In today’s class, we went over all about conducting and preparing to pitch products. Kyle opened the class with a scenario where he asked a few students to come up to the stage with him while asking their current state of emotions in front of the audience. As most would expect it was unnerving with that whole class fixated on them. This was to challenge our perception of nerves as everyone feels it, some more than others but ultimately nerves act as a safeguard to keep you alert and prepared to tackle many of the challenges that you may face.
Many things can help us deal with nerves such as basic things like seating arrangement, for example, in our class, the class was sitting asymmetrically in the top right (presenters perspective). This can cause discomfort in the presenter as there is a feeling of disconnect and the awkward lopsided structure means you always have to fixate to one side of the classroom. An example of our seating structure during this class is shown below:
An example of a good conformed and symmetrical seating structure:
Preparation and composing a presentation:
Seating arrangement – Ask the audience to come near the front in a structured and conformed seating arrangement.
Familiarity – Familiarise myself with the surrounding room and environment before any audiences arrive or free time that I possess before the presentation.
Time limit – Always keep in mind of the time which you possess during an interview – ensure that there are not too many slides.
Pictures – Pictures can tell 1000 words in which the audience can gaze and listen to the pitcher. However, words can be distracting especially the longer it is.
Language simplification – Simplify as much as possible to your audience to better the chances of your words actually sticking to them.
I found one of the points of creating sophisticated and hard language humourous as I am a victim of the habit of making words more detailed than they have to be. This is a reminder so I don’t make these mistakes while conducting a pitch or even an interview.
Presenting & Designing the pitch:
For presenting a pitch it is good to have notes in the director’s box at the bottom as this can act as a guide if you are lost or get stuck during a presentation.
Don’t use crazy or hard-to-read fonts, keep it simple modern and effective such as a nice smooth sans serif font.
No whacky or abrupt slide transition instead ensure it is gradual and paced.
Don’t use long videos, instead use short videos or gifs in an appropriate manner.
Short than sophisticated words.
Bullet points for text.
Limit slides the number of slides, although if you do have a lot then know how to pace them appropriately.
Remember to check slides in case of any errors or sample texts.
Check the spelling.
Ratio: 16:9
Resolution: 1920×1080 or 1280×720
*Can use a placeholder guide to ensure there is no distortion or obstructions on screen.*
There are two approaches you can take when creating a slide such as laying out what you intend to cover or getting straight to the point.
Alternatively, as a backup, you can have hand-out supporting materials ready.
Conducting the presentation:
It is best to make your presentation unique and rememberable by using a few or all of these methods.
- Repetition
- Rhetorical Questions
- Metaphor
- Alliteration
- Humour
- Personal Anecdotes
Be Prepared:
- Cables
- Connectors
- PDF Backup
How to structure an Investor Pitch:
- Vision
- Problem
- Solution
- Market
- Team
- The ask