presentation guide

Presentation Guide

Table of Contents• Preamble: the good the bad and the ugly

• Principles of great presentation

• Less is more rule

• The opening

• Who are we: The team

• The opportunity

• Solution

• Our competition

• Business model

• We need… and when we have it we will…

• Closure

A great presentation focuses on needsWe, us, our story is not important, the audience is king. What do they need,

warm their hearts?Generic needs of people, and judges are none different, are• I do not want to be hurt, and need physical comfort• I am part of the group• I am worth something• I do worthwhile things• I want to learn new things• I want beauty around me, order, discipline • I want to share, give away, mean something• I want you to care for me• I believe in a higher power• I want to accomplish greatness• I am angry against, yet want to forgive• I am better than others• I am bored and need excitement• I am afraid of …, need to resolve it• I love to laugh, play and have fun

McCarty(1999): Motivating the Audience

Gender Needs

BY:

ComplimentEmpathyTake her sideGive attention in publicReflect her feelingEye contactLaughHelp her to make decisions

Female:CaringUnderstandingRespectAdorationValidationReassurance

Male:

Trust

Acceptance

Appreciation

Admiration: Blow up his ego

Approval: Agree to disagree later

Encourage

Give him decisions to make

David Pease: Why men dont listen and women cant read maps

Impact

One

on

One

Vid

eo

Exp

erie

ntia

l

Cha

lk a

nd T

alk

Sho

w a

nd T

ell

Inte

r (tra

)net

Aud

io

Show and Tell: Talk with images

Chalk and Talk: Talk and write and draw

Experiential: The audience discover it themselves

One on One: Personal discussion and guidance

Toastmasters International

We receive information differently

Visual preference

O’Connor&Seymore: Training with NLP

Emotional preference

Hearing preference

Our minds are different

R 1

R 2L2

L1


FeelingStructured

AnalyticalVisionary

And the impact of our effort..

Words10%

Voice Tonality

30%

Body Language

40%

Visual aids20%


The words and images we use is less important

than how we do it.

This is can be a major differentiator

Yet most presentations communicate as if everybody is analytically and visually

preferred!..

R 1

R 2L2

L1

+


Feeling

• Speak slower

• Gesture to the left and downwards

• “How do you feel about this?”

• “It would be nice if..”


Auditory

•Speak slower

•Use voice articulation

•Gestures sideways

•Speak rhythmically

•“Did you hear me?”

•“How does this sound..”


Visually

• Speak faster

• Gesture upwards

• “Did you see this?”

• “If we look at it this way..”


Keys to effective presentations

J Weissman; Present to win

The opening

Point A: What do you know

Point B…..What do I want you to know and what is in it for you?

A structure

What it was about

Leave them wondering

Att

ention

Time

Daydream zone

Snooze zone

Typical presentations

Ideal

5-7 minutes for average

person


When we meetThese group phases is also present in a presentation. We need to get to point 4

within 3-5 minutes and leave them hungry for more at point 5

If people meet in a different set up, around a new concept or in a different place, even if it is a family, they will go through five phases of behaviour. It is critical to manage this when if not it is the main reason for suboptimal outcomes.

1. I have no opinion and am uncertain. It shows in withdrawal or overly talkative (keep them away from me). Handle by giving structure, guidelines and rules.

2. I have an opinion and it differs from you. Handle by letting the argument go on for a while. It is natural and the way people find each other.

3. I tend to agree with the group, this is a nice place. Handle by steering the process forward

4. My opinion is part of the groups, now we can really work. Handle by just letting loose and focusing every now and then.

5. I am sad to leave you. Handle by dishing out business cards, promise to phone tomorrow, leave a handout and a thank you gift..

Donald Pennington(2002): The social Psychology of behaviour in small groups

When we do all this• It is a theatre, not about information. Judgment is beyond logic and on emotion, hope,

ambition and desire. Focus on the heart then on the mind.• The preparation is more important than the delivery. For every minute on stage there

is a day backstage to prepare and dry run. Prepare in a different place. Walk in the park and sense the images and words.

• Get the broad strokes right long before the detail.• Be crystal clear on what the main point is. Only ONE main point , repeat and repeat..• The idea is of less importance than the people behind it. It is of less importance than

showing our ability to make it happen.• Inspiration, a person that believes in himself, passion is more important than the

solution. Make simplicity an obsession.• What is that single one slide that is the cornerstone? The single one that

encapsulates it all? The one that we leave on the desk in hard copy A3 and full colour?

• Summarize at the end only. Do not give an exec summary in the beginning. Leave them wondering.

• Powerpoint is an aid, a tool and nothing more. Use sparingly and only when really necessary. Do let it undermine the group interaction. For less than 7 people, rather opt for a stack of A3 sheets and work with in the middle of us all.. We need to be prepared to work in a loadshed without losing anything.

