...and because we tend to overlook this, we sometimes waste good opportunities.
Dealing with unexpected situations
Life is a pitch, well, maybe not in all of life, but in many situations. E.g. when I present a new idea at work, give a presentation on the project status in a department meeting, when I am asked what I am working on, when I want to make a suggestion to someone, .... I refer to situations in which I want to present my point of view in a crisp and understandable way. Most of the time we go into such conversations unprepared because we slip into the situation unplanned. Of course then I don't say, "Wait a minute, I need to sort my thougths!
What helps instead?
Whenever I think that sooner or later I might have to present my points on certain topics, I prepare a small pitch in my mind.
What kind of pitch is this?
In another blog post I write about pitches, what they are, how they are structured and about best practices. But it's not about such sophisticated pitches here. Nevertheless let me give a short background information:
Imagine you are looking for investors for a business idea. Of course, they want to know what your idea is about, what customer problem you solve, how you do it and what advantages they get from supporting you. And they usually don't have much time. Your challenge is to be brief and precise, but still convincing. There are different types of pitches, depending on the context:
Elevator pitch (very short, e.g. 1 min-max. 3 min - in my opinion the supreme discipline)
Startup pitch
Business plan pitch
Idea pitch
...
Of course you can use templates for your pitches. You will find many well-prepared illustrations on the Internet. Just google "pitch" + "templates" and find the one you like the most. Most of the time, the templates don't fit my specific needs, so I just customize them.
In my opinion, most important for my everyday pitch are these questions in this exact order:
Why is this topic important to me?
What do I want to improve for myself/for others?
What is my solution? How shall we do it?
What do we, i.e. everyone involved, get as a benefit?
I don't need more. 5-10min time to think and a few bullet points are enough for me to know what I want and how to stand up for it. I often hear my counterpart say, "Thank you for making that clear. I hadn't thought about it, but your suggestion sounds good."
Conclusion
A pitch not only helps to clear up your thoughts and arguments. It is also helpful in figuring out for yourself whether and why you want to do/have something.
In my opinion, there is only one rule for your very own pitch: Put yourself in the other person's shoes and think about what might be most important to him/her and how you can take that up in your aproach.
Try it out and leave a comment with your experiences!
Please note: This text is translated into English by using Google Translate - I apologize for any mistakes in this text I may have overlooked.
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