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Pitching, Presenting & Public Speaking Tips Cheat Sheet by [deleted]

Grab every business opportunity by developing your pitching, presenting, and public speaking skills!

What Is A Presen­tation?

A presen­­­t­ation is a means of commun­­­i­c­a­­t­ion that can be adap­­ted to various speaking situ­a­t­­­ions, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team.

Every Presen­tation Must Include

Objective
This is what the presen­­­t­ation expected to achieve. Specific Outcom­­e(s) that the organisers and the audience expe­ct. These outcomes will shape your presen­­­t­a­tion, because it must be desi­gned to achieve the object­ive and deliver the desired outcom­es.
Subject
The subject of your presen­­tation comes from the object­­ive. They are link­ed, but they are not necess­­arily exactly the same thing.
Audience
Tail­oring your talk to the audience is important and the following points should be consid­­ered; the size of the group, the age range, gend­er, whether you're there to inform, teach, stimulate, or provoke.
Place
It can be helpful to arrange to see the venue before the event. This allows you to mentally prep­are for your presen­­ta­tion.
Time
The time of day will likely affect your audien­ce. The morn­ing is the best time to speak because people are generally at their most alert. In the afte­r­no­on, people often feel sleepy and lethar­­gic. If you are given a slot immedi­­ately after lunch, it is a good idea to get your audience involv­ed. Even­i­ng­­/We­­eke­nd, people are more likely to be present because they want to be rather than because they have to be there.
Length
Aim for 45 minutes as a maxiably leave at least 10 or 15 minutes for ques­tions single­­-s­e­ssion presen­­ta­tion, and prefer­io­ns.

Types Of Visual Aids That Can Be Used

Powe­r­Point Presen­­ta­t­ion
Whit­e­boards and intera­­ctive whiteb­­oards
Flip charts
Videos
Printed Handouts

Writing A Brilliant Business Pitch

Get to the point: Get to the heart of the matter quickly in order to keep investors from losing interest.
Elevator pitch: An elevator pitch is a concise and carefully planned descri­­ption of your company or idea that can be quickly and easily unders­­tood.
Atte­ntion to Detail: Pay specific attention to detail with regards to; industry analys­is, customer needs, mark­eting strate­gy, business model, overview of the comp­e­ti­­tion, risks implem­­en­t­ation plan, fina­ncial projec­­tion.
Do your resear­ch: It is important to ensure you are pitching your idea to the right people. Research pote­ntial invest­ors and ensure your pitch idea is well­-­ma­­tched to their inte­r­es­ts.

Dealing With Questions

Set out Ground Rules: At the start of your presen­­ta­tion, you should make it clear whether and when you would prefer to deal with questi­ons - as you go along or at the end of the presen­­ta­tion.
Stay in Control: Speakers dread losing control of their audience, if the presen­­tation starts to get diverted by an intere­­sting questi­on, try saying something like: “I think we’re getting a bit off topic here. Let’s put that to one side and you and I can chat about it later."­­
Manage the Questi­­ons: Listen carefu­lly to the question and, if the audience is large, repeat it to ensure everyone in the audience has heard. Relax and do not feel as if you have to know everyt­­hing. If you do not know the answer, then say so and offer to find out. Then ensure that you follow­­-up.
 

8 Tips On Delivering A Presen­tation

1. Create an easy­-­to­­-follow struct­ure
2. Limit the amount of copy on each slide
3. Be savvy with design details
4. Polish several times
5. Have a strong opening
6. Be genu­ine
7. Have a plan for a smooth delivery
8: Focus on audience value

What Is Public Speaking?

Public speaking skills refer to the talent of effect­ively addressing an audience. Whether it is in front of a group of people you already know or a crowd of complete strangers, your ability to commun­icate to them with clarity and confid­ence.

8 Tips For Public Speaking

1. Speak with an intent to move people to action: Know what you want your audience to do immedi­­ately after hearing your speech.
2. Start strong with a “gra­b­be­­r". A personal story, a quote from an expert or a shocking statis­tic – something that takes a hold of your audience and gets them hooked!
3. Structure your material in three sections– grabber, middle, close.
4. Prac­tice. Practi­ce. Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using.
5. Know the audien­ce. Try to speak to one or two people in the audience as they arrive – they will be your allies in the audience.
6. Know the setup. Arrive in good time to check out the speaking area and get practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
7. Relax. Begin with a well prepared grabber. A relevant personal story is a great start.
8. Pauses. Include 3-8 second pauses at key moments – just before key statements or just after a story – this really brings the audience into the speech.

What Is A Pitch Desk?

Pitch decks are short presen­tations created to give a quick, persuasive overview of your business plan, and are usually meant for showing to (poten­tial) investors, partners, and clients.

A Pitch Desk Should Include

The Proble­m/O­ppo­rtunity - This isn't about you, it's about your customers. What problem or pain point do you intend to help them solve, or what opport­unity do you intend to help them exploit?
The Produc­t/S­olution - What have you invented? What have you developed? What are you going to offer the world that's new and fresh and will address the above mentioned problem or opport­unity?
Your Unfair Advantage - What qualifies you, and your company, to be the ones who bring this solution to the market succes­sfully? What do you have that others lack?
Your Business Model - How do you plan to make money? How are you going to create and capture value? You should include things like cost structure, revenue streams, value propos­itions, key partners, key activi­ties, and customer segments here.
 

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