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Delivering Effective Presentations

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Discussion Outline

A. Goal of Today’s Session

B. Introduction • Two Key Presentation Elements• Our Focus: Content

C. The Elevator Pitch

D. The Business Plan Pitch

E. Making Slide Presentations and Preparing for the Pitch

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Equip PESO finalists with the essential tools for making

effective elevator and business plan pitches.

Goal of Today’s Session

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Two Key Presentation Elements1. Content – the message

(substance)

2. Delivery – the way message is communicated (form)• Structure• Language• Style

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Content Must• Laser focus on key

issues

• Be meaningful to the listener

• Build a logical case Issues Facts Conclusion

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Presentation Must

• Consider the audience Potential investor, customer, business

partner, link to decision maker, endorser?

• Be meaningful to the listener

• Build a logical case

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A concise, carefully planned, and well practised description about your company that your mother should be able to understand

The Elevator Pitch

What is an Elevator Pitch?

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• To get the listener interested in your idea or business concept; not to sell, but to intrigue

• To pave the way for an opportunity to sell later on An invitation to talk or meet later A request to send the business plan

Note:The 60-second pitch is equivalent to around 14 lines of 12-point text, or between 150 to 225 words

What is its purpose?

The Elevator Pitch

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Contents of an Elevator Pitch 5 Key Points

1. Who you are

2. What you do (core business)

3. What pain you address (mission statement)

4. Who your market is and how big it is

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5 Key Points (cont.)

5. Who your competitors are and your competitive advantages over them (Patents, technologies, customer validation, core competencies)

Note:If you still have time, you may cover management track record of key executives

Contents of an Elevator Pitch

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Not good:

We have developed a proprietary algorithm that models moving objects as trajectories and uses a dynamic variable to manage uncertainty. Our technology allows companies to optimize their mobile assets in real-time and develop a whole new class of location-based services.

Better:

We offer software that improves a company’s ability to manage its mobile resources like trucks, equipment and personnel. Our solution is capable of sensing and reporting material deviations from routing plan or delivery schedules, as they happen, allowing quick corrective action where others can’t.

Sample Elevator PitchDescription of core business

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The Elevator Pitch

• If your targeted market is large, say so, but use realistic figures

• If your competition is failing, say so but also be sure to say why you are better

• When stating your competitive advantage, identify key strengths and opportunities

• Make sure you sound like an expert in your field

• Make sure you look and sound like you did your homework

A Few More Tips

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• Exchange cards (you could actually do this anytime during the pitch)

• Next steps

• If no interest, get referral

• Get out the lift

• Don’t reveal any emotion (like scream Yes-s-s-s!) before the door closes

The Close

The Elevator Pitch

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The Business Plan Pitch

Convey that the business proposition is a good investment opportunity; Sell the deal

Goal

Motivation

Ask: What am I doing this for?• Raise funds• Solicit valuable insight• Solicit support/endorsement

What do I need from the audience?

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What Matters to InvestorsThat the business opportunity:• Solves an important problem• Has momentum

Patents/Prototypes Beta customers Management team

• Has the basic ingredients for success Huge addressable market (in US Billions) Revenue projections Barriers to entry/competitive advantage

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What Makes for a Compelling Business Plan Pitch?

1. Good First Impression

2. Clarity and Simplicity of Presentation

3. Focused and Objective Presentation

4. Facts are credible, complete. and consistent with analysis

5. Compelling Business Proposition

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The Compelling Business Plan Pitch

• Introduce the Management Team Past successes/Pedigree (education, past

start-ups) Domain Expertise/Unique capabilities Profit and Loss Responsibility Connections (technology advisor to the

President

• Reputable Board Members and Advisors (wo are betting on the company)

1. Good First Impression

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The Compelling Business Plan Pitch

• Cover only 3 to 5 Key Points (example below) Pain and Solution (e.g. unmet need and

related product/service offering) Opportunities & Threats (e.g. market size,

competition) Marketing Plan -- sales and distribution

strategy The Team – Senior Mgt., technical and

support staff Financial Highlights and Potential Returns

2. Clarity and Simplicity of Presentation

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The Compelling Business Plan Pitch

• Claims about the size of the market or the capabilities of a product/solution must be supported with research from reputable third-parties or research institutions; relying purely on in-house research tends to weaken credibility and cast doubts on the true business potential

• Projecting a growth in revenues or in market share without considering the competition is an incomplete analysis

4. Facts are Credible, Complete and Consistent with Analysis

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The Compelling Business Plan Pitch

• Focus on what matters to your audience • Address every key aspect about the

business, described in section 2, objectively, being careful to consider the weaknesses and limitations of the business, as well as any potential threats Example: though proof of concept has

been established, product has to undergo beta testing before it is launched for wide-scale commercial production

3. Focused and Objective

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The Compelling Business Plan Pitch

• After all is said and done, if the audience is convinced that the need is overwhelming the solution is unique the opportunity to scale is undeniable the financial returns are highly attractive,

and Management is deemed capable of

bringing the business to its desired levels

Then the business plan pitch may be deemed successful

5. Compelling Business Proposition

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What to Take Along when Making a Business Plan Pitch

• Backup slides for key areas (e.g. market segmentation, financials)

• A reference list for all key executives (i.e. personal and customer references)

• A pen and paper to take down notes Feedback from audience ”Unanswered” questions Additional requirements

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• Story Beginning Middle End

• Transitions

The Business Plan Pitch

StructureIntroduction, Theme and Agenda

Key Points and Supporting Data

Conclusion and Summary

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The Business Plan Pitch

Two Kinds of TransitionsInto your first point

Between key points

• Between sections of the presentation

To signal the end

• Between slides Smooth the flow Connect supporting data Often worth memorizing

Structure

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Slide Preparation

• Intro slides are required• Less is more

Spend 1 minutes per slide on average

• High information to ink ratio Informative titles Clean 1-2 line bullets Graphics require time and explanation

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Notes on SlidesLess is more. Don’t make your audience work too hard.

• Bullets are useful...

But don’t write out your whole bullet. Always have more to say than is written on your slide. Make sure you use large fonts. A rule of thumb is 16pt minimum for a small room, 20pt minimum for a large room. Use sans serif fonts (fonts which do not have little tails on the letters – ex. Arial not Times New Roman).

Simplestyle

Cleartext

Meaningfulgraphics

Greatslides

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Notes on Slides (cont.)Less is more. Don’t make your audience work too hard.

• Style is important… But don’t choose complex backgrounds Use either light text on a dark background

or dark text on a light background. Always, always, always double check all

spelling – nothing makes you look less professional than spelling and grammatical errors

Simplestyle

Cleartext

Meaningfulgraphics

Greatslides

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Notes on Slides (cont.)Less is more. Don’t make your audience work too hard.

• Graphics add variety...

…and can make many points better than text Keep simple Animation, while fun, is distracting Avoid clipart that doesn’t help you make

your point Decorations are pure distraction

Simplestyle

Cleartext

Meaningfulgraphics

Greatslides

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Useful Practice Techniques

• Divide up the presentation and practice per section

• Practice in front of the mirror• Recruit at least two test audiences• Use tools

Stop watch PowerPoint’s timer Tape recorder Video