Recovering from Pathetic Presentation Disorder

I am constantly reminded of how important a presentation needs to be, in order to convey my message across. What I tend to forget, however, is that people tend to want to engage with ME, and not with my slides!

These quick 4 tips should be always in my mind...

1. Follow the 10/20/30 rule: Ten slides maximum, 20 minutes of content, and 30 point font. Design your presentation, knowing that people don't care how many salient points you convey per slide. They want to engage with YOU. The slides serve as supporting documents.

2. Tell a story. Why did you launch your company? What inspired or angered you or motivated you to leave your comfort zone? Share a customer situation that you helped improve--or better yet, share a mistake you once made and how it transformed you.

3. Lead the audience to action. Your job is to share a dream and inspire others. Summary pages are NOT calls to action. Incite your listeners to do something differently or to think in a new way.

4. Practice and enjoy talking to yourself.