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As I’ve often said, “If you make a mistake and don’t repeat it, then it becomes part of your experience base.” As a result, it should become one of the lessons you’ve learned. On the other hand, if you repeat the same mistake, then shame on you!

Here’s one lesson I’ll never forget. About twenty five years ago , I believe I made the biggest negotiating mistake of my career. I actually gave something away at the negotiating table without getting anything in return. I agreed to pay an extra year of licensing fees. As the fees were at a reduced rate, it really didn’t appear to amount to much in the context of the total agreement.

About one year later, I found out that what appeared to be a minor point during the negotiations, turned out to be a deal breaker for the other party. In fact, had the other party not gotten the additional licensing fees, irrespective of what they might have had to give in return, the bank would have withdrawn their offer to finance this party’s leveraged buyout of another division of the company. In essence, there would not have been any possibility of the other party consummating their buyout, and they “won” an enormous point without having to give anything in return.

While this is a simplistic overview of the negotiations leading up to this particular point, had our team had any information regarding the importance of this point for the other party, we could have gotten some concessions we wanted in return for the additional licensing fees. Another experience learned the hard way.

At the same time, you have to be careful not to take the information you’ve gathered about the other party’s situation and use it to hammer them into submission, as the other party probably will spend a significant amount of time and effort “getting even” at some time in the future. By way of example, early in my career, I negotiated a licensing agreement which was very favorable to the licensee in terms of the benefits versus the costs. About two years into the seven year agreement, the licensor had the opportunity to “level the playing field.” The licensor had developed the next generation raw material used in the process which offered significant cost savings opportunities in the manufacturing process. The licensee had no choice but to purchase their requirements from the licensor. You guessed it! The licensor charged a premium for the new raw material that more than made up for the shortfall he believed he had been forced to accept when the original license agreement was signed.

Lessons learned: You need to do your homework and obtain as much information as possible about the other party prior to the actual negotiations. Once at the negotiating table, ask open ended questions to get additional information. Never give anything away without getting something in return. At the same time, be careful not to hammer the other party into submission.

1. PowerPoint is only a support tool – you are the star of the show

PowerPoint is an effective tool in supporting your presentation but it is not the presentation in itself, you are the person that your audience came to see. Therefore construct the presentation with yourself as its focal point. Use your slides to support your points and keep them simple and clean. Cluttered slides and flashy effects will distract your audience from you and your message.

2. Beware of too many bullet points – they don’t work

It has been shown in a number of studies that the extensive use of bullet points and text is not effective in a presentation and that images and diagrams used to support the presenter’s spoken points are absorbed more readily. However bullet points are sometimes unavoidable and so they should be used sparingly to highlight the key points of your message.

3. Put the detailed text in your handouts

Remember that you have your presentation notes/handouts to reiterate the detailed points of your presentation. Your handouts should not be a direct printout of your slides nor a copy of your script, but a combination of the two in which you can give a detailed account of your presentation as well give full versions of any lengthy quotes or sources you may have used.

4. Don’t get tricky with slide transition and effects

Be subtle and sparing with your use of animations and transitions. A clean left to right wipe for your bullet points and a brisk fade for slide transitions can make a slideshow run more smoothly. But “flying” or slow animations can become tedious for your audience and hinder the pacing of your presentation.

5. Don’t use clip art – just don’t OK!

6 People remember photographs, illustrations, diagrams and graphs

High quality photographs and illustrations will convey meaning and bring your presentation to life. First check on what image resources you company already holds. This can be supplemented with photo library shots which can be bought for a few dollars from the likes of Istock, Shutterstock and Alamy (we do not use Getty as they can be overpriced). Never use low resolution images or stretch them to fit a space.

Diagrams and graphs can be even more effective but keep them simple and legible.

We recommend creating an image library of your own and also investing in images or diagrams that you use frequently. As you might suspect we strongly recommend using a professional designer.

7. Get “On Brand” and a create a consistent “look and feel”

Create slide templates that reflect and reinforce your identity through branding, colour and layout. Your templates can be saved as.pot files and used across all of your company’s presentations for a consistent brand image.

