That’s the sound of an over-enthusiastic mouse…
I was watching a demo from the founder of a startup who was excited to share his new technology. I was amazed, but not in a good way, at how fast he drove through his software!
If clicking the most buttons and commands in the least time and moving as fast as possible from screen to screen were an Olympic sport, he’d have definitely qualified for the finals!
However, demos are where “slow and steady” truly wins the race.
Your objective is clear communication, not speed. Execute a function, point precisely, and describe what the feature provides, how it solves your prospect’s business issues, and the value your prospect can expect to enjoy using the feature. Summarize as appropriate, particularly for longer pathways.
Then pause.
Let your audience take it in. Give them a chance to offer a comment or an observation or frame a question. Linger lovingly over your most exciting and valuable capabilities – give them time to sink in and resonate!
If you are limited in time, then apply the inverted pyramid approach and choose the few most important ideas to present. (And it is rare that we are not limited in time!)
Finally, slowing down is even more important when you are presenting to audiences who are not native speakers of your language. You may enjoy exploring Chapter 14 “Style” in Great Demo! for more guidance on the use humor, language, appearance, buzzwords, pace, props and visual aids, and other practices in your demos.
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