Leaders of the tech and electronics industry recently came together for this year’s International CES, or Consumer Electronics Show. As with previous years, top companies in the field made use of the event to announce and preview their upcoming products. CES 2015 became a huge stage for memorable technology presentations at the start of the year.
Presentations delivered during the event’s four-day run made a noticeable impact. From all of these, it’s obvious that there are plenty of technology presentation lessons that we can learn. Based on the observations made by presentation expert Carmine Gallo, we run down the tips that could help you in your next big pitch.
Start with a short but meaningful story.
Storytelling is always a crucial part of any presentation, but it is especially important for a technology presentation. The best way to connect with the audience is through something they can easily relate to. Talking about technological concepts can become confusing for people who aren’t familiar with them. Skip the jargon and the long-winded explanations about your new product or service.
What you should try to do instead is to tell a story that will make the audience see why your pitch is important to them. Take an example from Mark Fields, president and CEO of Ford, who wove a story with his presentation.
Outline your presentation by listing 3-5 key takeaways
Another way you can help the audience digest the information is by outlining key takeaways before tackling them individually. Give the audience a chance to learn the scope of your presentation by listing the major points you will make. After you list down your key takeaways, you can tackle them one by one with a more in-depth discussion.
Gallo also suggests that to keep your presentation on the right track, you limit yourself to only 3-5 points. Tackling too much in a single pitch can derail your discussion. Remember to keep your presentation concise. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich does this successfully by listing down his major points at the start of his presentation. Watch his keynote here and make your own observations.
Incorporate demos and other memorable moments.
There’s more you can do to make sure your pitch becomes memorable. Just like Intel’s Krzanich did in his keynote, you can take your discussion to life by incorporating a demo to your presentation. As Gallo puts it,
“Many presentations—especially product launches—lend themselves to a ‘wow moment.’ A creative and well-rehearsed demo generates a lot of talk and, if people don’t talk about your product, why bother?”
Another way you can create memorable moments in your presentation is by making use of props. If you remember our discussion on Nancy Duarte’s STAR (Something They’ll Always Remember) Moments, acting out your core message with the help of props is an effective way to give the audience something to talk about.
Allow your data to stand out and shine.
Lastly, PowerPoint and visuals also play an important role in a technology presentation. Don’t forget to prepare a well-designed deck incorporating your branding through colors and images. Aside from the aesthetics, it should also perfectly illustrate the nuts and bolts of the product or service you’re pitching.
How? By making sure your data is well-presented. Make it stand out by focusing on the most crucial numbers and getting creative with your visualizations.
Take a page out of Samsung president and CEO, Boo-Keun Yoon’s book. Yoon made use of slides where all the relevant numbers stood out. Check out his keynote here to see how careful handling of data can improve your technology presentation.
Delivering a technology presentation has its challenges, but achieving success isn’t impossible. Take note of these lessons straight from the CES 2015 stage and incorporate it in your next pitch.
Reference
“Boo-Keun Yoon, Samsung – Keynote 2015.” International CES. Accessed January 22, 2015.
“Brian Krzanich, Intel – Keynote 2015.” International CES. Accessed January 22, 2015.
Gallo, Carmine. “5 Presentation Tips From CEO Keynotes At CES.” Forbes. January 9, 2015. Accessed January 22, 2015
“How to Create a STAR Moment for Your Presentations.” SlideGenius, Inc. September 25, 2014. Accessed January 22, 2015
“Mark Fields, Ford – Keynote 2015.” International CES. Accessed January 22, 2015.
“PowerPoint Design Tips for Presenting Data.” SlideGenius, Inc. December 1, 2014. Accessed January 22, 2015.
“Why Storytelling Is an Effective Presentation Technique.” SlideGenius, Inc. September 8, 2014. Accessed January 22, 2015.
Featured Image: International CES Photo Gallery