8. Colour, contrast and fonts

Colour influences mood and you should ensure that you use a limited and well integrated colour palette. Most of the presentations we work on follow corporate design guidelines but we try to keep the feel as bright and fresh as possible.

Good contrast between the background and text is important especially in well lit rooms. Text must be large enough to be easily read in actual presentation situations. However a great many people go the other way and make the text too large because they are working in design view ( where everything looks smaller)

We strongly advise that you avoid using non standard or corporate fonts in your presentation because special fonts have to be embedded within the presentation and can cause technical issues further down the line when shown on another PC or platform.

If you are displaying from a PC you should use Windows system fonts (or Mac fonts if your final output is on a Mac). In Windows the available fonts are Arial, Comic Sans, Courier, Franklin Gothic Medium, Georgia, Impact, Lucida Console, Lucida Sans, Microsoft Sans Serif, Modern, MS Sans Serif, Palatino, Roman, Script, Symbol, Tahoma,Times New Roman, Trebuchet, Verdana, Webdings, WingDings ( The fonts in bold are the most commonly used and work well on screen).

9. Video and Audio

A brief video or audio clip can effectively back up a particular point and provide a welcome break for you and your audience. Clips should be kept short and support your message rather than delivering the message for you. Be very careful to test any presentation containing video on the actual computer you are using to present with. A low powered machine can freeze up on you. Obviously test your audio system as well.

10. Use the slide sorter and edit

While planning your presentation spend time in the Slide Sorter view of PowerPoint. This will display all of your slides on one page and will allow you to not only effectively judge their order, but also to see how your presentation will progress and whether it flows naturally.

It’s 2 p.m. and your manager walks up to you with that look on his face. He announces that the company president wants you to give a presentation to him concerning the high profile project you have been working on…and he wants the presentation to start in thirty minutes. Now you have a look on your face as if you had just seen a ghost.

No problem. The following are seven secrets to preparing an outstanding presentation when you have less than thirty minutes:

1. You Don’t Need the Perfect Presentation Get started! Don’t freeze expecting perfection. When you think you need to be perfect, this can lead to paralysis. Management realizes, because of the short time period, that you will not be perfect. The key is to work quickly, not frantically.
2. Start With an End in Mind Ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish with my presentation?” Do you want to persuade, entertain, or move the audience to action? Once you have these answers, work to develop your presentation to achieve these goals.
3. It’s About the Audience Ask the following questions:
   • “Who is my audience?
   • “What does the audience want?”
   • “What does the audience want to gain from the speech?”
   • “What is the level of expertise of the audience members?”

   Once you have the answers to these questions, you can tailor your speech to meet the audience’s needs.

4. Keep It Simple Don’t be overwhelmed with information overhaul. Keep your presentation clear and concise by focusing on three main points. This will save you time when collecting your backup information.
5. Make an Outline Create an outline of your speech. Depending on your own individual thought process, you may want to mind map, a freestyle way of putting ideas together, or outline. Outline your beginning, body with three points, and ending.
6. Start and End Strong Concentrate on knowing the beginning and ending of your presentation. Feel confident in giving the beginning of your presentation, and you will become more comfortable giving the rest of your speech. End on a strong note because your speech ending will be the last thing your audience will remember about your presentation.
7. Your Presentation Starts in the Mind Find five minutes before your presentation; go to a quiet place, if possible; and meditate. Think about the positive results of your presentation. Visualize your giving an outstanding presentation and how well the audience is receiving your speech. Also find a mirror; hopefully, in a private area; and look into the mirror and say any of the following affirmations:
   • “This presentation is a great opportunity for me.”
   • “Every opportunity to speak is an opportunity for success.”
   • “I am a great speaker.”
   • “The audience will enjoy my presentation.”
   • “I have something of valuable to share with the audience.”
   • “I appreciate this opportunity to make a presentation.”

   Note: Your affirmations become more powerful when you keep them short and keep them in the present state (Future state example: I will become a better speaker.).

Now that you have read these secrets, you have twenty-five minutes left. Remember, the speech will not break your career. However, being able to rise to the occasion and give an outstanding presentation can enhance your career, business, and life opportunities. Apply these seven secrets and you, too, will give an outstanding presentation in less than thirty minutes.