Let’s say you have a really amazing idea, a proposal that you think is an absolute home run but when you deliver your pitch you just don’t get the buy-in that you were hoping for. It doesn’t mean that your idea wasn’t as amazing as you thought, it could just be that you don’t know how to deliver a successful pitch. The ability to take your ideas and pitch them successfully is a skill that can be developed. Developing and delivering winning pitches is a crucial skill for everyone, not just small business owners or entrepreneurs. There are two elements you should look at when putting together your pitch, the “why” and the “who”. By approaching your presentation with these two elements in mind, you are more likely to deliver inspiring presentations that resonate with your audience.
Simon Sinek, in his popular Ted Talk, explains the concept he developed that he calls The Golden Circle. In the Golden Circle he explains that if we want to mobilize people and resources around an idea, we should structure our message to begin with and emphasize the why behind what we are trying to achieve. Sinek explains that most people fail because they start with what they do and how they do it, and then, if they give the why at all, touch on it last. The why is the purpose or belief behind what you are doing. Communicating an idea’s purpose, Sinek says, makes it easier for people to engage with the idea because it allows them to understand the motives and goals behind it. After starting with the why, you can then get into the how and what.
Who means that you should focus on who you are giving the presentation to. You need to tailor your message to your audience. The more detailed you can be in structuring your message for your audience, the better. If your company has gone through the employment assessment process and shared that data, you will be the best prepared on how to format your presentation. We are all wired to receive and process information in different ways. Delivering material in the manner that is easiest to process will require less of a cognitive lift on the recipient’s part and be more aligned with how they think.
Now that you know to start with the idea’s purpose while being mindful of the wiring of your audience, you’re ready to begin writing your next successful pitch.
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