by
Jim Pinto
You go to a meeting. Everyone has arrived. The lights
dim, and the presentation begins. Presenters keeps showing slide after slide. Some
in the back row actually doze off, while many others' minds drift off. They are
being "slideswiped".
We've all heard the advice about presentations: "Tell
them what you're going to tell them; then tell them; and then tell them what you
told them." That gives you a license to be boring. Forget it.
For my own speeches, I like to use PowerPoint slides
as cue-cards so that my audience can follow along with me. My slides are typically
short, brief points, so that they don't spend time reading the slide instead of
paying attention to what I'm saying. And it keeps me on track.
It's nice to have some pictures and diagrams to show.
PowerPoint has many cute features - pictures sliding, or spinning in from space,
etc. Don't overdo it. Keep it simple.
Of all the techy types, no one rivals the skills and
pizzazz in presenting as Apple's Steve Jobs. His iPhone introduction has five lessons
for making a superb sales pitch:
- Build tension - generate drama, with a couple of
surprises.
- Stick to one theme per slide - one slide, one key
point.
- Add pizzazz to your delivery - vary your speed
and tone.
- Practice - don't wing it, rehearse your presentation.
- Show enthusiasm - loosen up and have fun.
You know what? As a presenter, Steve Jobs is far more
engaging today than he was a few years ago, because he worked at it. We all have
room to improve our presentations. Develop your own special style.
And practice, practice, practice.
