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The Do’s and Don’tsof Giving a KillerPresentationWritten by Bill Burnett

One of the most valuable skills an entrepreneuror a company executive can have is the abilityto talk about their product in an effective andengaging way in front of an audience. Butfor founders of a startup, mastering publicspeaking and presentation etiquette can also be crucial tothe growth of your business.When we launched our presentation tool PointDrive attech conference DEMO this year, we quickly learned yourpresentation skills could either endear or alienate yourfuture customers and potential investors.Here are a few presentation tips we learned.| The Do’s and Don’ts of Giving a Killer Presentation2

DOStart with the problem. Always begin apresentation by explaining how your productor service addresses the audience’s painpoints. If you empathize with their concernsand provide a worthwhile solution, you willbe more likely to gain customers than forcingyour audience to identify with a problem theymay not have.Edit yourself. You could talk about yourcompany forever, but don’t. Presentations aremeant to educate and intrigue, not to bore.Give your audience enough information topique their interest and then direct them toother resources for more information.Minimize word count. If you are usingPowerPoint, put no more than 10 words oneach slide. Minimizing text on the slide alsominimizes distractions, allowing your audienceto focus on your speech and your message.Relate to the audience. Use personal stories,examples and custom demos to help youraudience relate to you. Remember, theirproblem should be your problem, so don’tbe shy about letting the audience know youunderstand their concerns.Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Do not justthink you can wing a presentation. You needto rehearse and then warm up. Feelingcomfortable and practiced will help calm yournerves and keep you from freezing onstage.Follow up, stand out. Once the presentationhas ended, don’t let your communicationskills fall flat. Be sure to follow up with anyindividuals you met before or after thepresentation, and make sure your electroniccommunication is as effective as your inpersoncommunication.“In presentations or speechesless really is more.”-- Stephen Keague, The Little Red Handbook of Public Speaking and Presenting| The Do’s and Don’ts of Giving a Killer Presentation3

DON’TTry to be funny if you’re not. While wellintended, humor doesn’t always translateonstage, particularly if it’s not practiced.Rather than trying to dress up a presentationwith unnecessary elements, focus ondelivering an impactful, engaging messageand you will succeed every time.Focus on a big stunt. Often presentations,especially those where you are pitching yourcompany, are limited to a few short minutes.Rather than waste time trying to execute astunt that has nothing to do with your productor company, spend those precious minutestalking about what you actually have to offerLeave your personality backstage. Peoplewant to feel a personal connection to yourbrand. They want to feel like they are doingbusiness with an actual person rather than acompany. That human element has to comefrom you. Showing personality onstage letsthe audience see the person behind thecompany, and makes for a more engagingpresentation -- something every presentershould strive for.Read your slides. Do not ever do this. Eventhe most well-practiced presenter comesoff sounding monotonous and boring whenreading slides. Plus, breaking eye contact withyour audience is a surefire way to lose theirinterest.Practice, but don’t memorize and don’t readword for word. If you mess up or stumble,that’s okay. If anything, it brings out thathuman element the audience is seeking.Waste their time. People attend presentationswith a specific objective in mind: to learn.Don’t waste their time by talking aboutirrelevant information or showcasingunnecessary “flair.” Being succinct is yourresponsibility as a presenter and somethingyour audience will thank you for.Forget to prepare for questions. Oftenspeakers focus on the presentation so intentlythey forget to prepare for the Q&A sessionafterwards. Don’t be that person. Try toanticipate the kinds of questions they mighthave and be prepared with answers. A poorlyplanned Q&A session can overshadow eventhe most successful presentation.In presentation etiquette, it all comes downto one thing: valuing your audience. Thismeans speaking directly to them, having allthe information prepared and practiced, andabove all, being worthwhile of their time. Ifyou remain focused on providing value toyour audience, you’ll find yourself givingsuccessful presentations every time.| The Do’s and Don’ts of Giving a Killer Presentation4

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