Every year, out of hundreds of product applications, 30 Taiwanese companies are selected to compete for the prestigious Taiwan Excellence Gold medal awards. They are given 8 minutes to present and convince a body of international judges that they deserve to be one of only 10 Gold Medal winners.
A lot is at stake in this presentation.
Not only are the Gold Medal awards an affirmation of the product quality and innovation, but Gold Medal winners get direct support from TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Council) to help promote their products and companies internationally. For smaller companies, this assistance can translate into increases in invaluable international brand awareness, recognition, and ultimately sales.
With so much at stake in this competition, it is a pity that companies who have excellent products may lose out on opportunities because of sub-standard presentation skills and unfamiliarity with the judge’s expectations for the competition presentation. This is why TAITRA organizes workshops and consultation seminars for companies wanting assistance.
It has been my pleasure to help TAITRA with this since 2019. In my workshops, I have come up with a formula to help companies craft a clearer presentation message. I call this the “8-4-3P Formula to Presentation Gold” for Taiwan Excellence.
What is the “8” and “4”? – Time, Judges, and Judging Categories
These two numbers indicate the basic parameters of the competition presentation. As of 2021, the presentation length was reduced from 10 minutes to 8 minutes. This is not much time for a product presentation. But this limit is necessary – and strictly followed – because the 30 presentations are conducted live over 1 weekend, and each presentation is followed by a Q&A period of the 8 international judges (4 Taiwanese and 4 other judges from other countries).
The number 4 represents the number of judging categories. Two judges will focus on one of the following 4 categories: Research and Development (R&D), Design, Quality, and Marketing. This makes sense, as TAITRA’s mandate for this competition is to help Taiwanese Brands reach broader international audiences, and excellent brands should excel in all of these 4 categories.
How important is the presentation performance?
Before the competition, the judges are given reports from each company, but the importance of the presentation cannot be overstated: the presentation and Q&A performance will be the basis for the judges’ scoring. The presentation, therefore, is the chance for the company to show how its product is unique or differentiated from others in these categories. Clearly, the Gold Medal winners will be those who can demonstrate and succinctly communicate these 4 strengths within 8 minutes.
So, how to demonstrate and succinctly communicate these 4 categories? This is where the 3P comes in.
What is the 3P?
3P represents the 3 grammatical “presents” of a presentation. The word “present” in English has different meanings, and as with many multi-definition words, a different grammar can be a useful way to separate the meanings and prevent confusion. The 3 meanings of Present are the following:
- Present (v) – to show
- Present (adj) – to be in the “here-and-now”
- Present (n) – a gift.
In the 3-P Formula, Present (v) covers the what and how to show the the presentation, which means to logically organize the content message, give it a coherent structure, and use clear verbal and nonverbal language to communicate it. The Present (adj) describes how the presenter needs to be present in the presentation to be able to connect with the audience. Finally, the Present (n) is the gift that the presentation can be as an effectively told storyline of USPs where the hero of the story is the customer.
Present (v)
There are 5 main types of presentation. The purpose of a presentation is either to inform, persuade, motivate, educate, or entertain, or a combination. The Taiwan Excellence Presentation is a combination of inform and persuade – the presenter needs to use information to persuade judges the product excels in all 4 categories in order to win the Gold Medal. [[SELLING]]
Presentation content: The story, its hero, and its structure
[[selling]] As with any successful product presentation, the presentation is a story with one main hero. But the hero is not the product. And it’s not the company.
So, who is the hero?
It’s the customer.
Although the presentation and the competition is about the product, the story of the product is the customer hero. More specifically, the story is about the hero’s problem and how the company/product can help the customer solve the problem to make his or her life better. This is the customer-based product story for OBMs (Own Brand Manufacturers) who are directly accountable to their B2C customers.
To persuade judges, the customer-problem story should be logically framed in the same way as research stories: identify the problem first, show why it is important, and then offer the solution. There are ways to do this:
- Problem → solution pathway → solution, or
- Problem → solution → explanation.
These are two ways to organize knowledge and create an argument with the purpose to validate the product/solution. It is this validation of the product that will define the product’s excellence and persuade the judges.
Once the customer-problem is clear, the 8-minute content can be planned. As with all informative and persuasive presentations, it should have a clear 3-part structure:
Introduction (0.5-1 min)Introduce self, company product, (problem to be solved), 3-4 main points Main Message (1-2 mins/point)Problem solved3-4 main points covering all 4 categories of R&D, Design, Quality, Marketing Focus on real USPs Conclusion (0.5 min)Summary main USPs/differentiators |
Common shortcoming in presentation content
There are several common mistakes that Taiwan Excellence presenters make. The first major one is talking too much about their company; the judges are judging the product, so the presentation should focus on this.
A second shortcoming is not covering all of the 4 categories. This is a problem if the company wants the Gold Medal because each judge is focused on his or her specialization, and therefore is listening precisely for how the product excels in it.
A third problem is a lack of coherence. Coherence means how the presentation pieces stick together. If the pieces of the presentation are like a shopping list of disconnected pieces, not enough effort was put into making the parts stick together to tell coherent story. The story could be as simple as clearly showing how the product differs from competitors in the 4 categories. Here, specific slide headings, or action titles, can go a long way to create a coherent message. So, instead of a generic “Design” slide action title, a longer title as a sentence is better if it specifically says what the strength is in Design, like “Unique patented ergonomic Design”. A well made set of slides with specific headings tells the product story without needing to look at the specific details in each slide.
