Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, recently described the market forces which are making the pharmaceutical industry adjust its business strategies [1]. Shifting pharmaceutical industry strategies have a direct impact on the biotechnology industry as both are part of the larger human therapeutics industry. Since the internal R&D engines of the pharmaceutical companies have not been able to replace the blockbuster products that have or will soon tumble over the patent expiry cliff, they have used acquisitions and partnerships with biotechnology companies to supply them with new products. This positive market force has been balanced by the cascading negative impact of the financial crisis on the biotechnology industry.

December is a month for review and resolution. With 2011 right around the corner, now is the perfect time to assess the effectiveness of your IR program and revise your strategy for the New Year.

To sum up our month of investor presentation tips, tricks and techniques, here are our Top 5 Tips for Effective Presentations:

Companies often suffer from the curse of knowledge the more you know, the harder it is to communicate with someone who doesn't know what you know. Having worked with many early-stage resource companies, we have found that this is often the case when it comes to their corporate investor presentations. There is a tendency to incorporate an excess of technical information into their presentations (such as advanced geological and/or geochemical terminology and concepts) that is often lost on the average investor and worse, distracts from the story's key messages. You have a limited amount of time in front of an audience. To ensure they internalize your message it is critical to transfer the right information as rapidly as a possible in a way that will make them remember you.