I am working on this project and have to go before a panel of people to present my idea; so my daughter suggested I read one of her books on how to "pitch". Being an avid reader, I proceeded to read Perfect pitch: the art of selling ideas and winning new business , written by Jon Steel - John Wiley& Sons - 2007 . After reading it, I found I learnt some valuable lessons and decided to share my condensed version. Basically, he states that the point of a presentation is to get you from point A to point B—where you are now to where you want to be. Once you have decided to do the presentation, it is no longer about what you want—if you really want what you want. From this point on, it is all about what the decision makers wants. You have to think: a) WHY do they want to hear from you, see you, or should be interested in anything that you have to say or do; and b) WHAT do they want to see and/or hear. So hear are the 10 things I learned: