1: Hollywood producer Brant Pinvidic was delivering a keynote speech at the National Speakers Association. 

“I put a big picture of Katy Perry up on the screen,” he writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation.

 I said, “I’d like to introduce you to one of my friends, Katy Perry. I know you know her and her music.” 

Next, he put … continue reading

1: “We are going to revolutionize the healthcare industry” is a typical opening statement in many presentations. 

The likely reaction: “Really? I find that unlikely,” Brant Pinvidic writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation.

Even if the rest of our pitch lands with our prospect, the best we can hope for at the end of our presentation is, “Yeah, it’s … continue reading

1: Paraag Marathe‘s first major task as president of the San Francisco 49ers was to build a new stadium.

The team’s former stadium, Candlestick Park, was falling apart. As in, actually falling apart.

The team’s owners, the York family, had decided they would never move the team to another city.

The other option was to build. Which would be no easy task. “Imagine a nearly $2 billion project that … continue reading

To deliver a 3-minute pitch, must we dumb it down? Just the opposite. 

Brant Pinvidic is a Hollywood producer who has sold more than three hundred TV and movie projects, including the mega-hit The Biggest Loser.

Pitching in Hollywood is no different from “raising money, convincing parents at the PTA meeting, asking for a promotion, marketing our company, and getting board approval,” he writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: … continue reading

1: Most of the advice about delivering an excellent presentation focuses on how to present, how to speak in public, or how to overcome being anxious.

“The truth is that none of those things matter very much,” Brant Pinvidic writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation.

“Whether our delivery is confident or nervous, whether or not we use our … continue reading

1: “My wife says you help people pitch their ideas. Do you think I need some work on mine?” 

Brant Pinvidic was sitting next to Jeff. It was the start of a three-hour bus ride into the British Columbia wilderness for a heli-skiing adventure.

The two men knew each other through their young sons, who were friends at school.

“Well, I guess you’d say I run a plumbing company,” Jeff … continue reading

1: We are building a presentation. What is the most important question we must ask ourselves? 

“How will they rationalize the decision to ‘buy in’ to my proposal?” Brant Pinvidic writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation.

Humans are the only species with the ability to rationalize.

“And it’s the basis and foundation for every decision we make,” he … continue reading

1: We have three minutes.

“Every time we make a pitch, presentation, or proposal to try to influence anyone to do anything, our audience’s first impression will be fully formed in less than three minutes,” Brant Pinvidic writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation. 

“That yes or no is already in their heads,” he writes. “It’s not our fault. … continue reading

1: We have a tall task.  

Our goal is to persuade our audience to change behaviors and set out on a new course.

We begin by getting their attention. To do so, we go negative.

“Negative stories, questions, or challenges wake us up. They activate the reptilian brain, suggesting fight or flight,” writes Stephen Denning in The Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action Through Narrative. 

What … continue reading

1: Define problem Analyze problem Recommend solution.

This sequence is the “normal” or “rational” way of communicating, Stephen Denning writes The Secret Language of Leadership. “It’s an appeal to reason—a model that has been the hallowed Western intellectual tradition ever since the ancient Greeks. . . And it works well enough when your aim is merely to pass on information to people who want to hear it.”

But what if … continue reading