Finance & Operations

Killer Delivery: How to Nail Your Pitch with a Successful Investor Presentation

April 30, 2012

A successful investor presentation is often like a good fastball — it’s all in the delivery.

As David Calusdian, Executive VP and Partner, Sharon Merrill, points out in this short video from OpenView, the data on your slides may be perfect, but without proper execution, your presentation is doomed to fall flat. The keys to winning over a room lie in the speaker’s ability to speak with clarity and confidence, and, most importantly, to make a connection with the audience. Eye contact is extremely important, as it will help keep the audience members’ attention on you (rather than their smartphones).

Think of presentation not as one conversation, but many, many conversations with individual members of the audience, Calusdian advises. And make sure your tone is conversational, as well. You’re not the president delivering the State of the Union — speaking as if you’re delivering a great speech will only leave the audience cold.

For more advice on how to nail your deliver, watch the full video, and remember — practice makes perfect.

Related Content from OpenView:

Presentations are only one aspect of a VC fund raise. To make sure you’re fully prepared, read this post from the OpenView Blog. And for more tips on powering up your presentation skills, see this post.

 

EVP & Partner

<strong>David Calusdian</strong> is an executive vice president and partner at <a href="http://www.investorrelations.com/">Sharon Merrill</a>, where he oversees the implementation of investor relations programs.