BNET has a good 7-minute video on giving better presentations called Present Like Steve Jobs. “While most speakers merely convey information, Jobs inspires.”
Here are the main points:
- Unveil a single headline that sets the theme. For example, “Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone.”
- Provide the outline. For example, “I’ve got four things I’d like to talk to you about today. They are …”
- Open and close each section with a transition in between. Make it easy for listeners to follow your story, letting your outline serve as guideposts along the way.
- Don’t be stiff and formal. Have fun and be excited about your company, product, service.
- If you offer numbers and statistics, make them meaningful. For example, don’t just say “we’ve sold 4 million iPhones to date.” Say, “that’s 20,000 each day since it was released.”
- Make it visual. Don’t fill your slides with mind-numbing text and charts. Paint a picture for your audience without overwhelming them. Use video clips, demonstrations, and guests.
- Identify your memorable moment and build up to it.
- Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse some more.
- Give your audience an added bonus to walk away with. “One more thing …”