Making-Original-Products-presentationzen

This principle does not encourage wastefulness; it does not mean to leave 20
percent of your meal on the plate. (In fact, it is bad form to leave food on your
plate.) In Japan and Asia in general, we usually order as a group and then take
only what we need from the shared bounty. I have found—ironically, perhaps—
that if I stop eating before getting full, I am more satisfied with the meal. I’m
not sleepy after lunch or dinner, and I generally feel much better.
The principle of hara hachi bu also applies to the length of speeches,
presentations, and even meetings. My advice is this: No matter how much
time you are given, never ever go over your allotted time; in fact, finish a bit
before your time is up. How long you talk will depend on your unique situation
at the time, but try to shoot for 90 to 95 percent of your allotted time. No one
will complain if you finish with a few minutes to spare. The problem with most
presentations is that they are too long, not that they are too short.
Leave Them Just a Little Hungry (for More)
Professional entertainers know that you want to end on a high note and leave
the audience yearning for just a bit more from you. We want to leave our
audiences satisfied—motivated, inspired, more knowledgeable—not feeling
that they could have done with just a little less.
We can apply this spirit to the length and amount of material we put into
presentations as well. Give them high quality—the highest you can—but do not
give them so much quantity that you leave them with their heads spinning and
guts aching.
This is a typical ekiben (a special boxed
meal sold at train stations) from one
of my trips to Tokyo. Simple. Appealing.
Economic in scale. Nothing superfluous.
Made with the “honorable passenger” in
mind. After spending 20 or 30 minutes
savoring the contents of the ekiben,
complemented by Japanese beer, I’m
left happy, nourished, and satisfied, but
not full. I could eat more—another
perhaps—but I do not need to. Indeed,
I do not want to. I am satisfied with
the experience. Eating to the point of
becoming full would only destroy the
quality of the experience I’m having.
Chapter 9 Connecting with an Audience
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