PRESENTATION SKILLS: BRIEF AND TO THE POINT

Brief and to the point. If that's your view of a recent meeting or phone call, could the same be said for your last presentation?

Business meetings, committees and sales calls are judged by their brevity. And the same judgement applies to presentations; where less is definitely more.

As a presenter, the advantages are clear.

How Shorter Presentations Will Help You

Shorter presentations are more concise and focused. They get to the point, make the point and summarise the point.

• more focus on you
• more focus on your content
• more time for questions
• more time for discussion

Shorter presentations don't eat into an executive's valuable time. They allow time for an audience to ask questions and listen to the answers.

"Focus on your key message"

Short presentations give an audience the chance to join a debate or discuss the implications of a presentation. They allow for insight.

Techniques For Shorter Presentations

Some presenters use a 10: 20: 30 method. That's ten slides, 20 minutes and 30 point. The rules allow for no more than ten slides, no more than 20 minutes and no text on the presentation to be less than 30 point size (very readable).

• 10 slides
• 20 minutes
• 30 point text

The first two rules are self-explanatory. But what about the third one? By keeping the point size of your text on the large side, you focus on your key message. The core of your argument. With a text size of 30 points there's simply no room for anything else!

A 10: 20: 30 approach to your presentations gives you plenty of time for questions, answers and subsequent insight into your subject.

With all the focus on you and your content for twenty minutes, less is definitely more.

There are more presentation skills tips on a PresentPerfect^TM training course.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Leonardo Da Vinci