Sunday, February 12, 2012

Effective Presentations: Less is More

Two of the biggest lessons I learned from last week's lectures were: (1) Pitching upside-down and (2) the 10/20/30 Rule. Dr. Millie Myer made a great point in pitching upside-down- when you have only 30 seconds, you need to start with the main idea and work down from there. Similarly, the 10/20/30 Rule provides a good framework for presenters to be concise, effective, and convincing. Like many of you, I've seen my fair share of presentations. The ones that were most entertaining and captivating to me weren't the ones with the most information or the ones with the most slides; rather, the presentations that intrigued me were short and simple. A bi-product of these presentations' success is the presenter; more often than not, I found myself convinced (not from the presentation but) through the series of stories and analogies provided by the presenter.

I found an interesting article from Inc. that gives tips on how to fix your presentations. The advice/tips are not earth shattering, but the author provides a really good example of their application. I've always believed that short, concise, and text-free presentations were the best ones. But from my experience here at Heinz College, most of the student presentations are inundated with words and unnecessary information. I can't stand this! I've tried the simple presentation approach and received negative feedback; I've tried the extensive presentation approach and received great feedback. Based on my idea of a great presentation, this is counterintuitive.

What is your idea of an effective (i.e. a good) presentation? What are your experiences with giving long, complex presentations as compared to short, simple ones? How was the presentation received?

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