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Learn from the guru on presentations…it’s harder than you think to build a compelling pitch
By Jon Gillespie-Brown | November 11, 2008
Again and again I find myself telling my MBA students about how to present.
They tend to get everything wrong, every time, no matter how many times I tell them or ask them to learn.
Why? Well it’s probably because it’s very hard to “simplify” ideas and then present them in an easy to understand way, especially if you are very highly educated!
I find it very hard myself and I think it’s an art that people don’t spend enough time on or invest in…communicating clearly for almost all my MBAs is key to their final results and yet they leave it to the last minute, prepare badly, present badly and produce terrible materials…
So I am writing a quick post to set them on the straight and narrow once and for all and I hope this helps you too!
As they are all very busy I want to summarize my guru (Garr Reynolds) on the core things you need to know and then suggest you invest in his excellent book right away: Presentation Zen.
Organization & Preparation Tips
http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/prep.html
Top Ten Delivery Tips
http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/delivery.html
Top Ten Slide Tips
http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html
Some sample slides
http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/sample1.html
How to develop the right slide design by Guy Kawasaki
How to Change the World: The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint
See my other posts on presenting and investor pitches:
- The Six Minute -No Slides- Angel Presentation
- Even more advice on presenting to investors…preparation is key
- Why startup pitches fail
- Top questions you may be asked during an investment presentation
- How to present to a VC to win
- The definitive guide on how to present to Angels (by angels)
- Key things you must do when presenting to win
Last 3 posts by Jon Gillespie-Brown
- Choosing a "Stanford quality" startup idea–part 3 - October 11th, 2011
- Choosing a "Stanford quality" startup idea–part 2 - October 11th, 2011
- Choosing a "Stanford quality" startup idea - October 10th, 2011
Related posts:
- Public speaking…the key things to know
- Make sure your business plan gets read – build a “killer” exec summary
- Even more advice on presenting to investors…preparation is key
- CXO Leadership Forum – A great way to learn and connect
- How to write a winning elevator pitch
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About the Author: |
| Jon Gillespie-Brown is a published Author, Lecturer, Founder/CEO and Mentor on Entrepreneurship. He currently mentors at Stanford, UC Berkeley and the London Business School. Visit his site for tips by email/twitter, blog updates, detailed articles, worksheets, news, a free quiz and more! Go now to http://www.tobeanentrepreneur.com/ | |
December 10th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
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