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I'm not sure about this. A standing presentation gives you the opportunity to communicate a lot using body language instead of 'hiding' behind the table and your laptop.
>> 2. It implies that you expect to walk the VC through your presentation slide by slide which may make you look green - seasoned entrepreneurs know that the flow of the conversation will be anything but predictable.
Hu? YOU are the presentation, not your slides.
>> 3. It limits the length of the meeting, as few presenters can stand for the length of a meeting.
Good! No presentation should last more than 15 minutes.
>> 4. Your partner will be forced to focus on flipping slides rather than engaging in the dialogue.
Not necessarily true. Whoever leads the presentation can change the slides with a remote control.
>> 5. Most people look awkward when it comes to delivering a standing presentation.
Sure. That's why you must practice before. It's a presentation! Face your audience!
From a sales course I recently attended, the lecturer told a sequence from one of her recent trips. They were in a small town in Turkey and she and some friends had just gotten off a bus. A sorry looking man came up to her and asked, "Do you have any medicine for my head?" She was caught off guard and responded, "What?" The man points to his head and says, "My head pains, do you have any medicine?" She then understood that he was talking about painkillers and eventually got some painkillers from one of her friends and handed them to the man. With a big smile on his face, the man says, "You are very kind! Come I show you my shop."
Steve Jobs doesn't seem to have a problem establishing a rapport with his audience.
Ultimately, this fellow's argument sounds a lot like those people who worry about being "too formal", and therefore under-dress for every occasion. If you're in doubt, dress up and stand up. Neither can hurt you.
If you hit your audience with a series of dull PowerPoint slides, be sure to bring lots of coffee to help them stay awake. In college some of my professors would do nothing but flip PP slides and drone behind a pedestal. No movement other than to click the mouse. Oh the torment of those classes. Never underestimate the potential destructive power of PowerPoint to otherwise good information.
Recently I was introduced to a group that actually teaches how to do public speaking. For all those interested, it's called toastmasters. You can find them at http://www.toastmasters.org/ Some of their members include people such as senators, prime ministers, and lots of CEO's so it can't be too much of a waste of time and money.
I have not had the time to try it out but I believe that it will be worth a look shortly.
Regards, Derek
I cannot speak from the perspective of an entrepreneur, but in my current situation, I always stand when presenting to customers and suppliers. It's more professional and more respectful. Sitting down is body language for "I don't think highly enough of you to keep standing." Some may disagree; I learned that the hard way.
John.