One of the tips Dave shared in our conversation with him is the importance of keeping your audience’s interests at the forefront of your thinking during the preparation and delivery of your pitch. P-I-T-C-H is a useful acronym to help you remember the importance of this principle.

Picture

In

The

Client’s

Head

All your efforts in preparing for a great pitch must be based on an informed assessment of your client’s needs, i.e. having a clear picture of what’s in your client’s head. This will require that you to build personal relationships with the people you plan to pitch— enabling you to do research in terms of understanding their business, familiarise yourself with the power dynamics of their organisational landscape, and ultimately address their pain points.

Indeed, an audience-oriented presentation is key to meeting your business outcomes. And while that may sound obvious, it’s quite surprising how many people find it difficult to focus on clearly articulating how the solutions they are pitching will address the issues their audience face. That’s especially tough to do when you’re anxious to secure buy-in or close a big deal.

Keeping the picture in the client’s head in clear focus when preparing and delivering a pitch is one thing. However, just as important is realising that as a presenter you have a significant role to play in terms of shaping the picture in the client’s head. Think of yourself as a talented Photoshop editor applying much-needed touch-ups to an otherwise bland image.

Here are two quick tips to aid your mission:

1) Hook your audience by adopting an inspiring vocal approach.

You need to realise that how you say things is often just as important as what you say— in some cases more so. Research shows that a person’s vocal quality significantly contributes to the impact they make as a speaker, and that audiences are always far more likely to respond positively and be influenced by a speaker who demonstrates  enthusiasm  and  passion  for the  subject. Time spent improving your vocal delivery is always a worthwhile investment.

2) Mind your image.

How nervous would you get if you caught a glimpse of your cardiologist dressed for the golf course moments before putting you under to perform heart surgery on you? Chances are that this might make you a tad uncomfortable.

Successful business pitches rely not only on how your message is crafted and how expressive your voice is, but also on your ability to gain people’s trust. Your mission is to assure your audience of your competency to solve their problems. Earning credibility can also be achieved by presenting an aspirational image which your audience can confidently buy into.

That’s where dressing the part and using positive body language come into the picture. You may just want to consider updating your wardrobe, getting complete image makeover, and getting guidance on how to enhance your delivery style.

The post Nail Your Next Business Pitch: Focus On Your Client appeared first on Beth Ann Galvin.

“When we are selling our ideas, the audience must first buy us.”
―Peter Coughter, The Art of the Pitch: Persuasion and Presentation Skills that Win Business

Whether you’re a sales exec looking to win a client over, a board member needing to persuade your fellow directors to adopt a new plan, or even a general manager tasked with convincing subordinates of the merits of a new workflow managment system, you’ll do well to polish up on your pitching skills.

Joining Andile Masuku and I on the show this time is Dave Duarte. Thanks to Dave’s solid personal brand and extensive network, he rarely has to pitch for business these days. Nonetheless, he certainly knows a little more than a thing or two about what it takes to craft and deliver the perfect pitch.

Many thanks to Dave for taking a little time out of a busy schedule that includes sitting on several boards including that of the Mail & Guardian and Endeavor’s Venture Corps, collaborating with the Ogilvy Digital Marketing Academy (which he founded), and running a successful consulting business called TreeShake.

Be sure to listen right through for practical pro-tips I’ll be sharing that are sure to help you make the most of what’s left of pitch season.

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Narratives have been told through out the ages in every culture as a means of entertaining, educating and transferring values. On the latest episode of The Presentation Fix, Andile Masuku and I have drawn inspiration from a fairly well-known TED Talk by prolific Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, entitled The Danger of a Single Story. We’ll unpack some key elements demonstrated in Chimamanda’s talk, and chat about how stories can be used to communicate complex ideas and illicit the buy-in of an audience.

We’re also pleased to feature the insights of Musa Kalenga— who is currently Africa Client Partner at Facebook, as well as Head of Brand for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa. Over the last twelve years or so, Musa’s made quite name for himself through crafting messaging for leading multi-national firms and even governments. His current role at Facebook sees him apply himself to promoting the efforts of arguably the most prolific story-telling medium of the modern age.

Be sure to listen right through because in the Your Presentation Fix segment I’ll  be sharing practical advice you can use to immediately start improving your storytelling game.

The post The Power of Storytelling appeared first on Beth Ann Galvin.

I’m convinced that even the most naturally gifted personalities often harness a cultivated ability or skill set they might not even realise they possess– which they use to project a confident and deeply affecting image.

In this episode of The Presentation Fix podcast, we discuss the “Power of Personal Presence”— also known as the the X Factor. Andile Masuku and I chat about whether it’s something one is born with, or an quality that can be acquired. The challenge is that many of the attributes of this so-called ‘presence’ are non-tangible, and difficult to describe.

