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The Art of the Pitch: Persuasion and Presentation Skills that Win Business
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About The Art Of The Pitch: Persuasion And Presentation
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Art of the PitchPersuasion and Presentation Skills that Win BusinessBy Peter CoughterPalgrave MacmillanCopyright © 2012 Peter CoughterAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-0-230-12051-8ContentsForeword by Akira Kagami, Introduction, CHAPTER ONE Everything Is a Presentation, CHAPTER TWO It's Not about You, CHAPTER THREE How We Connect, CHAPTER FOUR The Power of Emotion, CHAPTER FIVE How to Be, CHAPTER SIX Authenticity, CHAPTER SEVEN Death by Deck, CHAPTER EIGHT Organizing the Presentation, CHAPTER NINE Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse, CHAPTER TEN Punctuation, CHAPTER ELEVEN You Never Know, AFTERWORD Standing Up, Acknowledgments, Notes, Index, CHAPTER 1EVERYTHING IS A PRESENTATIONpresentation | noun1. The proffering or giving of something to someone, esp. as part of a formal ceremony: the presentation of certificates to new members | the trophy presentations.a. the manner or style in which something is given, offered, or displayed: the presentation of foods is designed to stimulate your appetite.What is a presentation? We can see how the dictionary defines the word above. I like "the proffering or giving of something to someone ..."—like a gift. That's a cool way to think about a presentation. And I particularly like the next part, "the manner or style in which something is given, offered, or displayed: the presentation of foods is designed to stimulate your appetite." That's what we want people to feel, isn't it? Stimulated. So we want to offer people a gift. Something that will stimulate their appetites for more.We could say that our ideas are the gift, but I prefer to think of it in another way—we are the gift. We are giving ourselves to our audience. We're giving them the product of our thoughts, efforts, and personality.We're giving them who we are. We're telling them our truth. That's our gift to them.Most people don't think about presenting, or giving a presentation, in that way. But that's the way we should think about it—after all, we "give" a presentation, don't we?Most people think about giving a presentation as a chore. As something difficult that they'd really rather not have to do, something to be avoided at all costs. In fact, part of why people think about presenting the wrong way is that they equate presenting with the dreaded "public speaking." I say dreaded, because in every poll ever taken of Americans' greatest fears, Number One is public speaking. Ahead of death. Every time.But a presentation isn't "public speaking." It isn't getting up on the steps of the Forum and delivering a stentorian address. It isn't a debate. It isn't making a speech. It's a conversation. Only you're doing most of the talking. The trick is to understand that you are simply talking with your audience, sharing your thoughts. You're not arguing. You're not selling. You're having a conversation. You're giving them a gift.YOU'RE ALWAYS BEING JUDGEDIt's all a presentation. I mean this. Sitting down with your boss for a little "chat" is a presentation. Going out for beers with your colleagues is a presentation. Obviously, an interview is a presentation, but so is meeting your boyfriend's family.In each case, people are judging you. They're sizing you up. There may be a lot more on the line in one situation than there is in another, but they're still all presentations. People are forming opinions of you, opinions that are hard to change.Often these opinions are formed when you least expect it.For the first eleven years of its existence, the VCU Brandcenter was located downtown in a building with a fair amount of foot traffic passing by every day.I would often stand outside and chat with a gentleman who worked upstairs from us for the Department of Transportation. He was a terrific guy and a lot of fun to talk with. One day he said to me, "This new crop of students seems a lot better than last year's." I was somewhat surprised to hear him say that, and even though it seemed he had no way
