The 3 key essentials to ensure a persuasive pitch

The pitch, a key element for any project, has become a must for private or public companies and start-ups since communicating is no longer just about informing but also about gathering resources and the necessary budget to achieve your objectives.

Convinced of the power of a good pitch, our team has created an inspiring and fun training course focused on the 3 pillars of a pitch the content, the design and the performance.

What is a good pitch?

Let’s start from the beginning, at WOD we define a Pitch as a communication exercise that aims to create a strong impact and convince an audience in a limited time.

1. Tell a story to convince your audience.

The content is one of the three parts as well as the backbone of the pitch. Indeed, there is no pitch without a story. Even if your idea or project is not mature yet, you can still have an impactful story to tell. The content of your pitch follows the evolution of your project. Depending on its state, the pitcher needs to find the key arguments to put forward in its story; the problem it solves, the results achieved recently, the urgency of the situation, an opportunity to be seized,…

2. Body-language as a weapon.

Behind a message there is a person. He or she can be passionate, hesitant, demotivated… This emotion will always be translated through body language. Therefore, you can train your body to communicate the right message and to ensure your body language is aligned with your story. Practicing to be confident is key. Once the story is well known and your arguments are well chosen, the emotional state adds the differentiating element to your pitch. A silent pause, movements, interactions with the audience, these types of extras when well-managed, can make your audience really believe in your story.

3. 1001 ways of presenting a pitch. 

The third pillar offers space for creativity. Once the story is known, you, as a pitcher, select the best medium to support its content: a slide deck, a video, a demo or no medium at all. The Covid-19 crisis has added the remote dimension to the pitch. Choosing the right channel or design means seducing your audience and understanding how to address them. Preparation is consequently important to define the best way to dazzle your audience.

The goal of the pitch training is to provide support to help the pitcher set up properly and give great pitches thanks to a simple and quick preparation structure as well as following up on progress using the 3 pillars.

Best practices and use cases are shared. Thanks to our canvas, the pitcher is able to optimize his preparation and progression. Discover one of the canvas extracted from our Pitch Toolkit. This one helps you on the preparation of your speech.

Written by Julie Derouwaux