The Art Of Not Pitching Yes. what he said.

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As a wise man (wise guy?) pointed out to me “no one buys from any pitches at all”.

YES.

But… Ineffective presentations, speeches and other pitches waste everyone’s time, slow things down and block opportunities. You don’t need to be “good” at presenting, you need to accomplish business objectives. Don’t get wrapped up in having to do a presentation. Don’t even get wrapped up in wanting to do the presentation “well”. Just get to the point by moving business forward. Speaking “well” is NOT your objective. Achieving value is.

Presenting is as presenting does. (and yes, haters of PowerPoint, PPT is as PPT does)

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Great presentation of the day: Jim Valvano at the 1993 ESPY awards (tip of the hat to Ben Casnocha)
What do you think his objectives were? I know I came away with powerful, emotional ideas on the importance of time and a desire to help Cancer charities.

Witness the power these 9 minutes have over time and space, to influence us 14 years later. Why? Because this person said these things at this time to this audience. He OWNED why he was there, what he needed to accomplish and what he wanted to say. He also knew exactly which rules he wanted to break and why - how much more memorable his spirit (you think i’m afraid of 30 seconds?) made it.