12 must-haves in the perfect
12 must-haves in the perfect 2-minute pitch
Veteran of countless pitching events, Oli Barrett reveals his recipe for a short, sharp talk that will put the audience in the palms of your hands .
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“Words are, of course, the most powerful
drug used by mankind.” So said Rudyard Kipling, and with his exceedingly good
phrase in mind, I spent an intoxicating evening in the company of the most
recent Wayra cohort.
In case you don’t know, Wayra is the
accelerator programme which invests in, houses and connects technology
start-ups across 14 countries. Because hundreds of hopefuls apply, the selected
groups tend to be made up of highly ambitious, energetic individuals.
Sitting in the Wayra Academy, just off
Tottenham Court Road, I am reminded of some of the 150 companies I’ve travelled
with over the years, on overseas trade missions. From San Francisco to São
Paulo, Bangalore to Boston, one of the greatest challenges facing founders has
been their two minute pitch.
To be concise and not vague, confident
without seeming arrogant, determined yet open-minded. Whether pitching to
potential investors, partners or team members, it’s a tough job, and someone’s
got to do it.
Having listened to hundreds of pitches, and
given a fair few myself, these are my top tips. They are purely personal
opinions, rather than golden rules.
A few thoughts which I’d share with anyone
who has to give a short, sharp pitch or presentation about their organisation;
1. Tell them why
I recently chaired a panel which included
Julie Hanna, chair of Kiva, the micro-lending platform. She made me think when
she said that too many entrepreneurs tell her what they are doing,
without telling her why. Is there a personal story connected with why
you started? Did you stumble upon a problem first-hand? Why are you really
doing this, instead of everything else you could be doing with your life? Help
us to understand the reason, and we’ll warm to you all the more.
2. Personal credibility
A couple of years ago, I heard a founder
pitching his start-up, which involved the use of flood data. He forgot to
mention that he had a PhD in the subject. From Cambridge University. You’re
pitching to a room of people, many of whom you have never met. How can you
establish their trust and show them that you are perfectly placed to do what
you say you’re going to do? This might involve sharing a private passion.
You’re creating a club for parents, and you have three children of your own.
3. What do you want?
A tried and tested technique is for founders
to say (or sometimes pretend) that they are not looking for money, “at the moment”.
Even if this is true, try to think about what it is that you’re after. It could
be introductions within the automotive industry. Perhaps it is local media
contacts. If we understand what you’re doing and we like you, we will want to
connect you. So make it easy for us.
4. What are you wearing?
You may think that this is shallow and
irrelevant. I disagree. Think about how the colours or styles you wear might
make you (in a good way) more memorable. Do you want to be remembered as being
“suited and booted”? Perhaps. Or maybe you want to be seen as the cutting edge,
creative thinker. Are you dressed appropriately? If we’re nit-picking, I
recommend removing your badge or lanyard when you pitch. It makes you look less
like a delegate, more like a speaker.
5. Enthuse
More than anything, I love to watch someone
who clearly loves what they do. It’s about more than just explaining what
you’re up to. You’re on a mission to inspire. Don’t hold back.
6. Tell me about your users
Especially if you are just starting out, try
to paint me a picture of type of person who will use your product or service.
Is it the stressed executive on a weekend abroad? Is it the ambitious student,
keen to make their CV stand out? Help me to imagine what you see.
7. Who Loves You, Baby?
This is your Kojak moment. If you’ve won
some fans already, don’t be afraid to quote them. Sometimes a simple, powerful
testimonial from a delighted customer can be more persuasive than a dozen
made-up financial forecasts. This relates to the earlier point about
credibility. We don’t know you and we don’t know your company. Show us some
names or logos which help to win our trust. This may sound simple. It works.
You’ve been written about in the Economist? Tell us. You’ve been
featured on the BBC? Show us.
8. Show momentum
You may be at an early stage, however I bet
you can show progress. I recently heard a founder explain that, already, 80
schools were on board, in just a term and a half. Subconsciously, my brain did
some kind of calculation. The facts were delivered with confidence. I thought,
“This is someone who is making progress”. In simple terms, who has “joined”
you? From investors to customers, partners to team members. Tell us you’ve
“just” done something, and let us share in your enthusiasm and excitement.
9. Show your roots
This is one for people pitching outside
their country of origin. Especially if you have a strong accent, consider
telling us more. In business, being international is a good thing, so use it.
You’re from Brazil? Remind us that it’s a country of almost 200 million people.
Flip what you may perceive as a negative (being an outsider), into a positive.
You are our gateway to a world of opportunity.
10. Repeat yourself
Yes, even in a two minute pitch, repetition
isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Consider how a well-phrased one-liner can build
confidence in your audience. More subtly, consider repeating yourself if there
are important facts or directions you want your audience to tune in to. “There are
over 24,000, that’s 24,000 schools in Britain”. “Now I’d like you to raise your
hands, that’s raise your hands”. Give it a go. Even in a two minute pitch,
repetition isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
11. Silence is golden
As Mark Twain said; “No word was ever as
effective as a rightly timed pause”. This applies just as much to a one minute
talk as a half-hour speech. Especially in the seconds immediately after you’ve
delivered your most powerful phrases or insights….. Give the room a
moment for your words to sink in. We will enjoy, and remember them, all the
more.
12. The last word
Don’t leave your final sentence to chance.
We’re looking for sizzle, not fizzle. You may want to tell us where we can find
you. That could be online, on Twitter, or even a physical location “I’ll be at
the bar…” “We’re on stand 15”. Likewise, you may wish to remind us of your
name, or the company. After all, we’ve only just heard of you. In terms of
actual last words, “thank you” is a powerful phrase. It’s polite and it’s punchy.
Whatever you choose, you want YOUR presentation to be the one which stays with
people. That will be about a combination of what you said, how it all looked,
and how you said it.
My last words are inspired by Maya Angelou,
who said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will
forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ”You may only have two minutes, with the
added challenge of standing out from a strong crowd. To be a good speaker you must know who is in
the audience, and know what you want to say. To be a great speaker, you need to go
further.
You must think about how you want someone to
feel, and what you want them to do, when your pitch, however
brilliant, has come to an end.
Oli Barrett MBE, is a founder of Cospa, the agency that connects brands with causes to deliver social
innovation projects. He is one of the people behind Tenner, WebMission, Areté
Club and StartUp Britain and can be found on Twitter.
