Our Ruth Milligan is back with tips from the treehouse. We’ve been preparing a lot of clients for pitches lately. And we’ve also had clients deal with canceled events and meetings. The good news (yes, there is good news) is that you don’t have to be in-person to communicate. And while new business pitches are usually grounded in relationships and non-verbal cues, they can also be successful virtually if you prepare properly.
Here are our 5 tips toward a great virtual pitch:
- Be mindful of your surroundings and dress.
- Deliver your words knowing that sound travels differently over the internet.
- When in a team pitch, take turns delivering straight into the camera.
- Practice using the tool (WebEx, Zoom, Skype) with any visuals BEFORE the pitch. Do a simulation to work out the kinks especially with your slides or visuals.
- Still be yourself – don’t let technology get in the way of your personality and ability to relate to your future partners or clients.
Check out the video below for more from Ruth.
We invite you to shift your mindset as you shift your plans. If you have to cancel an event but still have great speakers whose talks could be recorded and still shared- stop thinking of yourself as an “event un-organizer” (where you just cancel contracts and walk away). Think of yourself as a content creator- with speakers eager to deliver an important message that can easily be recorded, posted and shared at NO risk to anyone. And at a great benefit to them, you and your audiences. We live in a world that may have some limitations for the next month or so- but we also love in a world with a lot of resources and creativity. Use them!
Ruth Milligan is the Founder, Managing Director and an Executive Coach and Trainer with Articulation. She is perhaps best known as one of the original curators for any TEDx event (the license program for TED). Since 2009, Ruth has selected and coached over 200 speakers who have taken the TEDxColumbus stage. She is often tapped as an expert in the TED-style of speaking and has authored a class on how to be a TEDx speaker coach. Connect with Ruth.