There is an old joke about how to tell the difference between an amateur and a professional photographer.

The punch line is that the amateur shows you ALL of their pictures.

Of course the punch line has double meaning.   The amateur probably only took 5 rolls of film (or the digital equivalent) and forces you to sit through all 150+ photos.  The professional took 50 or more rolls.  Out of all that the professional shows you only 8 photos - all of which knock your socks off, elicit emotion, and tell the story.

The professional photographer and presenter are similar.  The professional photographer has the willingness to take the 50 rolls of film and the presenter has the willingness to do the work to develop the thoughts for the story.  Then comes the point where each have to get ruthless to find and refine the story.  The photographer culls through all the shots to select the best.  The presenter sifts through all the collected evidence and information.

"Not enough gets said about the importance of abandoning crap. . . . Things that are really good are good because people are being really tough."    — Ira Glass

Letting go of the parts that do not add to or strengthen the story is a big challenge.  I think the culling and whittling down is part of the letting go process.  It is a way of acknowledging the wealth of information but choosing to keep only the best.   It is hard to let go of information a person has worked hard to gain.  There is a desire to tell the Judge, Jury, the Class or the Conference EVERYTHING the presenter knows.

It is often said that the best lawyers are the most convincing story tellers but it is this sifting process that is the critical beginning. The best storytellers are the best because they have to have a best story to tell.