The final big mistake is not connecting the product to the 1. end customer, and 2. the problem solved by the product. If the company comes from an OEM or ODM background, they may not appreciate the importance of presenting how the customer-problem should drive all the product-related processes – the design, R&D, Quality manufacturing, and Marketing. This point is often raised by Marketing judges in particular during the Q&A sessions.
Clear language
The presentation contest is held in English, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, the judges are not only Taiwanese, but come from other countries as well. Secondly, and importantly, English is still currently the international language of business and any Taiwanese company with aspirations to become a global brand should have English-speaking employees in at least management, sales and marketing positions.
When planning and writing the Taiwan Excellence presentation, there are 5 rules to keep in mind about using English.
The first 3 are about the KISS rule (Keep It Short and Simple):
- Keep sentences short with simple grammar and connecting words
- Use a conversational tone and shorter, more common words
- If possible, avoid buzzwords or technical jargon the judges may not know.
The final 2 are about traps to avoid
- Be specific and avoid generalizations
- Avoid unsupported generalizations and subjective superlative words like “the best”; but do mention superlatives if true, like “the thinnest”, “the fastest”, or unique claims like “we are the only …”
Also related to clear language is speaking speed. Because not all international judges may understand English so well, especially if it involves words and ideas outside of their specialization, TAITRA offers simultaneous translation services. To make sure that the presenters’ speaking speed is not too fast and that the presentation will be under 8 minutes, it is a good idea to write out the speech to control time. The ideal speech rate for a presentation should be close to our conversation rate, which is about 120-150 words/min. However, considering interpreters, the rate should be closer to 120 words. So, for 8 minutes that should mean around 1000 words.
A Taiwan Excellence presentation of only about 1000 words is very difficult. The challenge will be to remove information and focus on what really differentiates the product from its competitors … while still touching on all 4 categories.
Present (adj)
It is commonly said that people form their first impression of others in less than 10 seconds. This impression is in most cases completely visual, so the presenter’s clothing, grooming, body language, and organization are the first aspects to be judged. But because the presenter represents the company, he or she also embodies the product and should assume that the presentation evaluation starts as soon as he or she is visible.
When presenting, the presenter will quickly notice how busy the judges are. However, even though the judges are very busy multitasking (listening, understanding, evaluating and taking notes), this does not mean that the judges are unaware of the presenter. The presenter should strive to connect with all of the 8 judges during the presentation. The judges’ confidence in the speaker – and product – relies on the presenter’s ability to
- maintain eye contact,
- use natural body language, facial expressions and gestures,
- maintain stable posture, and
- speak in a natural voice.
These are performance-related details about how the presentation is delivered and depend mostly on one thing – being prepared. Or more precisely, over-prepared. The impressive presentations that people see on TED Talks are not magical – they come from months of practice and over-rehearsing.
To establish a real human-to-human connection with the audience, it is a good idea to make sure that the introduction and conclusion are memorized completely so the speaker can connect directly with the judges without the filter of slides.
As for slides, there is an art and science to designing slides to maximize communication. Some tactics toward this goal examples are using
- clear action titles (mentioned above),
- 1 point per slide
- Images, bullets and key words or phrases to minimize text
- animations to introduce information gradually to reduce distraction.
Present (n)
TED Talks have created a much needed revolution in presentation style – especially in this day and age of over-reliance on technology to communicate a presentation message. Chris Anderson, the curator of TED Talks, describes the characteristic of a good TED Talk as “transfer(ing) a gift to the audience”. For a TED talk, that means authentically connecting with the audience and clearly presenting 1 idea, or “an idea worth spreading” as the TED Talk slogan goes.
For the Taiwan Excellence presentation, the 1 idea worth spreading is the product. However, the presenter must provide 4 arguments for why the product is worth spreading: its R&D, Design, Quality, and Marketing. If these arguments are well made, then the judges will give it a Gold Medal, which is the validation TAITRA requires to help “spread” and promote the product internationally.
But what is the “gift” of a Gold Medal presentation?
It is the story of the product that goes beyond traditional OEM and ODM manufacturing models. It is the Brand story where the hero is the customer and the company is the guide who helps the customer overcome their problem to live a better life. The story has 4 chapters and each chapter should be rooted in the customer problem. In this way the customer becomes the line that connects the 4 chapters of the product story line of the presentation.
Summary
In summary, the 8-4-3P Formula can help your company win the Taiwan Excellence Gold Medal if you
Stay within the 8 minute time limit
Cover the 4 judging criteria of Design, R&D, Quality and Marketing,
P1: Present well:
- Keep the slides and language clear, concise and correct
- Clearly divide the presentation into Introduction, Main Message (3-4 main points – only the major USPs), and Conclusion
P2: Be present
- Be over-prepared so that your maintain eye contact with the judges and keep your voice and body language natural and smooth
P3: Offer a Present
- Tell a customer-centered story in 4 chapters.
If you cover this checklist, then you will at least be confident that you have maximized your chances of winning the Taiwan Excellence Gold Medal.
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