33 Tips to Make the Perfect Innovation Pitch

33 Tips to Level Up your Presentation Skills ➔ Have a look at these main takeaways to perform the perfect (innovation) pitch!

Prepare for a presentation upfront by looking into these key tips and level up your skills for a successful pitch.

Don't forget that these skills are just as important as the content you are presenting. Whether or not you'll achieve the desired outcome, can be affected by the way the handle the presentation.

We'll go three different topics to pitch like a king:
✔︎Storytelling & Framing
✔︎Body language & Attitude
✔︎Slides & practical tips.

We use these elements in our own innovation accelerator program: https://www.boardofinnovation.com/corporate-innovation-accelerator/

1. PRESENTATION SKILLS
boardofinnovation.com
To Make The Perfect
Innovation Pitch
Flickr cc Ignite New Zealand
33
TIPS
PRESENTATION SKILLS

2. Hi, I’m @nickdemey
co-founder of Board of Innovation
Every week I do workshops, keynotes,…

on innovation, design thinking & intrapreneurship.

3. Hi, I’m @nickdemey
co-founder of Board of Innovation
Every week I do workshops, keynotes,…

on innovation, design thinking & intrapreneurship.
Every year we help +150 corporate startup teams

to shine for their exco & colleagues!
In this deck,
all our tips to make
The Perfect Pitch.

4. 3 topics
Storytelling

&
Framing
Body Language
&
Attitude
Slides

&
Practical tips

5. We guide corporate startups from idea to executive pitch.
www.boardofinnovation.com
MORE INFO ON OUR INNOVATION ACCELERATOR

6. Storytelling

&
Framing
Body Language
&
Attitude
Slides

&
Practical tips
1

7. Flickr cc jkirkhart35
How not to start your story:

8. Flickr cc jkirkhart35
How not to start your story:
Don’t start with an excuse:
-“My slides ar not finished but…. I’ll give a shot”
-“My train was late so I couldn’t…”
-“I’m a little bit tired today so ….”
-…
Start with a BANG! Ignore what’s incomplete or the
fact that you’re nervous. Show some confidence! !

9. Make a personal connection

10. Make a personal connection
I often share a story: “When I was 5 I wanted to
become an inventor” (aka. Innovation consultant).
Know your audience & try to relate to their world.

11. Flickr cc Parchedwings
Always be
positive!

12. Flickr cc Parchedwings
Always be
Positive!
Don’t use your
pitch to complain
about corporate
politics,
frustrations,…

13. Be brave
when needed.
Flickr cc Barty

14. Dare to speak up 

if a specific budget

or timing is needed
if this will impact

another project.
if …
Flickr cc Barty
Be Brave
when needed.

15. Flickr cc 83633410@N07
Be honest.

16. Flickr cc 83633410@N07
If you don’t know
something (yet),
just say so.
Don’t try to invent an 

answer out of thin air.
Be honest.

17. When you’re honest, the jury might
be more open to help you with
missing info. (vs finding out what
you’ve got wrong.)
Flickr cc 83633410@N07
If you don’t know
something (yet),
just say so.
Don’t try to invent an 

answer out of thin air.
Be honest.

18. Flickr cc Maryna Sezonova
Make eye
contact.

19. Tell your story with
confidence and make
eye contact with your
audience.
Make eye
contact.
Flickr cc Maryna Sezonova

20. Flickr cc Maryna Sezonova
Don’t focus too long on just one
person. Look at the whole audience.
Change your focus from time to
time.
Tell your story with
confidence and make
eye contact with your
audience.
Make eye
contact.

21. Flickr cc johnnykoster
Repeat
important
items.

22. Flickr cc johnnykoster
Seriously, repeat
important items.
Repeat
important items.

23. Flickr cc johnnykoster
Seriously, repeat
important items.
Repeat
important items.
It helps your audience remember.
Repeating is important.

24. Flickr cc Csaba Cserepes
Use of
silence.

25. Flickr cc Csaba Cserepes
Use of silence.
Use silence to enforce
your statement. It
really works.

26. Flickr cc Csaba Cserepes
A presenter has the urge to speak.
Therefore a moment of silence may
seem like minutes but the audience
will not conceive it that way.
Use of silence.
Use silence to enforce
your statement. It
really works.

27. Involve your
audience.

28. Ask questions to your
audience. Don’t make
it a one man show.
Involve your
audience.

29. Ask questions to your
audience. Don’t make
it a one man show.
Involve your
audience.
An interactive presentation will
engage your audience more.

