Speaking in public is often cited as being one of the most common fears we face as humans. It usually ranks higher than death, heights, shark attacks, spiders or being pulled limb-from-limb by flesh-eating zombies! But it doesn't have to be that frightening.
In business, speaking in front of people is an unavoidable part of the job description. Whether addressing a panel in an interview, a group of colleagues in a meeting, or a conference room full of investors, there’s little room for stage fright. No matter how uncomfortable you feel at first, you need to be able to deliver your ideas in a compelling and convincing way to ensure you seal the deal you’re looking for.
But how can you do that when you’re quaking in your shoes? We asked some successful entrepreneurs to share their tips on how to pitch like a pro.
How to pitch like a pro?
Jackie:
Pitching is a really important part of business. Whether you're pitching yourself for a job, pitching your business with a new client or pitching something that you're selling. And I think the biggest tip that I could give anybody is to practise.
Sian:
Practise makes perfect. You know, whether you're at home. Talking to your cat and you're just running over it, running over it.
Jackie:
What I would do is, I would sit my phone up on a desk and I would actually hit record, and record myself.
Jordan:
Whether it be, like, practising in front of my mother and father or just my friends… and I think practising public speaking in front of people you know is the most daunting. So if you can get over that, it becomes quite easy.
Sian:
You know, sometimes for me, I'd have little bullet points. Notes, that have written on my hand, or on a little piece of paper, on my little cards that I'd use. And almost have one word and it would trigger a whole sentence that you'd been learning in your head.
Jack:
My advice to any young person getting up on stage, going into a meeting to pitch is: what is the worst can happen? Because most likely that worst thing won't happen. We all get nervous. We all get anxious and we all feel overwhelmed. That is what you call a human being.
Ben:
I think nerves are natural thing. I've always said to myself if I ever don't get nervous, I'm not doing the right thing, I'm not pushing myself enough. And I think that you just have to learn to capture those nerves and switch them around and use them to your advantage to help you focus on the job in hand.
Caspar:
I had a moment where I was on stage in front of forty people. And I just lost my train of thought.And I completely froze. I remember thinking "I'm going to and run out of the room, I'm going to run out the room!" and they just, they wanted me to succeed. So they were like no. So they started going, like' "Hey, what now?!" They helped me. The audience helped me because they didn't want to see you fail. And just remember that!
Ben:
The biggest talk was to twenty thousand people and the thought of having this teenage boy go on to this stage to talk for an hour about their business to that many people is very scary, and I was really nervous. But I use music as my way to relax and focus so I put on my headphones, listened to my favourite songs. I just focussed on the moment.
Kayode:
Yeah, I have fun with it. Like if you're having fun when you delivering, nine times out of ten the audience are also gonna have fun. If you go on stage like, “Yo, how’s it going everybody?” Nice big smile, do you get what I mean,like nice and loud, amplify your voice, get them excited! This isn’t… you know what it is? When I’m going to deliver a talk, I want them to think that they are never gonna hear… this isn’t your everyday talk: this is Kayode Damali right now, you get what I mean? So you really wanna go in there are just blow their socks off. Have fun with it, man. That’s the one thing I say, have fun with it.
Let’s recap:
Practice makes perfect. Whether you choose to rehearse in front of the mirror, your family, your phone or your cat, practising what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it is invaluable.
Use notes, but make sure they’re short. Bullet points or key words work well – you want them to spark an idea that you can elaborate on; you definitely don’t want to be reading word for word.
Put things into perspective… what’s the worst that could happen? Even if you forget what to say or trip over your words, you’ll still be alive at the end of it all!
Capture your nerves and focus all that excess energy on the job in hand rather than letting it run riot.
Find a way to relax beforehand. Listen to music, do some yoga, go for a walk. Work out what calms your mind, and do it.
Have fun! It might feel impossible, but if you’re enjoying yourself (or at least giving the impression that you are!) your audience will pick up on that. Project your voice, smile and make yourself memorable.
And finally, remember that people don’t want to see you fail. It’s tempting to feel like your audience is against you, but most of the time they’re just glad it’s you on stage and not them! As long as you prepare, practice and project confidence in your product, you’ll smash it!
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