you go into the method or the solution. This is when you talk about what you do and how you do it – because only at this point does anyone care.

[04:27]
Once you’ve done that, finally, you go into the action at the end. What is the call to action you want? This is where you say the introductions or referrals that you want, whether it’s a specific name, company, or industry.

[05:01]
And then what you don’t do is end with questions. Questions are for a one-to-one or for open networking after the meeting.

[05:08]
So, as a recap:

Results headline – one or two lines.

Detail the problem – a couple of minutes.

Detail the results – a few minutes.

Method or solution – what you did and how.

Action – who you want introductions to.

[06:07]
That’s how you do a case study 10 minutes. Results headline, problem detail, results detail, method or solution, and finally the action. Thank you very much.