Pitching a business or product in person is a skill that every marketer and salesperson works hard to perfect. But often the circumstances under which you are required to make your pitch are out of your control. That’s why the ability to think on your feet is crucial. And perhaps this is why we’ve seen a rise in so-called presentation challenges in recent years. With the growing popularity of PechaKucha and Battledecks, there has never been a better time to hone your improvisational skills.
PechaKucha is a challenge to presenters to present their ideas with just 20 slides, which they are allowed to display for no more than 20 seconds each. Events have been held in 304 cities across the globe since February 2003.
Battledecks takes the PechaKucha concept one step further by requiring presenters to improvise a presentation based on a set of slides they’ve never seen before. It’s been a big hit at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival and at Podcamp events in both Boston and New Hampshire.
Both challenges force presenters out of their comfort zones and provide an excellent opportunity to improve on a presenter’s ability to think fast and adjust to unfamiliar situations. If you have the opportunity to present during either of these events, do take the time to do so.
Have yourself an amazingly fun Fun Stuff Friday!
