Do you ever wonder whether you are pitching yourself or your business convincingly?
You are not alone. Many people struggle to deliver a pitch because they don’t know how to sell themselves or how to engage an audience.
Whether you are pitching your ideas at a meeting, pitching your business at a networking event, delivering a pitch for a presentation or at a job interview, if you deliver with confidence and passion you are more likely to influence your audience.
If you hold back because you suffer from imposter syndrome, or you fear being rejected, then you will miss out on opportunities for yourself and your business, and you won’t be heard.
And you deserve to be heard
Let me show you 5 proven strategies for communicating a pitch to make you stand out from the crowd
1. Be yourself and be authentic
Don’t let imposter syndrome hide who you are or what you stand for. Let your audience see the real you. Show them why your pitch matters to you and why and how it should matter to them.
This will help you to encourage the continuation of a conversation as you ignite the curiosity and interest of your audience and build genuine trust.
An audience will know if you are being authentic and will make a decision whether to believe you based on this judgment.
2. Communicate with passion and sincerity
If you strongly believe in what you are delivering and you are willing to show your belief and passion, your enthusiasm will be infectious. There can be plenty of passion in your words, but if your delivery lacks passion, the words will not jump off the page and you will not have the power to influence.
If you feel excited about what you are sharing, deliver it with enthusiasm and excitement. This will be contagious for your audience and have an uplifting influence.
Imagine two people presenting about the same topic. The first has a deadpan face, monotone voice and rigid body. The second uses a descriptive and full range of gestures, their face is lit up and the tone and pitch of their voice is varied. Who is likely to keep your attention?
3. Share relevant and engaging stories
Tell stories rather than just sharing facts and figures. Stories engage the emotional rather than the cognitive part of the brain and therefore make you more memorable and engaging. If you show vulnerability through stories, your audience are more likely to share information with you, which could be the catalyst to making a sale or influencing a decision.
4. Encourage your audience to be actively involved rather than passively listening
If you talk at your audience rather than using strategies to get them actively involved, you run the risk of them turning off and not actively listening to your pitch.
To encourage active participation you can try asking questions, using models or props, facilitating collaborative discussion, and where appropriate include a relevant activity that makes them think and care about your message.
5. Use a clear call to action
If you want your audience to do something in response to your pitch, you need to spell out clearly what you would like them to do and how they can easily apply what you are suggesting. For example, don’t assume they know what to do to get in touch with you or how they can help support environmental issues. Be specific.
If you want you or your team to become more confident at preparing and delivering a pitch, take a look at my Group Workshop options or book a free phone chat to discuss your individual or team's needs.