Stephen Bayley & Roger Mavity: Life is a pitch

When we do all this• Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse….• Sleep well before the day. Exercise in the morning.• Use some humor, pace, use pauses (= Barrick Obama), look 5 seconds at a time to

each person.. plan questions, be brief. It is a dialogue, not a lecture. Use “we” instead of “I/you”

• What do they want, what is their needs, their insecurities…?• Listen more than talking. The most successful car salesmen talks for less than 25%!• We are different and not shy about it. Yet show that we are on the edge of the

parade, yet not outside it.• Show passion.• Work on voice, work hard on cutting “Uhms” and “Ahs” as it shows insecurity.• First impressions: Dress informal, yet neat with real shoes and long sleeves. Blue,

white.. Work in the 5 second thing. Shake hands firm while looking in the eyes..• Open body language, talk slow, pause a lot.• Let them laugh, lets work hard on this one. Self effacing humor is KING.


And remember also• First impressions: Status, Clothes, Sex, Age, Size and

posture, Speech, Facial.

• Plato: We are motivated by reason, Love, recognition and approval

• Emotion more important than facts and you cannot bore someone to say “yes”

• A common enemy can work wonders

• Be first, be best, be different


Body language• Rehearse in detail and choreograph upfront

• Eyes: Look 5 seconds at each person. Do not avoid anyone. Do not look lower than the chin. (especially for women). Avoid shifty eyes.

• Hands. Gesture up for visual, sideways for sound and down for feeling. Overdo a bit. NEVER EVER in a pocket. Never fiddling.

• Feet: 15cm apart. Lazy movement. Not planted like a pillar., not fiddling


Vocal• Slow. Queens English is 30% slower than Afrikaans and

80% slower than Zulu

• Pause, pause, pause

• Leave every “Uhm” at home. It is a major irritator and shows insecurity

• Avoid “I believe”and “I think”. It shows insecurity

• Louder and softer. Do not scream …. Do emotional parts slower, longer pauses and softer.


Less is moreGreat presentations that changed this world have one thing in common: they were less than 5 minutes!!Churchill after Dunkirk: “We will fight them on the beaches..” (238 words)The Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek as they shall see God..”Lincoln after the civil war: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal….” (225 words)Washington’s constitutional address “If we leave today …” (120 words)Steve Job’s mega billion IPhone launch: “There are music, the Internet, email…now we give you it all in one… (4 minutes and 55 seconds)

The most precious possession is TIME. If we give it back to them, we will be remembered ..So contract upfront to be short and to the point and well within limits.

They give us 20 minutes…We will use only 15.

Structure: OpeningThis opening is more important than anything else (no..theending is even more critical!)

After 2 minutes they must laugh, be on our side of the challenge, embrace us, love us…

Self effacing humor, play off the strength of diversity and the communalities of the team, where is it all leading to?, great expectations.. Do not use Powerpoint or a boring table of contents.. simply “we will tell you 3 aspects; … , …, and ….

Beginnings

• A question

• Factoid

• Retrospective/prospective: Forward and backward

• Anecdote

• Quote

• Aphorism: familiar saying

• Analogy


Endings

• They will mostly remember what they heard last

• Tie to beginning/drop a bombshell..

• Leave them wondering/surprised


Seduce them ..Seduction: “I want you to want me….”

Marketing: “I want you to want me …

Seduction styles, find your own and exploit it! :

The Rake: Seduce by being nasty: George W Bush, Margaret Thatcher

The Charmer: Cast the limelight to the victim; Charlize Theron, Madiba..

Charismatic Attracts and exits. Elvis, Eugene Tereblance, Jean d’ Arc

The Siren: A woman with a beautiful voice

The Dandy: Cannot pin point; not black not white. Not male nor female. Not young nor old; Michael Jackson, Nataniël

The Natural (Lamb); Cuddlesome, vulnerable; Charlie Chaplin

The Star : Aloof, our saviour against all evil; JF Kennedy

Robert Greene: The art of seduction

Our seductive styles

…..: The StarExamples: JF Kennedy, Alan Boesak, Adrian Gore, Steve JobsGo for the unconscious, do not put all cards on the table, be aloof, untouchable, bring surprises, colourful, give peeks of private life to stir expectation, on their side against the evil out there,….

….: The lambExamples: Charlie Chaplin, Jacko Maree (Standard Bank)Innocent, prodigy, take nothing seriously, forever a child.The victims want to cuddle him and protect him from evil…

Our seductive words

….: The Star“Google is making us dumb, I have a remedy”“Lets fight against”“Technology takes us away from each other, we will fight it and bring back time tested products..”Maintain aloofness, their guardian and rescuer, not their pal.

….: The lamb“I am afraid of..”“It is so nice with all of you with me today”“I feel secure with you”Throughout maintain a cute smile at the ladies.Maintain closeness…..

The golden threadA great story tops it all.

Find a story or metaphor that can run right through as hooks to keep the minds alive.

e.g. right after the opening: “Imagine walking on a beach and then…”, “As a kid we use to”, “Once upon a time…”, “When James Watt was scratched by itchy clothes , he saw an opportunity that change the world forever..”

