Reflection on Pitches

Our class pitches last week show the variety of sectors we're all involved in as well as the stage each of us are in with our social innovation. We're all in different stages of development with our idea and we can customize our pitches based on that. For some, a pitch can just be asking someone to give us feedback about our product or idea and for others a pitch is about asking for x amount of investment dollars to create a prototype. The hardest part for me was coming up with an idea or clear problem statement and solution. I'm still searching for a more solid, viable idea that gets me really excited.

While I continue my search, I did jot down a few pointers that are worth remembering when crafting a pitch and they are described below:

1. Be clear about your audience.
2. Describe your unique value proposition and your unfair advantage.
3. Describe the compelling problem and describe why you are uniquely positioned to answer it. Consider what skills or expertise you (and your team) bring that make you the perfect match to execute this business.
4. It's easier for an audience to connect to a speaker if they feel you are really talking to them, that is don't read off a scripted sheet.
5. Have a balance between story and facts helps to keep people connected to the meaningful impact your business can have as well as understand it's financial viability. Instead of focusing on features and specs, make sure to describe the value the product brings to the world. Tell stories that show how real people would use it and why. The technology part comes later. On a similar note, I read in an HBR article about pitching and the author says:

 "Most presentations lie somewhere on the continuum between a report and a story. A report is data-rich, exhaustive, and informative—but not very engaging. Stories help a speaker connect with an audience, but listeners often want facts and information, too. Great presenters layer story and information like a cake, and understand that different types of talks require differing ingredients.”