I should know, I’ve won an award…..

The Award

This week I won ‘Best Startup Pitch’ award at our local Cork City Council business awards. Being honest, it’s a very small talent pool versus London or Silicon Valley. But still, It was a super event. And I took away a few learnings.

it’s A Conversation

The best pitches are a conversation. It’s like you are talking directly to a person. Make it feel like a 1-1 conversation.

I quite like putting in phrases like ‘Do you know what I mean?’ or ‘Does that make sense?’ into my pitch. It makes people attentive and relaxed.

Smile

It’s a really simple to do, but I think smiling is key. I mean, the likelyhood is that nobody really listens to what you are saying. What they will remember is how you made them feel. Smile, be positive. It will make your listeners feel positive.

When I walked off the stage I got lots of praise for ‘being energetic’ and for ‘being engaging’. I think, before any of these compliments can be directed to you, you need to be liked. So smile.

Talk Italian

Use those hands. If nothing else, it catches peoples eyes. I had 7 minutes to hold the hearts and minds of people. If you talk with your hands a lot, it encourages the audience to visualise what you are saying. It brings it to life.

Crucially, don’t overuse your hands. You don’t want to come across to agitated. Take deep breaths – it will slow your movement if you are inclined to overdo it.

The Slower You Speak, the More people listen to you

This is the best piece of advice you can take from me. Say less. Leave gaps.

Be comfortable with awkward ……

…..pauses.

Remember – the likeihood is nobody present will remember what you say. Don’t worry about getting out every single statistic or metric. Keep it topline.

And say less. Ask the audience a question…. a rhetorical quesiton…. and leave a pause. It will make them think. And if they are thinking, they are engaged. Winner, winner.

Hope that helps. If you need anymore tips, reach out to me by email

TJ