The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch Or Presentation

I have been working in the technology industry for about 20 years and I have seen more than my share of presentations. Some presentations were great and some were not so great. The ones that were not so great were not because the product or company wasn’t something I was interested in, but because the presenter either went on too long or their message was lost at some point during the presentation. I have also given presentations that I thought had gone well and later found that something was not as clear as I had thought. 

The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch Or Presentation written by Brant Pinvidic is a book I recently read that offered the perfect solution to the issues I mentioned above. I wanted to share with you a little information about this book. While working in the entertainment industry, Brant Pinvidic discovered that he could be more effective by shortening his presentations and focusing on what needed to be said, rather than what he wanted to say. He decided to share what he learned while perfecting his process and this book outlines his strategy to deliver a clear, concise, and effective pitch or presentation. 

Pinvidic discusses his journey to discovering the 3-minute rule and describes the four-step process that he uses when he begins work on a new pitch or presentation to ensure he keeps to that rule. This process includes asking four important questions: What is it? How does it work? Are you sure? Can you do it? The book refers to this process as WHAC, and by asking these questions, you can quickly narrow down the most important aspects of your business and start to organize your information. The author guides you through each step of his process and encourages you create your own pitch or presentation as you follow along in the book. There are also great examples using Pinvidic’s experience in the television industry. I guarantee there is at least one show he pitched or story he told that will be familiar to you. The great thing about this, is that even though the author is in the entertainment industry, you can see how easily you can use this process for any presentation. 

The book also gives advice on how to improve your PowerPoint presentation using the same process. How many times have you been in a presentation and you are distracted by the PowerPoint because you are trying to read the text on the slides, read the handout or you are looking at the visuals? The presenter has lost your attention and you may have lost interest. Pinvidic shows you how to simplify and keep your audience engaged. 

I am always excited to learn something new and find tools that will help me streamline processes and organize my business life. I know that it will take time and practice for me to be able to do what the author in this book does so well (just like some of the examples, trial and error) and perfect my 3 minutes for my next presentation. I am looking forward to implementing all of the new techniques I learned from this book and I hope you will read it as well. Thank you to my friend, Joe, for recommendation and if you would like to learn more about this book and how to purchase it, please go to https://www.brantpinvidic.com/3-minute-rule