While I agree with Mark Twain’s famous comment that the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug, I would add that the right word is the simplest word that gets the job done. Consider this the next time you prepare a business presentation.

A lot of people equate eloquence and intelligence, so they turn to the thesaurus and bring out the big guns when they want to sound smart. Unfortunately, this is also the technique of the conman. All else being equal, if you cannot present your idea in clear, simple language, I smell a rat.

I’m not suggesting one must “dumb-down” presentations. Far from it. I believe that the best way to show respect for the audience’s intelligence is to show respect for their time. I go to so many meetings where the presenter assumes no one has prepared, and then proceeds to “present” by reading slides verbatim. Worse, they stick to the carefully prepared program for 50 minutes of an hour meeting, eliminating the possibility of meaningful dialogue. If you really have something of value to sell, let the audience sell it to themselves through their questions.

Of course, if you do not have something of real value to offer, there’s always PowerPoint.

For some reason, every advertising agency presentation I’ve sat through seems to include the entire history of advertising, a multi-media extravaganza, a step-by-step explanation of why advertising results only SEEM un-measurable to the ignorant and uninitiated - and all of this is explained with the highest jargon-to-English ratio possible. As Sam Spade said in The Maltese Falcon, “The cheaper the hood, the gaudier the patter.” Or as I like to put it, the less one has to sell, the fancier the presentation.

I’ve got nothing against cleverness, but when I’m evaluating a business decision or an investment opportunity, my BS detector is very sensitive, and flowery language sets off alarms. I need information, clearly started in simple language. Most business owners and investors tell me they want the same thing.  I think that’s why we are finally seeing a PowerPoint backlash. PowerPoint is a good tool that has been mercilessly abused by multitudes of middle managers who value style over content.

When I agree to listen to someone else, I want to be convinced, not sold. If they can’t say it in simple and clear language, I don’t work with them.