Pitching an idea to stakeholders is not so different from doing stand-up comedy. You need to capture the attention of your audience in the first five minutes, and keep them hanging on your every word throughout the presentation. In the business world, you need to be able to grab attention and hold it for at least five minutes. If you also want to master the art of pitching, here are a few tips to consider before your next big presentation.
Get to the punchline as soon as possible
- If you’re pitching an idea, don’t start with “I’m so excited about the opportunity to be sharing this idea.”
- You audience already knows that. Instead, throw in your teaser immediately
- You might start with, “Our pilot has been proven by a $2,000,000 revenue in the last 3 months.”
- With that, you’ve instantly established credibility
Address your audiences’ questions swiftly
- If a member of your audience has a question or objection, be in the moment and address it immediately
- Don’t stick to your script
- Adapt instantly if you don’t, they may begin to doubt you or the question will sit in the centre of their minds for the remainder of your presentation
Keep it short
- Your time is limited and so is their attention. Use as many words as you need to get to your point
- Show your stakeholders that you have made the effort to respect their time
- Ensuring clarity, keeping your communication snappy and to the point, and making sure your words and expressions are appropriate to the culture and context are now basic requirements of operating in this world
Don’t Make Assumptions About Your Audience’s Knowledge
- If your audience does not understand what you are saying, you have lost them
- Avoid acronyms and jargon
- Instead of saying, “I know this report is TLTR,” you could say, “This may seem too long to read”
Keep culture in mind
- People will only support your idea when it is useful, exciting, relevant, and obviously, not offensive
- Find yourself that “local” (a senior manager, a mentor, or a friend in a similar industry) who can listen to your pitch and give you constructive feedback