But I’m convinced that even the most naturally gifted personalities often harness a cultivated ability or skill set they might not even realise they possess, which they use to project a confident and deeply affecting image. I really do believe that is something anyone willing to put in the time and effort can acquire and master over time.

Listen in to hear me share a shocking let-down I encountered on YouTube, and to hear Andile and I reference one of South Africa’s finest exports— a young man who is the epitome of how to harness the power of presence. (Hint: He’s incredibly funny.)

Most importantly, I will share three useful tips that, if followed, are sure to help you develop and hone your own personal presence. We aim to inspire you to engage in the kind of personal “maintenance” over the holidays that will position you to ‘kill it’ in 2016.

Happy Holidays!

The post Do You Have The X Factor? Here’s How To Get It appeared first on Beth Ann Galvin.

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. —Dwight D. Eisenhower

I’d bet that you’ve spent a fair amount of time stressing over how to get your employees involved in keeping your business strategy fresh, relevant and highly competitive. You’ve likely wondered how one can go about making the planning process not only productive, but also fun, and most importantly, an exercise people care about learning from and acting upon.
A few weeks ago, I was invited to facilitate an executive planning session for a financial institution run by a team of exceptionally bright and assertive women. Believe it or not, the gig was a blast. Also, it was a treat working alongside my good friend, pro climber and speaker, Deshun Deysel— who just happens to feature on the first episode of The Presentation Fix podcast. (And yes, that was a shameless plug.)

Although the ladies I worked with on that project kept me on my toes, my facilitation process ensured a fast-paced, fun and interactive day. In my experience, an enjoyable and successful Strategic Planning Session must encourage team collaboration and engagement. And the number one secret to achieving those aims is creating a safe environment for participants to open up in. Otherwise, it’s pretty much impossible to access the much-needed intelligence one might seek to extract from members of a team— especially the more timid ones.

Happily, after the strategy session was complete the team I worked with responded very well to my facilitation methodology, and told me that it was the first time that they had felt comfortable enough to express their thoughts with such candidness. Kudos to their chief executive who had the courage to confront the challenge of creating a safe environment for her employees to be themselves. Ironically, I’ve found that it’s often the most capable leaders that struggle to suspend judgment and establish the required levels of trust in order to make the most of group strategy sessions.

So, if you’re keen for your team to collaborate on killer business strategy, you need to spend some time thinking about how to create a safe platform which will enable open, yet goal-directed dialogue. And of course, you need to ensure that the facilitator you partner with has the ability to remain neutral, apply a process that eliminates friction and ensure that all your participants (even the most timid) feel comfortable enough to contribute meaningfully.

The post Stop Dreading Your Next Strategic Planning Session appeared first on Beth Ann Galvin.

The mind is a powerful thing. It can take you through walls. –Denis Avey

This is the first of many Presentation Fix podcasts (which we will be publishing once a month) in which my co-host Andile Masuku and I will be teaming up to empower you with the knowledge and skills to make an impact every time you speak or present in public. I intend to tap my on-going experience as an executive presentation coach, trainer and speaker to offer you practical guidance on how to become the best speaker possible— distilling everything I’ve learnt during the last 30 years of working in this industry. 

You can also expect to learn a lot from Andile. He is a respected broadcaster and entrepreneur with nearly 15 years of experience writing, producing and presenting for television, radio, and live events, as well as working in new media— blog, social, online video and podcasting. He no doubt knows a thing or two about communicating effectively.

That said, Andile and I are both active professionals who are keen on upping our game. And so, the learning never stops. We look forward to sharing notes with some of South Africa’s leading communicators who we’ll invite to join us on the show from time to time to deliver insights.

Joining us to get the show on the road is master climber, speaker and businesswoman, Deshun Deysel— who will share, among other things, how she’s channeled her love of climbing very tall mountains into a thriving business and speaking career. Your Presentation Fix is here. Do listen in!

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Not only have my team and I been busy getting my new website all set up, but I was delighted to be invited to feature on broadcaster and entrepreneur, Andile Masuku’s popular #AndilesTake podcast. He’s working on an episode in which he explores the influences that have contributed to the professional communicator he is today.

He asked me to chat to him about a blog I’d written that had caught his attention– The Rise of Julius Trump, as well as to share some useful tips on how to present like a pro.

Andile has this really smart, cool and humorous way of engaging with people on the mic. He showed me a great time and created a great vibe, which I’m sure you’ll pick up on. Take a listen:

Even more exciting for me is that I will be partnering with Andile to launch my own monthly podcast called The Presentation Fix soon. We plan to deliver lively commentary and conversation that is chock-full of proven business presentation tips and strategies, as well as insights gleaned from some of Africa’s leading presenters who we’ll feature on the show from time to time.

Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know when the podcast is ready, and to have other useful updates and resources sent straight in your inbox.

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