smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

It has always been there, but is now much more visible, high-tech and scrutinised than ever before. It has even made it on to our television screens in the form of popular business programmes like Dragons' Den and The Apprentice. As a result, we all know what a good pitch should look like, but the challenge is to get it right every time.

The presentation for any pitch should always be used as an aid, supporting what you are saying, rather than used as a script. All too often people can make the mistake of reading word for word from slides, which is frustrating for the audience and reduces the presenter’s credibility.

Style

Most business pitches are produced with the help of some kind of presentation software – normally Microsoft PowerPoint. While using a slide deck has advantages in terms of making a presentation look professional, it can be misused and have the opposite effect.

People often cram as much information as they can onto slides, making them unreadable. However, less really is more, both in terms of the information displayed and the number of slides included.

In order to avoid overload, you must rigorously analyse all content to ensure relevance and clarity, and trim where required. It is also worth using the 10-20-30 rule developed by Guy Kawasaki, a US venture capitalist who has watched thousands of presentations: less than 10 slides, no more than 20 minutes and a font size of at least 30. Although this may not always be possible, it is a good starting point.

Writing the presentation

You should allow plenty of time to plan your presentation, in order to shape and refine the slides. Never leave it until the day before because it will be written with haste and is likely to lack structure. The old adage of writing better under pressure rarely applies to presentation slides.

Also, never write the presentation straight into the slides, as this often restricts the flow of the pitch. It also means that every piece of information is added and is then difficult to remove. Instead, work through the areas you want to cover before sitting down and putting it into slides. If possible, get someone else to transfer the draft information, distilling the content with a fresh set of eyes.

Structure

The presentation should be structured to allow you to tell a story. Whether you are looking for investment or trying to sell your product, you need to clearly outline the problem and show your understanding of the issues. You can do this by highlighting research, showing statistics or giving anecdotal evidence, which will make your audience understand the situation that faces them. You then need to show them the solution.

Once you have taken them through the entire presentation, it is worth adding a slide that recaps all the important information.

The devil is in the detail

Pay strict attention to the detail in your presentation, making sure there are no contradictions or inaccuracies. Investors in particular are very adept at quickly spotting errors no matter how small, so check your facts and check again. Numbers are particularly easy to confuse and critical to any investment decision.

Typos and spelling mistakes can also make you look unprofessional and sloppy, so make sure you proof your presentation several times, paying close attention to the detail. If possible, get someone else to read over the content to ensure there are no errors.

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