How to Master Your Pitch Psychologically

This article is written by Mohammad Eslim, a Contributor Author at Startup Istanbul.

Amy Tez is an actress turned Performance Coach who uses her unique blend of acting and transformational experience to change the way you communicate your business forever. She will share her insights into creating a Winner's Pitch so that no matter who you are talking to, you will own the “stage”.
Amy has worked with a multitude of entrepreneurial leaders in London, San Francisco and Istanbul, including TEDx speakers, CEOs and high-profile actors. She was at Startup Istanbul 2017 where she shared insight on pitching

For entrepreneurs, going through numerous schools on how to pitch is considered vital. However, Amy Tez admits her dislike to commit to any of them. She justified it saying that if someone taught you when and how to move, you would seem as a robot, which is not what you really are! She emphasized on how necessary it is to be yourself and be original.

We were always given tips on how to stand, how to talk, what to do if do mistakes and what kind of voice shall we use and a lot of physiologically related tips for perfecting the presentation or your pitch, but somehow even along these tips we still sometimes feel like we were boring or lacking confidence while we were standing tall and talking loud enough, we feel as if we can do better!

This were psychology comes in the play, if we can collect ourselves and stick to both the physiological and psychological tips combined we will, for sure, turn your pitch into a deal breaker. There are somethings you need to ask yourselves right before you take the mic, if you are nervous that’s ok and all you need is take a breath until your system is calm enough to take over the stage and blow their minds by your own pitch. This also leads us to the other question which is whether we have the self-confidence to go up there, it seems that almost everybody has this small voice talking inside our mind to back off, discouraging us, telling us how we are not good enough for this and hat we are basically losers with high hopes of success.

I repeat again, that is normal and we have to deal with it the right way. When this voice talks like this all you have to do is talk back, don’t be the cowered this insignificant voice made you to be for you have reached this far and will not retreat back just a few steps back from your turn-up point in life. Either they accept your idea or not you have to believe in yourself and never give up.

By then, you have stepped up the stage and stood in front of the audience, you see a couple of investors out there watching you and waiting for you to start. Don’t panic! That is normal so close your eyes foe a second, imagine yourself in a conversation where making a mistake or two and messed through a word or two gives you a good laugh. Yes, I said it is fine to consider the crowd your friends whom you converse with occasionally because, and believe me, it makes it very easier that you won’t mind your mistakes and you will be as relaxed as much as you could when having a good time with a friend.

Some people can’t handle the situation well on the stage so they start to detach themselves from their idea. They say what they want to say while they are not talking with the passion they harbor for the idea and furthermore, they’re trying to convince the audience and investors where they shouldn’t. Don’t detach yourself from your idea, you have got to have some faith in it for you to be successful, don’t be ashamed to be passionate about it as it reflects how much you believe in it, and when investors and people see how faith you have for this idea they might invest in you!

In the end there is no such a thing a cure for being nervous about a pitch, in fact you being nervous means that deep in you recognize that you are about to take a big step and do something that matters. Embrace it and go make your own pitch perfect and be different because we always look taken by the odd one of any batch. Be odd and original!