The punchline is the part of the joke that rewards the setup, it’s the payoff. Most talks I’ve recently attended do the same thing. But that makes no sense to me.
Imagine your talk is about a tool you think others should use. Your punchline is that experts use this tool because they have the experience, flexibility, and presence of mind required to use multiple methods to achieve an outcome. By implication, so should you.
Only you are a novice. Novices require limited choices, direction, and clarity. Not flexibility, multiple choices, and confusion.
When you flip the script and start with the end in mind something magical happens.
“To be an expert you need the experience, flexibility, and presence of mind required to use multiple methods to achieve an outcome. Let me show you how.”
Now it’s clear whose side you are really on.