Below are the best tips I have come across for pitches and presentations.
Three things to aim for while drafting your presentation:
- Brevity — keep it as concise as possible while retaining the essence of your message
- Levity — humour increases engagement
- Repetition — like an essay, say what you will say, give your message, and recap again at the end
Broader tips for pitching and presenting:
- Failing to plan is planning to fail
- Rehearsal reduces the likelihood of surprise
- Watch yourself on video if you can
- Aim for authenticity rather than perfection
- Share some of yourself as well as information
- To persuade, you will need to bring some of yourself in order to create an emotional bond with your audience
- Choose your words
- Many use presentation materials as a crutch—they should be incremental to your spoken message
- Boredom is the enemy
- Interactivity can be used to engage your audience and keep their attention
- Establish eye contact
- This helps your audience to keep their attention on you
- Get to the point
- We live in a time of informational overload and short attention spaces; be careful not to provide more information than can be processed as you present
- Use charts and graphics
- Only including text will make your presentation less convincing
- Visuals can enhance the narrative arc by making it more compelling and easier to follow
- Show rather than tell — better yet, ask
- Showing interest in your audience will help you to connect
- An understanding of your audience is essential in crafting your message well
- Sincerity will see you through
- Saying what you believe will make it much easier to remember what you aim to say