“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.

The post The Perfect Pitch 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.