Table of Contents
The potency of 5
Get Ready
Recognize competition
Ensure a narrative
Engage the audience with your tone
Connect with your audience
You are panicking because you feel that the sharks can sense your fear. The fear that you will be presenting to an audience is worse than fearing death. All of us have heard tips on making the perfect presentation. But none work. It can calm the nerves of investors and help to seal the deal. Jon Steele talks about his personal experiences in order to give entrepreneurs the best pitch. In most cases, it is easy to overlook the most obvious piece of advice when preparing a presentation – engaging your audience through content.
The book’s writing is compelling, with personal stories that tell of struggles and victories. It is important to test a book’s quality by seeing if the reader can not only think about or approach an issue in a different way, but also implement its tips. This book is a great resource for entrepreneurs who are just starting out or those looking to expand.
Jon breaks everything down into fives. He thinks of a five-stage pitch, which includes five roles: writer, researcher, producer, director, and actor. It is important to start any project with a combination of research, general information and learned knowledge. Jon has a strategy where he uses Post-it notes to record all relevant information, then reorganizes it by theme.
Second, find meaning. Finding connections by drawing all the pieces together. This will make the whole idea complete and bring out any flaws. Thirdly, drop it. Instead of working on the problem 24/7, you can let your subconscious take over while you do other things. The “writers’ block” that can occur can make presenting difficult. Letting our subconscious work can help us come up with new ideas. Also, distilling and adapting. You should choose a theme which can be repeated within 2 minutes. Time is money. Each part of the presentation should be engaging and surprising. You can break it down into an opening incident, progressive complications and a crisis. The presentation is similar to Nancy Duarte’s or Freytag’s. Last but not least, write your presentation. The script should be written down to the apostrophe. This gives you control of the content as well as the timing. You can make changes to the script if you are familiar with it. Here are five key elements of Jon’s thesis, each with five nuggets.
Get Ready
One task is easier to accomplish than multiple tasks
Work with a small, tight-knit team.
Seize the initiative. Take control. This means you must keep work and personal life separate. You should also not allow interruptions. It is important to have space to think, to treat others the way you want to be treated, and to take care of your brain.
Practice makes perfect/
Recognize competition
It is more important to beat the competition than find the perfect solution
You have to convince others of your belief.
Instead of proving the obvious, save your energy and focus on the important issues.
Say something else or better
A USP is required to make your business stand out.
Ensure a narrative
The simplest language is used to deliver the best speeches
Presentations must tell stories
Good presentations have a beginning and a middle.
Few well-chosen questions can be an effective tool
Use minimal slides and a prose-based leave behind.
Engage the audience with your tone
Truth, beauty and excitement are five of the key elements.
Communicate; don’t lecture. Question marks are better than full stops when presenting.
Share one idea per time
Inclusion is key, as your audience will not only listen to you but to what they have to say.
Passion breeds success. Giving up on your beliefs is failure.
Connect with your audience
Own the Room
The presenter should be able to move around the audience easily
Show us what you would like it to be like working with me
Don’t repeat the same answer if you have already given it.
Openness and consistency in the message are important.
