Psychology and Pitching

This article is written by Milambo Kabeleka, a Contributor Author at Startup Turkey.

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 and psychology.

It’s the night before Demo night, the Pitch deck slide is done, you have your look ready, and now to make sure your mind catches up with the task at hand. You will need to have the right mindset before pitching, to make sure that all the other elements of the pitch come together smoothly.

The word Psychology may sound a bit intimidating; however, this is just another way of saying, what is the best mindset to have before pitching to an investor?

As you give your pitch, believe and trust in yourself, detach from your limiting beliefs and believe you can deliver this message effectively. If you don’t look like you believe in yourself, this could raise flags with your audience of investors, as they invest in the individual and not the idea. No one wants to give their investment to someone who doesn’t believe in themselves.

Commit to what you are saying. When pitching, you will have to level the playing field with your listeners and speak with conviction. Speak like you believe in the solution you are offering and the impact it will make. Come from a leader and not a follower. Go in the meeting, have an actual conversation with our audience.

Go in with the view that you are offering something positive to your audience rather than asking for help. When doing something of importance, its human nature to have an inner voice saying negative things. If we listen to that voice, we lose the moment and the audience.  Yoga, meditation will help you detach and maintain a positive attitude.

Embrace silence when you speak. Silence is a good way to pause, and recharge before starting another sentence. Think before you speak, say something, let people digest it, be silent and then start again. This is a very simple method that most of the best speakers follow to make sure they move at the same pace as the audience.

Is there a cure for being nervous?

Fortunately there is no cure for being nervous which is great. Being nervous shows that what you are saying matters to you and you care how people take it. It shows your real side. Just make sure the nerves don’t overcome you and ruin your pitch.

Mistakes are common when pitching. They show that you are human. Give yourself a chance to make mistakes. It is boring to watch presentations where everyone does the same thing over and over, mistakes jolt us back to reality and being fun. So embrace the mistakes.

If you can have the courage to be authentic, then you will bring your pitch to life. Tech can be so dull. So bring your personality to the stage by telling a story and making it personal. This will set you apart. You have such a short time to explain your idea to a whole room of strangers, sometimes this time is not enough for the audience to even read every slide. Your best tool is your personality. Prepare your mind to deliver your authentic self through your words.