30. Purpose: 

Why should I listen?

31. Include a purpose to
your presentation.
Purpose: 

Why should I
listen?

32. Include a purpose to
your presentation.
Purpose: 

Why should I
listen?
Bring a direct message to certain
people in the audience. Remind
them why they should listen and
what’s in there for them.

33. Flickr cc Thom Chandler
Humor
& Jokes?

34. Flickr cc Thom Chandler
Humor
& Jokes?
Avoid putting jokes
inside your presentation. 

Unless you’re 90% most

people will like it…

35. Flickr cc Thom Chandler
Avoid putting jokes
inside your presentation. 

Unless you’re 90% most

people will like it…
Humor
& Jokes?
It isn’t easy to joke around. Even a
stand-up comedian has a hard time
to make the audience laugh.

36. Flickr cc Patrick Deuley
Use your
Q&A time.

37. Flickr cc Patrick Deuley
Be prepared for
questions. You may
even leave some
crucial information
lead the questions and
be a bit more
prepared.
Use your
Q&A time.

38. A team
intro?
Flickr cc Zach Graves

39. Flickr cc Zach Graves
A team intro?
Give yourself a proper
introduction but don’t
get to detailed about
yourself or your team.

40. Flickr cc Zach Graves
A team intro?
Give yourself a proper
introduction but don’t
get to detailed about
yourself or your team.
Talk about your team when it’s
relevant to the story, not as a
lengthy intro.

41. Framing of
big numbers.
Flickr cc Marco Digitalstream

42. Flickr cc Marco Digitalstream
Big numbers lose their
impact after a certain
amount. We can’t
grasp the difference
between 1 or 2 million
or billion.
Framing of
big numbers

43. Flickr cc Marco Digitalstream
Framing of
big numbers
Frame the numbers or use
smaller examples to make a
stronger impact. (2 devices per
households vs 4M devices in this
area)
Big numbers lose their
impact after a certain
amount. We can’t
grasp the difference
between 1 or 2 million
or billion.

44. Use of
metaphors.
Flickr cc yosuke muroya

45. Flickr cc yosuke muroya
Use metaphors to
make complex
subjects more
understandable.
Use of
metaphors.

46. Flickr cc yosuke muroya
Use metaphors to
make complex
subjects more
understandable.
Use of
metaphors.
A metaphor is a good story-telling
tool. It may help the audience to
understand and remember your
story better.

47. Storytelling

&
Framing
Body Language
&
Attitude
Slides

&
Practical tips
Body Language
&
Attitude
2

48. Relax.
Flickr cc RelaxingMusic

49. Relax.
It may seem like an
impossible task but try
to remain relaxed. If
you’re stressing too
hard, it will affect your
presentation.
Flickr cc RelaxingMusic

50. Relax.
Flickr cc RelaxingMusic
Dry run your presentation to be
prepared and avoid stressing out.
It may seem like an
impossible task but try
to remain relaxed. If
you’re stressing too
hard, it will affect your
presentation.

51. Directive,
steer focus.
Flickr cc Michael Dales

52. Flickr cc Michael Dales
Directive,
steer focus.
Don’t push too much
information on just
one slide.

53. Flickr cc Michael Dales
Directive,
steer focus.
Don’t show everything at once but
lead your audience by showing
point - by - point information.
Don’t push too much
information on just
one slide.

54. Positive
posture/gestures.
Flickr cc Get Schooled

55. Flickr cc Get Schooled
Positive
posture/ gestures.
Dry run the presentation
and video tape it to get a
good view on your
posture and gestures.

56. Flickr cc Get Schooled
Positive
posture/ gestures.
Dry run the presentation
and video tape it to get a
good view on your
posture and gestures.
A relaxed posture is important but
don’t get too comfy. Hanging on a
desk isn’t the best way to present.

57. No
alpha-males.
Flickr cc Hans Westerbeek

58. Flickr cc Hans Westerbeek
No
alpha-males.
Don’t be too self-
assured. Be confident
but not cocky.

59. Stepping
forward
Flickr cc Kim Nowak

60. Flickr cc Kim Nowak
Stepping
forward
Take a step towards your
audience while talking 

about a crucial point.

61. Flickr cc Kim Nowak
Stepping
forward
Take a step towards your
audience while talking 

about a crucial point.
People will notice this body
language & understand this
message will be more important!

