When putting together a presentation or deck for a big meeting, including a visual element is key.
However, having too many of the wrong things in your PowerPoint could harm your pitch rather than help. To help make your next investor meeting a success, 13 entrepreneurs from YEC share what you shouldn't forget to include in your next PowerPoint.
1. Information not on your slides
Having literally worked on PowerPoint itself once upon a time, it pains me to say that I've seen far too many decks which act as a word-for-word transcript. A much better strategy is to limit each point you want to make to 1-3 words on the slide. Your now extemporaneous talk will be more engaging, flow more naturally and give you greater flexibility to adjust on the fly for the audience. – Amit Kumar, CardSpring
2. An objection slide
After presenting the benefits of your proposition, end by addressing the critical issues. Most presenters avoid these, but there's always a critical guy in the audience who will bring them up. You're much better positioned if you bring them up first and point out how you're going to find the right solution together. – Steli Efti, Close.io
3. An agenda
I always add an agenda as the second or third slide. This way, it sets everyone's expectations for the meeting. It also helps with the flow of the presentation so everyone knows what the purpose of the meeting is and how everything connects. – Juliette Brindak, Miss O and Friends
4. A call-to-action slide
What is the action you want people to take as a result of listening to your presentation? Put that action up on the concluding slide so you make sure that your presentation achieves its purpose. – Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
5. Key takeaways
By concluding your slide with a brief summary of some of the key points highlighted throughout the presentation, you can control the last memory that your audience will have of your presentation. Use it as a way to highlight some of the top selling points behind your brand. – Phil Laboon, Eyeflow Internet Marketing
6. Engaging visuals
When preparing a presentation for a big meeting, make sure your slides are not crammed with text. One of the best ways to convey your points and make a lasting impression is to use a lot of interesting and effective visuals like graphs or infographics in your presentation. Not only will this place the attention of meeting attendees on you as a presenter, but it will be more effective too. – Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.
Related Article: 10 Things You Should Never Do While Pitching an Investor
7. Your logo
Including your logo is your chance to have a small branding moment on each page. – Ashley Mady, Brandberry
8. Backup slides
Include backup materials for detail questions. Your presentation should be concise and to the point, always moving toward your target outcome. But sometimes detail-oriented audience members want to veer into the weeds and go off-presentation. Quickly address their questions with backup slides, materials or handouts. Then get back to your presentation and target outcome. – Matt Hunckler, Verge
9. Updated data
It's great to have a tried-and-true deck, but if you're too attached to your favorite PowerPoint you may fail to notice when a certain slide has gone stale. Revisit every single number and date to make sure they're current, especially if they make reference to your business' traction or market. – Heather Schwarz-Lopes, EarlyShares
10. Who you are
Whether it's an investor pitch, an academic talk, or just any kind of presentation, you need to make it clear to your audience why you are there taking their time and why they should trust you. Talk about your past accomplishments and other projects you've worked on as a way to build credibility. No need for your life story -- 30 seconds should be enough. – John Rood, Next Step Test Preparation
11. A clear roadmap
Creating and establishing a clear roadmap in your speech allows the audience to keep track with you. No one likes going through multiple slides with no clear indication where they are in the presentation. – Kenny Nguyen, Big Fish Presentations
12. The answer to "so what?"
Your audience subconsciously asks "So what?". If I'm the reader, I want to know why what I'm reading is important, why it's relevant to me, and what I can specifically do about it. – Ben Lyon, Kopo Kopo, Inc.
13. Contact information
Don't forget to prominently display your contact information on your last slide. Whether you're using the PowerPoint for a presentation or emailing your deck, you want the recipients to follow up with you. So make it easy for them to do so. And often just seeing your contact information will remind them that they should. – Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net