With a technology industry being scolded about needing to help create rain, out comes a very pivotal website link that only verifies that the work of angels deserves recognition and rewards from those who profit from materialism.
Why is it that those who have something to say can't say it, while those who have nothing to say keep saying it?
— Anonymous
“Pitching” typically refers to making a presentation to potential investors, customers, and partners in a small, informal meeting at the prospect’s office. In addition to pitching, there will be opportunities to give speeches and to participate on panels at conferences, seminars, and industry events. These are useful vehicles to build awareness for your organization.
The purpose of these appearances is not to raise money (though a good speech can generate interest in investing) but to increase awareness of the organization and build a brand. I’ve seen dozens of executives give speeches and participate on panels, and with rare exception, they suck. This happens for the following reasons:
* Executives are surrounded by minions who don’t have the knowledge, courage, or competence to tell the emperor that he has no clothes.
* Executives are ego maniacs. They have lofty self images, so they cannot believe that they are not dynamite speakers right out of the womb.
* Executives are busy people who have little time to practice—or more accurately, who allocate little time to practice. The combination of denying the need to practice and not having the time to do it, is the kiss of death.
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First, let’s cover giving a speech. This opportunity is a powerful weapon because you have the podium all to yourself. You can, for the most part, control the entire block of time.
*Say something interesting. This is an obvious but widely abused point. If you don’t have something interesting to say, don’t speak. If you don’t speak, people won’t know you’re clueless. If you do speak, you’ll leave no doubt. Better the former than the latter.
*Overdress. It is better to be overdressed than underdressed. An audience interprets casual dress as you saying, “You’re not important enough for me to dress up.” If you overdress, the worst case is that look too professional.
*Cut the sales propaganda. People attend a speech because they want information, not to get a blatant sales pitch. Logical or not, people think that good speakers have good products and services. If you inform them with a high-content and relevant speech, they might buy. If you sales-pitch them, they won’t.
*Tell stories. For some people, making an interesting speech is harder than upgrading Microsoft Windows. Great speakers don’t simply make assertions, they tell stories. Make a point, tell a story to illustrate it, make another point, and tell a story to illustrate it.
*Circulate with the crowd before you speak. I give fifty keynotes a year, and I find it tremendously encouraging to see people in the audience that I’ve already met. A few friendly faces give me the self-confidence to make a bolder speech. The goal is to recruit some friends who will be the first to laugh at your jokes, nod in agreement with your insights, and applaud your performance.
*Talk about kids. If there’s a sure-fire way to endear yourself to an audience, it’s to talk about your kids. If you don’t have kids, talk about your relative’s kids, your friend’s kids, or when you were a kid. I’ve never seen an audience that doesn’t appreciate a good kid story.
*Self deprecate. Another good way to enamor yourself to an audience is to make fun of yourself. If you’re nervous, mention that you’re nervous. It’s okay. Most people in the crowd will empathize with you. If you can’t find one thing to make fun of yourself, you’re either a total bore or a total orifice.
*Speak at the start of an event. If you’re given a choice, speak on the first day of the conference. That’s when attendance and energy is highest, and therefore it’s the easiest to give a good speech. By the last day, many people will have departed and those that remain are out of gas. Then you have to lift them out of their lethargy. Giving a good speech is hard enough without this added pressure.
*Ask for a small room. If you can, speak in a small, crowded room. Audience energy is a function of how full the room is, not the absolute number of people in the audience. For example, 250 people in a 250 person room is much better than 500 people in a 1,000 person room. If you can’t get a small room, then try asking for a classroom style layout (tables and chairs) rather than theatre style layout (chairs only).
*Find out what happened earlier at the event. This is another reason why it’s good to go on first: You don’t have to find out what happened before you. In fact, you can be the “event” that other speakers have to cope with
However, if you’re not the first speaker, try to attend the sessions that precede you or at least ask your hosts if anything dramatically good, bad, or funny has already happened. Then weave this incident into your speech. This accomplishes two things: first, it increases the perception that you customized your speech; second, it shows that you care enough about the event that you’ve been there for a while.
*Don’t denigrate the competition. It is a privilege and honor to give a speech. Your duty is to inform and entertain the audience. This is not an opportunity to slash and burn your competition. Doing so will reflect poorly on you, not your competition and will create the opposite effect of what you intended.
*Practice. As a rule of thumb, the twenty-fifth time you give a speech is when it gets good. Few people will practice or give the same speech twenty five times. That’s why there are so few good speakers. Ironically, the more you practice, the more you’ll sound spontaneous.
*Use a top-ten format. I use a top-ten format so that an audience can track progress through my speeches. Few experts agree with this suggestion, but I urge you to try it. If you can’t come up with ten interesting things to say about a subject, then don’t speak.
Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. He gives sixty keynote speeches a year and doesn’t even keep count of the panels he’s appeared on or moderated.
Here's a note from Guy Kawasaki to join a conference call on this subject:
Working with my friends at Raindance, I'm conducting an online conference based on my latest book, The Art of the Start. Essentially, this is the presentation that I give as a keynote speaker.
The conference date and time is:
- 11/18/2004 10:00am - 11:00am PST
Participants will see my slides in your browser while they listen to me on the telephone. There is also audience polling and questions.
There is no cost to view the conference because Raindance is using this to demonstrate its technology. To register and learn more, go to:
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