????準備之前，搞清以下幾個問題：

????1. 演示對象：了解演示的目標受眾。坐在禮堂里的那些普通人是什么樣子？體會他們的感受，想象他們的特點，描繪出他們的形象。對于你將要演示的主題，他們的理解能力達到了怎樣的水平？根據受眾量身設計演示內容。不要過于高深，也不能過于膚淺。只要你能將受眾形象化，從他們的角度來思考問題，你便可以與他們產生一種情感上的聯系。

????2. 原因：了解你的動機。你為什么要進行這次演示？你希望通過演示達成怎樣的目標？是要吸引投資者嗎？或者使科學領域的受眾認可你工作的有效性？演示只是在營銷自己的內容，但并不能取代你的主要內容（融資時，需要演示一套詳細的幻燈片與度量指標；發表研究報告時，需要演示一篇論文）。演示是幫助你實現戰略目標的武器之一。

????3. 演示內容：了解語境。你的演示需要什么樣的廣義語境？是體驗日的一部分？是學術會議的一部分？或者是在一次公司會議上？是融資活動還是慈善活動？是產品演示嗎？你的語境應該能驅動你演示的內容和意圖。

????4. 了解比基尼準則——露的部分要足夠多，但蓋住的部分也要足夠多，這樣才能激起聽眾的興趣。大多數人總是忍不住想將自己知道的一切都放到一張小小的幻燈片當中。這會嚇到聽眾，讓他們感到迷惑。演示的目標應該是激起聽眾對你的工作的興趣，最終幫助你實現目標。從本質上而言，演示更像是一個開場白，用途是吸引對方的注意力。

????營銷思維

????當你演示的時候，你其實是在進行營銷[最終達成“銷售”——不論你有怎樣的打算]。養成這種思維。你不可能一蹴而就，直接就能將重要的創意賣給客戶。你需要經歷一系列階段才能賣出你的想法。首先要讓別人知道你的產品，然后產生興趣，最終讓他們做出“購買”決定。你的演示應該優先完成前兩個階段，詳見下文。

????正式開始準備

????1. 幻燈片不能作為會上分發的文字材料。不要分發毫無意義的幻燈片打印材料。用MS Word或InDesign等文檔創建工具準備一份在會上分發的文字資料。

????2. 幻燈片不是用來閱讀的，當然也不是用來打印的。[聽眾在閱讀的時候，便不會聽你演講。]關鍵是讓聽眾與你產生聯系。令你的受眾對你產生興趣。不要超過7-10個單詞。只要聽眾喜歡你的創意，他們就會閱讀文字材料以了解更多內容，然后與你進行更詳細的交流。

????3. 準備腳本。幻燈片不是讓你用來朗讀的小抄。不要依賴幻燈片。要有一份可靠的腳本，并用投影儀補充你所說的內容。要不斷彩排。每次我沒有經過彩排便進行演講的后果，很快便會在聽眾當中反映出來[無聊]。

????4. 走上空無一人的講臺。進行重要的演示之前，在大廳內空無一人的時候提前走上講臺感受一下。在講臺上踱步，感受真實的現場氛圍。找到在家中的自在感覺，讓自己全身心投入到演示現場。

????5. 進行現場預演。在我最近一次演示中，我們沒有進行技術預演，果然出現了技術問題，我失去了寶貴的幾分鐘。一定要保證技術方面不會出故障。

????6. 穿舒適的衣服。你應該感覺這些衣服便是你身體的延伸。我有一套最喜歡的西裝，那是我在七年前買的，之后在最重要的演示場合，我從來都不穿其他衣服。我已經將它變成了一種儀式，穿著它就像是一位身穿鎧甲的騎士。那套西裝讓我戰無不勝。只要穿著它，我就能感受到之前那些演講給我帶來的好兆頭，推動著我，讓我充滿信心。

????Before the preparation

????1. Who: Understand the target. What does an average person sitting in the auditorium look like? Feel them, imagine them, draw them. What level of competency do they have in the subject you are going to present? Tailor the content to your audience. Never try to go over their heads or beneath their feet. Once you start visualizing the audience and get them into their heads, you can make an emotional bond with them.

????2. Why: Understand your motive. Why are you presenting? What are you planning to achieve after the presentation? Is it to attract investors? Is it to convince a scientific audience about the validity of your work? The presentation is just the marketing of your content and cannot be a replacement for your main content (a detailed deck & metrics in case of fund raising & a paper in case of a research presentation). The presentation is one of the weapons that should lead you to that strategic objective.

????3. What: Understand the context. What is the broad context of your presentation. Is it a part of a demo day? Is it part of an academic conference? Is it a company meeting? Is it a fund raising event for a charity? Is it a product demo? The context should drive your content and intent.

????4. Understand the Bikini rule of life - Reveal enough and conceal enough to spark interest. Most of us have the temptation to dump all the stuff we got into the poor little Powerpoint. That leads to intimidation and confusion. The goal of the presentation should be to spark that interest in your work so that your target comes towards you. In essence it is a conversation starter by gaining their attention.

????The Marketing Mindset

????When you are presenting, you are actually marketing [to eventually lead to a “sale” – of whatever you are attempting]. Get into that mindset. You can never sell someone an important idea through a single shot. You need go through a series of stages in the process of them buying your idea. First get them to be aware of your product, generate an interest and eventually lead them to process that leads them to “purchase”. Your presentation should do the first two stages below.

????Preparing for your presentation

????1. The powerpoint deck is not a handout. Don’t be that guy handing out irrelevant printouts of your powerpoint. Prepare a document handout prepared through a document creator like MS Word or InDesign.

????2. The powerpoint deck should not be a readable one. Certainly not a printable one. [If they are reading, they are not listening to you]. It should be to connect. To get your audience to be interested in you. No more than 7-10 words. Once the audience like your idea, they should have the handout to read more and then come to you for a much detailed walk through.

????3. Prepare a script. Powerpoint deck is not your cheat sheet to read from. Don’t rest on that. Have a strong script and use the projection to complement what you say. When you have finished rehearsing, rehearse hard. Whenever I present without rehearsing, the result shows immediately in the audience [boredom].

????4. Get to the empty stage. Before an important presentation, get to the stage when the whole place is empty. Pace the stage and let the physical world consume you. Feel at home and let the environment absorb you.

????5. Do a dry run. During one of my recent presentations, I didn’t do a tech dry run. Not surprisingly the tech melted down and there was precious minutes lost. Make sure the technology doesn’t fail you.

????6. Be very comfortable with the clothes you are going to wear. You should feel those clothes are an extension of your body. I have a favorite suit I bought 7 years ago and I don’t wear any of my other suits for the most important presentations. I take it ceremonially and feel like a knight in his armor. That suit provides the cloak of invincibility. Once I’m in, I feel all the good omens from the past presentations come in and push me and give the confidence.