It is that time of year when many people are making a conference presentation, or the big pitch to a funder or financial institution for next year’s initiative or project. We are not the gurus of presentation, but we do strive to make our presentations better every time. This includes a focus on all kinds of presentations: training sessions, pitches, and speaking engagements. Earlier this year I talked about my favorite blogs for learning more about the critical entrepreneurial art of presentation. I also have referred to Guy Kawasaki’s video on presentation. But, recently I was reminded of the 10/20/30 rule Guy wishes every pitchman/woman would live by.
Essential it’s this: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 font (min).
I agree with this rule, mostly. There are times when the presentation may call for lots of visuals which add punch to your story…and these may add to your slide count, but may not add too much to your timing. The important part to remember when creating your presentation is: its a presentation. Yes, that’s right, it’s a presentation. It is not:
1. A note reading exercise
2. A speech. (See 99% of political messages)
3. A chance to tell everything you know about the subject or every reason for the subject’s worthiness.
Presentation is a boiling down of the critical path of information necessary to get your idea across in an interesting way. If you shut the computer off (as presenation zen insists) and figure out what your audience wants to know before you fire up powerpoint, you will begin to realize the art of a good presentation.
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