Good technology stories can also work miracles. Refrain from Jobs and Gates, that’s boring, go back in time to Watt, Galileo, Da Vinci, Marconi, Ampere, Volta, Ohm, Galvani.

Great war stories: Guevara, the other De Wet, Rommel, MacArthur, Wellington,

“When they burnt Copernicus on the stake .. they could not burn his technological legacy to the world..”

Tell it within 40 seconds and keep on referring back to it.

HumorIs humor necessary ? Not really, except if you want to make money !

Humor is NEVER:Blue, aimed at other cultures, disabilities, other people without their permission, the preferences of other people.It is: poking fun on myself, looking at life from a different angle, suitable even at a funeral

Humor binds us , calms us, sets the mind in a receptive mode.

Self effacing humor is the greatest tool:

Steve Jobs: “This is the closest to graduation I will ever be!”Madiba: “I can not stand beside Charlize, she is too beautiful and I am just an ugly old man”A well endowed lady introducing herself :”Although my surname is Van Tonder, I am a full blooded Greek. You will not believe it, but my husband only weighs 65 kilogram!”

Attitude + Setup + Premise + Act out

Attitude always serious: Hard/Stupid/Weird..

It is weird (attitude) that a dog loves to hang out of a car with the wind blowing in his face (Setup), and

When you blows in his face (premise), he …………. bites you (Act out)

J Carter; The standup comedy workbook

The endThis is the most important part of the presentation.We give the final Unique Selling Proposition with a surprise they have not heard yet.Pause, pause,“This was a great opportunity, our wildest dreams came true……”And then, all technology switched off.We need to prepare something inspirational to get them finally on our side..e.g.“We sacrificed corporate careers to follow our dream, nothing, but nothing will stand in our way … to work with great people, to be young with many years of greatness ahead of us, to be proudly South African is already beyond our wildest dreams.The great work of Enablis and our project has so much in common, we aim beyond the horizons, in aim for the moon…I know that we will land amongst the stars!”

Effect of Color

Brutal, Dangerous

Regal, Mystery

Cool, Refreshing Neutral, Mature

Stable, Trustworthy, Calm

Sunny, Warm, Bright

Organic, Life, Health, Money

Serious, Status, Heavy, Death,

Profitable

Pure, Clean, Hope

Answers: Bill Clinton model

• 1 Answer direct: “Yes/no..green/red..

• 2 Give headline: “yes, I agree..”

• 3 Exposition: “Because in my opinion …”

• 4 Take control and move in the direction you want it to go

Jan Opperman

Enablis Presentation GuideStructure and Content

Some structureA What is facing us?1 Even the playing field: We are here today to… lets agree on one and one only joint objective.2 Who am I: Let us spend a minute asking them who they are. Rhetoric questions.. EVERYBODY in

this world just loves it. Then we follow up by each telling our story in less than a minute each. It is about credibility with exposing us as real people with hearts, fears and dreams.

3 Lay of the land: give the big picture, what led to the idea, what’s going on, what do we foresee.. enter in a dialogue on their worlds , expand and expand.

4 What does this all mean? The 3-5 great concepts coming out all of this. Our major challenges.5 Time for focused presenting. Perhaps only now switch on the Apple and give focused stuff colouring

in the challenge. Be time effective, keep dialogue open. It is not a lecture, it is a conversation.B The solution1 Many possibilities we thought about, the angles taken at the challenge2 The solution. Perhaps the circles diagram4 To execute, the grand plan. The crystal clear process.5 So what now…let them talk, let them find the solutions and offer aid..C Clinch

Generic Flow structures• Modular• Chronological• Physical• Spatial• Problem/Solution• Issues/Action• Opportunity/Leverage• Form/Function• Case study• Argument/Fallacy• Compare/Contrast• Matrix• Parallel tracks• Rhetoric Questions• Numerical

J Weisman: Winning presentations

In the beginning (1 page)Purpose

All should know the fundamentals of our idea and the value proposition

• History of what we do• Define it all plus our product in a single sentence• State value proposition and target market• What is unique

Canaan partners venture catalysts

The team (1 page)Purpose

Portray confidence in ourselves our beliefs and abilities to move forwards

• Experience of each• Education• Prior startups• Our future board• Advisors now and then• Personnel to be hired


Opportunity (2-5 pages)Purpose

The needs in the market for our solution

• State the problem, needs, pain, joys• Recent trends• How is it addressed• Why at an inflection point now?• Market size• Market future growth


The solution (2-6 pages)Purpose

How we will solve the challenges

• Demo the solution• Show our differentiation• Explain how it will work• Why is this a great solution


The business model (2-4 pages)Purpose

How much money will we make when and how

• Revenue model and how it will be measured• Sales distribution, pipelines, wins and metrics• If we get capital, show the milestones ahead


We need (1 page)Purpose

We need capital and skills; how much and what

• Current financials• Current backers, dates of injection and how much• We need now..• With we will attain the following milestones• We will burn per month• How far will this take us• When is breakeven and the build up afterwards
