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During my first year at Cornell, a common idea emphasized by many of my professors was the importance of effectively presenting an idea, specifically a business idea. It was often mentioned that many people have business ideas that can be successful. Unfortunately, very few have the ability to gain support and funding for their idea because they lack strong and persuasive presentations. I recently came across an article written by Dennis Freed, Principal In Charge/Senior VP at Bovis Lend Lease LMB Inc., entitled “Big, Bold, and Colorful: The Key to Perfect Presentation.” This article, retrieved from www.EmergingTiro.com, provides insight into how to make a presentation that truly stands out. The article also explains how effective presentation techniques helped launch the career of one of the most famous rock bands in history. I hope the unique view presented in this article will help your next business idea grow to its full potential.

Marc Silberman, Account Assistant

“Big, Bold, and Colorful: The Key to Perfect Presentation”

By Dennis Freed

Let’s investigate what the BIG, BOLD, and COLORFUL rule means, starting with the rock group KISS. I was on a plane equipped with TVs on the backs of every seat. As I flipped through the channels, an interview with Gene Simmons caught my eye. I stopped to listen while he explained why KISS became a mega rock group, while so many other rock groups they had opened for never achieved their level of popularity. He talked about KISS’s experience in a battle-of-the-bands and why they came out of that day as the #1 band.

The KISS Logo

Gene actually said that KISS’s music was not any better than the other bands’ and that some of the other bands may have been even better than KISS. KISS’ secret was that they put the band’s name in big, bright lights. They wanted to emblazon it in the minds of everyone in the audience as they played. To this day, when you think of KISS, you think of two things: their costumes and the big, bright, colorful, lighted “KISS” sign. When the battle was over, everyone had KISS emblazoned in their minds, not only on that day but for years to come. KISS exploited the BIG, BOLD, and COLORFUL rule to its full potential. I bet you are envisioning the KISS logo as you read this paragraph.

The Importance of Presentation

KISS knew what my CEO knew. (See the discussion in the posting on “The 50-50 Principle.”) It is not just the content but also the presentation that must scream out to your audience. When my employees prepare spreadsheets for a presentation, they must target the audience with information presented in a way that anyone can understand the ideas and be excited to read about them. I explain to my employees that I do not care how trivial the presentation is; they should follow the BIG, BOLD, and COLORFUL rule, so they will be ready when it really matters.