Presentation Skills From the Expert: What Can We Learn From Guy Kawasaki
Venture capitalist, Guy Kawasaki is known throughout the marketing industry as a renowned technical evangelist. He is a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, chief evangelist of Apple, and a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. He has written several books about startups, social media, and technology at large. His voice has become a go to source of insight into the digital transformation of the market today. Here are a few key lessons we can learn from Guy.
The Art of the PowerPoint
Guy Kawasaki has seen it all, from entrepreneurs pitching their big ideas to theoretical patents that will one day change the world. But the most important thing he’s seen from all these pitches and presentations, is that most people cannot figure out how to sell their idea. A bad PowerPoint or pitch deck, according to Guy, is an immediate headache and bad first impression.
To help companies maximize their opportunity here are a few tips to bring an idea to life:
1. Keep It To 10 Slides Max
Guy says that 10 slides is all you need when it comes to a PowerPoint presentation. Any more than 10 slides and you risk losing your audience. Ten slides for 10 topics, any more and normal human beings simply cannot hold it all in their heads. Whether you want to raise capital, make a sale, or build a partnership, 10 is enough. It gives you the chance to fully illustrate the problem, the solution, the business model, the underlying technology, the marketing or sales strategy, your competition, your team, the projections, the timeline, and very importantly, the call to action.
2. Keep It To 20 Minutes
Just as your presentation should be limited in content, it should be kept to no more than 20 minutes in length, for many of the same reasons. Even if you have an hour booked, don’t plan to speak for the full 60 minutes. As soon as you lose the audience’s attention, you will really struggle to win it back. Plus, if you/creative/5-ways-hiring-consultants-can-enhance-the-content-of-your-business plan for a 20-minute presentation, that will give you a good 40-minute buffer for questions and discussion, which is often where the real value of a presentation lies.
3. Make It Visible
30-point font is a perfect size to make sure your content is visible, and that you’re limiting yourself to not simply reading off your slides. Using small font is a crutch for presenters who don’t know their material enough, or who think that more text will make their point more convincing. But as soon as you lose confidence in yourself as a presenter, you will lose the confidence of the audience as well. 30-point font will make your presentations better, and will make you a better presenter.
Are you looking for your next opportunity as a presenter?
Presentation skills are practiced and become ingrained in us as we gain experience. It’s always a good idea to collect new advice and tools for your toolbox to freshen up your presentations. Staying up-to-date on industry standards doesn’t need to be tough. Upgrade your presentations, one item at a time. To find consultants who can bring your big ideas to life, connect with the team at Clarity Consultantstoday.
