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February 19, 2011

Presentation tips for Marketers


KISS is an acronym for the principle "Keep it Simple, Stupid!” Other variations include "keep it short and simple"[, "keep it simple AND stupid" or "keep it simple and straightforward". The KISS principle states that simplicity should be a key goal in everything we do and that unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

4 x 4 principle:  Frequently used in business communications. It means that any slide that is used in a public presentation should follow the 4 x 4 principle. There should be 4 lines in a slide and 4 words per slide. If a picture is used minus 2 line and eight words. That is if a picture is used then the slide should use 8 words only. The font size should be a minimum of 18. Less is better in presentation. Use matter and visuals to create an impact and do not read out your slides.

A picture is worth a thousand words: Most learners are visual in nature. Use visuals wherever necessary. Visual can create an impact and are difficult to forget. Check out the visual on the left. It left an inedible impression of the attack on the twin towers in the USA.

Man biting a dog is news rather than dog biting the man:  Always strive for a dramatic impact. You could always say that there are many animals that eat shit for living. That will wake up any slumbering giants in the audience. You could always quickly add that you are talking about dung beetles. This would leave the most serious person with a smile on his face.

Paraphrasing: Many times the listeners of a presentation ask the presenter questions and some of these may be complicated or not properly structured. The presenter needs to repeat what was asked in order to verify the meaning of the question posed. This is called paraphrasing. The term simply means repeating another person’s ideas in your own understanding but retaining the thought of the statement or question.

If I heard you correctly, you were asking if the process is reversible or not …”

“You were asking that less than 60% is a fail grade…Is that right?”

“As I understand it, you want to know if the break will be for 5 minutes only…. Am I correct?”

“So your question is about the maximum limit of pages in the project …”

Humor: Audience likes to associate themselves with cheerful presenters. Always have a smile on your face. It takes 71 muscles to frown only only 21 to smile. So smile and smiling is very inclusive. Don’t worry if you make a mistake in the presentation. Most listeners have empathy and will forgive small errors and mistakes.

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