I couldn't resist the title of this post -- some of you, no let me correct that, ALL of you must think I've been napping all winter and this post is about me being back from a long NAP -- Nope, not about me....although I've been jaunting about the country. Read on.....
One of my favourite blogs, VentureBlog, always has lots of fun, yet insightful reading for those of us that live in the world of investors, innovation and the daily turmoils of the VC/inventor dance. A post by David Hornik, No Adjectives Please!, is a great case in point example about how annoying those pesky weasel words can be in an investor presentation.
In my language, this post reinforces the point about concrete language in your plans and presentations and cautions against using generalities when specific proof points are needed. I talk about this in detail in chapter one of my toolkit and it's great to see a VC coaching on this point. I love his example of killer adjectives in a pitch..."an elegant solution serving a massive market designed by brilliant founders."
Your Takeaway Today -- check your materials - are they sewn together with adjectives or concrete language? And remember, these rules apply to all of us, not just those presenting to VCs -- your boss, the technology transfer office, a grant reviewer, research foundation director -- all of these people are investors in your idea.
Oh yes, and that pesky acronym in the title....."NAP = No Adjectives Please" :-)
Enjoy the Journey!
Wendy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts!
www.wendykennedy.com
This drives me bonkers too, Wendy. Some people seem to think that by stringing adjectives together they're doing a good job selling, but frankly I find that it undermines their credibility.
Posted by: Alec Saunders | May 03, 2008 at 08:26 AM