There are times in your life when you need to get every word right, says pitch trainer and Pitch to Win author, David Beckett. In fact, every communication situation in the business world relies on your ability to be engaging and persuasive. All that – in little to no time. Time is everything in a world where everyone’s in a hurry.
For last year’s Present to Succeed conference we asked David Beckett to give us 3 winning tips on creating a great pitch. David has coached over 1400 startups and 20,000+ professionals at companies like Shell, IKEA, Philips, PwC, Google and Booking.com to make successful presentations.
So, check out the key takeaways from David’s talk about the 3 elements of a great pitch.
The Why of the problem
David defines a pitch as a time-pressured presentation with a clear ask and a personal edge. Take the first part, time-pressured. You need to be super quick and sharp when delivering your ask and for that reason David suggests you start directly by targeting the audience’s pain point. You are trying to solve a problem they’re having (a problem you’ve previously researched and identified, mind you), so now you only need to address it in a specific, exact, but human way.
Listen to this short clip from David’s talk where he explains the importance of saying things in a human way:
Loved what you just heard? You can get the full, 45-minute long recording if you’re curious about more valuable insights David has to share.
What's in it for the audience?
The second element to the perfect pitch is matching your proposition with the audience’s strategy. Making them believe in your product or service has nothing to do with the product or service, it has to do with how this product or service can help the audience reach their goals. (David does talk about the audience and the objective early in his session, so do watch it if you want to hear it from a seasoned pro).
So how do you communicate that effectively? State your key message and get a couple of supporting facts. We know you have tonnes of details and documents but keep them for a later stage or provide them if asked. The best thing to do here is to clearly offer your solution to the problem, state how they can benefit from this solution and acknowledge any potential disagreement.
Show your passion
“Your enthusiasm really counts”, says David, and goes on to quote the words of a Silicon Valley investor: investors invest in conviction. This simply means that your passion for the product you’re pitching needs to translate in the presentation delivery. Remember that your audience consists of human beings, and we connect with each other through emotions. Make sure you put your heart into it. This will make it all sound more relatable and will increase your chances of success.
What are the two things you need to think of before even opening PowerPoint? How to brainstorm effectively? How long does the perfect pitch take? How to approach resistant audience members or nay-sayers? All those questions, any many more, get an answer in David Beckett’s session so be sure to watch it.
We hope you enjoyed David Beckett’s 3 elements of a great pitch and notes have been taken. You’ve probably noticed that, just like any other presentation, investor decks are about telling a story and telling it in the most engaging and effective way. You can read more about it in our basic guide to pitching to investors here, or go pro by joining the next, hybrid edition of the Present to Succeed conference on 28 April. You’re a ticket away from making your presentations nothing short of great.
Join Present to Succeed - the biggest presentation skills conference in the world
Whether you are part of an organization or running a business, how your slides look will always factor in your success. Learn how to become an influential speaker by joining our 20+ industry-leading speakers’ sessions.
Start engaging your audience better and influencing them to embrace your concepts, hire you, or buy your products. Now is the best moment to get your ticket!
Join Present to Succeed - the biggest presentation skills conference in the world
Whether you are part of an organisation or running a business, how your slides look will always factor in your success. Learn how to become an influential speaker by joining our 20+ industry-leading speakers’ sessions.
Start engaging your audience better and learn how to influence them to embrace your concepts, hire you, or buy your products. Get your ticket now!
