“Your pitch needs drama.”
I wasn’t talking about stage theatrics.
In fact, when a presentation seems like an over-performance, credibility is lost.
No. I was talking about the storyline.
The story needed impact, and that’s only done through skilful writing.
It was our second pitch workout session, and the startup CEO had worked the material hard between versions.
The content in the second version started well. She outline a big problem that many of her firm’s customers were facing, the problem which her team specialize in.
But from defining the problem, her pitch went right into the solution the startup offers.
Great storytelling requires drama.
The drama must be in the content.
In a novel or a film, when the hero sees the challenge ahead, the novelist, the screenplay writer takes it one step deeper… with the content!
The writer shows what’s at stake.
So the CEO and I worked on quantifying the problem.
What would the consequences be if the ideal client did nothing?
What would the outcome be of doing it wrong?
What would the human costs (stress, absenteeism, demotivation) be?
What would the financial costs be? What would be the impact on the bottom line?
That was the beginning of a compelling storyline, with twists and turns not quite as riveting as a thriller, but drama… steeped in business reality.
And this motivates the audience, the prospects, the marketplace, to take action.
Indeed, a great pitch is about storytelling.
The great tools of literature actually work here, provided the content is aligned with the business or personal life of the prospect.
Only once we got this storyline in place, with all its drama, did we align the presentation delivery to the different areas of the story.
Her pitch was powerful. And she wasn’t theatrical.
There’s a paradox here.
Don’t be theatrical, but show the drama.
Pitches can be dramatic, while also being professional and effective.
In fact, they should be.
Are you ready to take your pitches to the highest level?
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