62. Shaking?
Flickr cc toshi*

63. Flickr cc toshi*
Shaking?
Shaking is normal.
Don’t be scared.
Rehearse your
presentation so you’re
prepared and a bit
more relaxed.

64. Flickr cc toshi*
Shaking?
Shaking is normal.
Don’t be scared.
Rehearse your
presentation so you’re
prepared and a bit
more relaxed.
Put your hand down or hold
something to decrease the shaking
or make it less visible.

65. Use your
space.
Flickr cc Phlora

66. Flickr cc Phlora
Use your
space.
Walk around during
your talk. But don’t pace
up and down the whole
time, it makes people
nervous.

67. Flickr cc Phlora
Tip: put your glass on the other side
of the room so you have a reminder
to make you walk.
Use your
space.
Walk around during
your talk. But don’t pace
up and down the whole
time, it makes people
nervous.

68. Storytelling

&
Framing
Body Language
&
Attitude
Slides

&
Practical tips
3

69. Check the
room setup.
Flickr cc Desolate Places

70. Flickr cc Desolate Places
Check the
room setup.
Prepare yourself. Go
and see the room
before you start,
don’t let the
unexpected get you
down.

71. Prepare demo
& backup.
Flickr cc Aenderson Fernando

72. Flickr cc Aenderson Fernando
Prepare demo
& backup
Prepare your demo
and create slides or
print screens to
backup your demo if
something goes
wrong.

73. Timing.
Flickr cc Louie Botha

74. Flickr cc Louie Botha
Timing.
Dry run your
presentation to get a
good view on your
timing.

75. Flickr cc Louie Botha
Timing.
Dry run your
presentation to get a
good view on your
timing.
Use a small clock or put your phone
on a timer to guide you trough your
presentation. If it takes too long,
leave out some less important slides.

76. Golden ratio.
Picture cc Matt W. Moore

77. Picture cc Mariya Tereshkova
Golden Ratio.
Use mathematics
to get a good overview
of proportion

78. Picture cc Mariya Tereshkova
Golden Ratio.
Use mathematics
to get a good overview
of proportion
Fibonacci and the golden ratio are
good tools to help you arrange your
graphics.

79. Alignment.
Picture cc Thomas Hawk

80. Alignment.
Avoid things to float and
be aware of hierarchy an
the law of proximity.
Bold out words to make
them more prominent.

81. Alignment.
Avoid things to float and
be aware of hierarchy an
the law of proximity.
Bold out words to make
them more prominent.
What stands together belongs
together. The use of alignment
can give an instant designed
feeling to a slide.

82. Text.
Picture cc Dyylan

83. Text
Don’t use too much text.
People can’t concentrate
on reading and listening
at the same time.

84. Text
Don’t use too much text.
People can’t concentrate
on reading and listening
at the same time.
If you really need a lot of text:
split text in paragraphs to make
it less heavy and bold out the
most important words to make
them more prominent.

85. Colors.
Picture cc dan gal

86. Colors.
Don’t overdo your slides
with too much colors. It
makes it harder to read.
Instead be subtle with
the use of color.

87. Colors.
Don’t overdo your slides
with too much colors. It
makes it harder to read.
Instead be subtle with
the use of color.
Don’t use more then 3 primary
colors.

88. Contrast.
Picture cc Jacqueline ter Haar

89. Contrast
Be aware of contrast in
your presentation. Some
words are barely
readable when presented
on a screen of trough a
projector.

90. Contrast
Be aware of contrast in
your presentation. Some
words are barely
readable when presented
on a screen of trough a
projector.
Grayscale certain elements when in
doubt. Contrast becomes more clear
in grayscale.

91. Follow
the eyes.
Picture cc johnny rullino

92. Follow the
eyes.
Align pictures with
faces looking at the text.
The other way around
may distract the viewer.

93. Heat-maps have shown that
aligning the face increases the
interest in the text.
Follow the
eyes.
Align pictures with
faces looking at the text.
The other way around
may distract the viewer.

94. 50 % Rule.
Picture cc Mark Oliver Adams

95. 50 % Rule
Don’t use effects on
default mode. Put the
settings on 50% to get a
more designed and less
preset look.

96. Be clear.
Picture cc Karma.Chen

97. Be clear.
Don’t make your actions
look like a mistake. Be
clear and consistent in
the use of style elements.

98. We guide corporate startups from idea to executive pitch.
www.boardofinnovation.com
MORE INFO ON OUR INNOVATION ACCELERATOR