As editor of Conferenza Premium Reports , I attend more technology executive conferences than most people would want or afford to, which makes me appreciate my press pass—most of the time. I’ve just completed covering both DEMOmobile and Dow Jones DataCenter Ventures , two very different conferences except they both spotlight promising early stage companies delivering new and occasionally exciting technologies to market. Often the technology may be promising, but the presentation sucks so badly that companies who sometimes have spent years to get to this critical moment do irreparable damage to the company’s future.
Why, I often wonder, are they so foolish to wing their presentations or relegate its scripting to some lower tier member of their company PR or marketing team. Why do CEO’s allow themselves to emote phrase and thoughts that they would never use in conversations with peers, prospects or employees? Why, after putting products through alpha and beta testing, through focus group scrutiny and all sorts of hoops, do they not think investing in the time to get the verbal portions of their presentation tight?
There is no second chance for a first impression and yet companies with perfectly good technology just blow it. At DemoMobile, company executives stood on the dais in front of more than 400 people including a global representation of press and bloggers, investors, companies looking for partners and they read from stilted scripts that failed to deliver suitable messages. I ask a couple of CEOs who stumbled about this and they said they just hadn’t had time.
That seems to me to be a bone-headed answer showing arrogance and a lack of understanding of the importance of the moment. Before stepping on stage executives, should:
1. Write the first draft of their own scripts. When marketing refines them, allow only words, thoughts or terminology you would use with a trusted colleague,
2. Never read a script. Let me put it another way never, NEVER read a script.
3. Be able to say in one sentence, using neither adjectives nor hyperbole just what your technology or company does that is unique, valuable and enduring.
If you cannot do this, if you do not have the time to prepare, my simple advice to you is to sit down and shut up until your ready to taking up the important time of other people.
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