how not to be boring

HOW NOT TO BE BORING

Emi Gal | www.emigal.com | @emigal

Short Guide on How to Prepare the Perfect Pitch

http://www.emigal.com


1.CONTENT2.PRESENTATION3.SPEECH

There are 3 things you need to work on:




1.CONTENTAssume the audience is packed with idiots.No, really. We have no idea what you’re talking about. Nor do we know anything about the market, product or competitors. And the worst part - we don’t give a f**k either (unless you make us).

Solution: MAKE. IT. SIMPLE. You should tell us EVERYTHING about your company in the first 8 seconds. Like, literally 8 seconds.

Example: Stream all the music in the world, for £9,99 / month




1.CONTENTTrust that we’re all actually pretty smart.Most of the people in the room will be either entrepreneurs or investors. Which means chances are we’re all pretty smart and experienced. Well, most of us anyway.

Solution: Be smart. Don’t patronise. Don’t be arrogant. Show facts & numbers. Use “we’ve done this and that” instead of “we will do this and that”. Talk about the 3Ts: Team, Technology & Traction.

Example: This is my 3rd company, we’re adding 20,000 users / day and Sean Parker answers my emails.




1.CONTENTMost importantly, tell a story.Don’t use graphs (unless you’re using them to show traction). Don’t talk about the market size and how you’re going to grab 5% and build a billion dollar business. Truth be told: it’s not gonna happen anyway.

Solution: Numbers aren’t cool. You know what’s cool? Telling a story by using numbers.

Example: Every day, 250 million people connect with their friends and family by using our tool.




2.PRESENTATIONAssume I am bored. So is everybody else.Seriously. We all have BlackBerries, iPads and all that so don’t assume we’re going to pay ANY attention to you. Unless you make us.

Solution: Entertain us. Tell a joke. Dress up. Show us a trick. Engage. Be unconventional. Scream. Make fun of Philipp.

Example: A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion dollars.




2.PRESENTATIONAssume my eyes hurt. Or that I can’t read.Let’s say you have 20 slides to present in 5 minutes. That’s 30 seconds per slide. How much information do you think people can process in 30 seconds? I’ll tell you: NOT MUCH.

Solution: One sentence or idea per slide. Min 35px font size. Repeat the idea verbally as often as possible.

Example: I have a dream. I have a dream. I have a dream. I have a dream.




2.PRESENTATIONI like photos. So does everybody else.

No other comments.




3.THE SPEECH

The secret of all great speakers:Memorise the f**king speech. All of it. Word by word, letter by letter.




3.THE SPEECH

Be an actor.Know when you’re going to smile, raise your eyebrow or do the funky chicken dance. Look people in the eye. Smile. And do all this in the mirror until you get it right.




3.THE SPEECH

Right before the presentation: exercise.No, I’m serious. Do push ups, run for 5 minutes and stretch your legs & arms. This way, when you’re up there on stage, you won’t move like a funky crazy chicken. Unless you want to.




3.THE SPEECH

Finish in STYLE.Be funny, charming or interesting. Tell a joke. Entertain your audience. Once you’re sure they’re paying attention, tell your 8 second speech again.




4.THE CLOSING [bonus]

Smile.Thank your audience for their attention and get off stage. Take your time, don’t rush out.




THANK YOUFOR YOUR ATTENTION




how not to be boring

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