Time to Write

How to pitch /present powerfully : the four steps

Writers and others sometimes have to pitch or present their ideas, so what’s the secret of doing that effectively? Dr Nick Morgan has written a book called “Trust Me,” in which he reveals his four-step communication process. In an interview on the Personal Branding blog, he summarized the process:

 “You first have to get your body language to be open. You do this by focusing on your emotions, and imagining a scenario where you would be open — say, talking to your spouse, your partner, or a close friend — and then recapturing that body language for your speech. That’s step one. Step two is to connect to the audience. Once again, you do this by forming the intent to connect. You might imagine, for example, that your spouse is distracted and not hearing you. What would you do to get his or her attention? You might move closer, raise your voice, establish eye contact, even touch the other person on the arm. All of those gestures and actions, used appropriately, will help you connect. Third, you focus on the emotional attitude you have toward the content. And fourth, you focus on the audience — how it is receiving your material.”

 As with everything, practice is important, and he suggests three different ways to practice:

“ What I tell clients is to practice your speech at least 3 times, the first time focusing on being open, the second time on being connected, and the third time on your emotional connection to the material. Then, when you’re ready to deliver it, you should have both the content and the body language down well enough to be able to pay attention with, say, 10 % of your brain, to the audience. Having a speaker that is capable of truly paying attention to the audience is very charismatic for that audience.”

(Presenting your ideas is a topic I cover more fully in my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available online and in book shops.)

Making yourself memorable

The New York Times (via the Star News service) reports that producer Brain Grazer had an unusual way of ensuring that he would be remembered after going to someone's home:

"...he will often leave behind a small photo of himself in an inexpensive heart-shaped frame after attending a dinner or party, hiding it among his host’s family photographs.

Over the years, he has left these photos at the homes of movie executives, socialites and even one in Fidel Castro's military compound. “When I first started doing it, some people got really angry,” Mr. Grazer recalled. “That made me continue doing it. I get to see how long it takes for them to find it and whether they think it’s funny. It’s interesting to see what they’ll do with it.”

Personally, I would be amused to find this on my mantelpiece, but obviously you don't want to make people angry, especially if you want to do business with them. What could you leave behind after a pitching session or other business meeting that would be memorable but not annoy people?

(If you want to be remembered for being super creative and productive, my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin will help! Sign up by sending an email request now to BstormUK@aol.com)

Pitching: learning how from another Dragon's Den

At the Edinburgh International Television Festival the Guardian hosted a “Dragon’s Den” for producers pitching their comedy and entertainment ideas to commissioners from ITV. BBC3, Sky1, 2 & 3 and MTV. The one-hour video shows four producers doing their pitches, the judges’ comments, and a finale in which each judge decides whether and how to invest the £5000 they have been allocated for this session.

 This is a great chance to see some real-life pitching and to learn some things to do and not to do. The “not to do” that you’ll see well-illustrated:

• Don’t punctuate your pitch every fifteen seconds with the word “OK”
• If you have a joke slide that doesn’t get a reaction, don’t point out that it was a joke
• If the budget is important (and it usually is), don’t show up without any concept of how much your project will cost
• If you’re talking into a microphone on a stand, stop talking when you bend down to pick up things on the floor or turn away to point to something

 The things that did work:

• Use visuals to illustrate your points
• Present with passion
• Use guerrilla tactics when necessary (a great example is mentioned in the second pitch)

 It’s also instructive to pay attention to the kinds of questions that come up after the pitch—naturally your goal is to anticipate the tough questions and build the answers into your pitch. There is another pitching session video, this one for factual entertainment. I found the video player on this site a bit temperamental, but give it a try here (click on the last dot in the little column of dots to the right of the big screen that comes up and you'll see the two Dragons videos listed.)

Pitching : the Importance of First Impressions

Kevin Hogan, author of Irresistible Attraction conducted a test of speed dating, in which pairs of men and women had a series of six-minute encounters, after which they decided whether or not they wanted to see the other person again. Here are some of his findings:

* Women didn't need six minutes to know whether they wanted to date a man again. Most women decided (they said) in the first minute or two.

* Men decided instantly, within the first few seconds.

* Not one person said they needed more than six minutes to decide whether they would want another date. (not 1 in 80!!)

These findings are supported by studies described in the book, Blink! and what they suggest is that the first impression is even more important than we thought. This is important to writers when they pitch an idea to an agent, publisher, or producer. So what can we do to help ensure that first impression is positive?

* Smile. Make it genuine, because people can also instantly (if unconsciously) detect a fake smile. If necessary, think of a loved one or anything else that really makes you smile.

* Make eye contact. Even if you're shy.

* Have dry hands and a firm handshake. I know it's a cliche, but research has backed up the idea that a wet or limp handshake turns people off.

* Dress in the same way you think they'll be dressed. One of the key determinants of whether we like someone is to what degree we perceive them to be similar to us. Clothes are one of the few things we can easily vary to take advantage of this.

Pitching Your Ideas--the Secret Ingredient

Another interesting fact that Malcolm Gladwell points out in his book, "Blink," is that people never sue doctors they like. There is a strong correlation between the doctor's warmth, the interest he or she takes in the patient, and the amount of time they spend talking to a patient, and whether or not they will ever be sued for malpractice.

In his book, "The Science of Influence," Kevin Hogan points out a similar phenomenon among real estate agents. One of the strongest factors in whether buyers buy from a real estate agent, he says, is whether that agent expresses interest in the client. Hogan's advice: sell the client on YOU first.

The following are some of the strategies and techniques that Hogan suggests. As you read them, consider how they might apply to pitching your ideas:

* Give direct answers to questions and elucidate on how that information will help the client solve their problem. (Another way of saying: always focus on what they need, not on what you need.)

* Given the choice of being brief and simple or long and complex, be brief.

* Show the customer your flexibility and allow the client to stay in his comfort zone.

* If appropriate, give something of perceived value, with a personal touch if possible. (This doesn't mean bribe the person; in my case, it might mean leaving behind a copy of my book, "Do Something Different," for example.)

And one of the easiest ways to come across as likeable may be your simplest secret weapon: a genuine smile.