Techniques to impress clients, executives and colleagues
Analyze My PresentationMaster these four areas to deliver presentations that captivate and convince
Your audience should grasp the key message in under 2 minutes.
Your presentation should lead to concrete action.
A logical structure guides the audience to your conclusion.
Your confidence influences the trust your audience places in you.
Decision-makers are busy. Give the key result immediately, then detail for those who want to understand.
"I'll present the market analysis, then our options, and finally my recommendation..."
"My recommendation: launch in Q2. Here's why, and here are the 3 options I analyzed."
Overloaded slides lose the audience. Simplify radically.
"(Slide with 8 bullet points, 2 charts and a table)"
"(Slide with one key number in large font and a context sentence)"
Identify the 3 most likely objections and prepare solid answers.
"'What about budget?' (Awkward silence, improvised answer)"
"'What about budget?' 'I prepared 3 scenarios. Scenario B offers the best cost/benefit ratio...'"
A C-suite wants the vision, a technical team wants the details.
"(Same 30-slide deck for everyone)"
"(C-suite version: 5 strategic slides. Team version: 20 detailed slides)"
Every presentation should lead to a decision or action.
"'That's it. Questions?' (Silence, no follow-up)"
"'I need your approval today to launch phase 1 on Monday. Who approves?'"
40 slides for a 30-minute meeting. Audience tunes out by slide 10.
10-20-30 rule: 10 slides max, 20 minutes, 30pt minimum font. Less is more.
Turning your back to read screen text. Complete loss of engagement.
Slides are visual support, not a script. You tell the story, the slide illustrates.
Ending with 'That's it' without asking for a decision. The meeting achieved nothing.
Prepare your 'ask' in advance. 'I need you to validate X by Friday.'
Continuing your presentation while the audience shows signs of boredom or confusion.
Observe reactions. Adapt your pace. Don't hesitate to ask: 'Any questions so far?'
30 minutes planned, 50 minutes actual. Decision-makers leave before the end.
Practice with a timer. Allow 20% buffer. Better to finish early than run over.
8-12 slides maximum. Count 1-2 minutes per slide on average. Prioritize quality over quantity. Clean slides are more impactful than overloaded ones.
Avoid 'Hello, I'm going to talk about...'. Start with a striking fact, provocative question, or key benefit. 'Did you know...' or 'What if I told you...'
Welcome them: 'Good question!'. If the answer comes later: 'I'll cover that in 2 minutes, if that's ok.' If off-topic: 'Let's note that for after.'
After, usually, otherwise the audience reads instead of listening. Exception: if executives want to review in advance. In that case, prepare a reading document different from presentation slides.
1) Look at the camera, not the screen, 2) Check audio/video beforehand, 3) Share screen in slideshow mode, 4) Engage the audience (questions, polls), 5) Shorten by 20% vs in-person.
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Analyze My Presentation