Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuart
If you have the time try to make 3 versions of the same presentations.
a 10 -15 minute presentation, a 3-5 minute presentation, and a 30 second "elevator" presentation. we have found that when we make these long 20 minutes presentations we never get that far, and that most of our money comes from these 30 second talks with people we meet along the street.
also try and put the most important and eye catching stuff in the first minute, this is when most people will make up their minds about you. ( Remember only Steve Jobs can get away with putting the cool stuff at the end)
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This is all excellent advice. Where I work, I have the privilege (you could call it that) of giving power point presentations to customers, managers, and co-workers fairly regularly. Here's my advice:
1. Studies have shown that listeners are most attentive at the beginning and end of a presentation. The middle is usually the part that is most easily forgotten. So choose the most important points for the very beginning and end of your presentation.
2. Too many people put too much information on a slide. The slides are a backdrop for visual aids and key points - not the presentation itself. The focus should be on the presenter, not his slideshow.
3. In general, a slide has four parts:
a. The title. Don't underestimate the importance of a slide title! It is roughly 20% of your screen real estate - don't waste it! Try to use titles that convey a message rather than stating the purpose of the slide in a general way. Which sounds better as a slide title: "Mission Statement" or "Inspiring the Next Generation of Engineers"?
b. The visual aid. Not all slides have one, but a picture, flow chart, or other multimedia aspect usually gets about half of the space on a slide. The visual should support whatever you are talking about (obviously).
c. Talking points (often in bullet form). Don't try to put sentences in a slide. Stick to main ideas and let the details come out during your talk.
d. A takeaway. A lot of people neglect this part, but I think it is important. Consider adding a one-line blurb of text at the bottom of the slide - this summarizes the overall message of the slide. If your listener remembers one thing from a slide, it should be this takeaway. Think of a slide as a standard "Intro-Body-Conclusion" formulation. The introduction is the title. The body is the visual and talking points. The conclusion is the takeaway.
4. Know your audience. This is without a doubt the trickiest part of a presentation. I have briefed my own managers, external customers, and my own engineering co-workers on the same project, but each type of audience requires a completely different approach. Engineers want technical details; managers want the bottom line; customers want to know how your solution can benefit them. With a potential sponsor, this part can be especially tricky - you have no idea what they are looking for.
Do they legitimately care about inspiring kids to become engineers? If so, stick to the main FRC "company line". Or would showing the myriad ways that a student can be inspired (web design, animation, CAD, presentation skills) be more effective? Do they care about how a donation would benefit them via logo placement or tax writeoffs? In general, you won't have a sure answer to these questions prior to presenting - so you should try to paint as broad a picture as possible and be prepared with more details upon prompting. Which brings me to...
5. Have backup slides. Often I put these at the end of my presentation after a "buffer" slide. Due to time I often can't say everything pertinent to my topic during my presentation and instead need to do a shallow overview. But come Q&A time, I can whip out a new chart or have more detailed information available. Doing this both helps you to not have to think on your feet quite as quickly, and it really impresses your audience.
Good luck!