Welcome to my blog

Here are some tidbits of things I have learnt along my journey as an entrepreneur.

I ocasionally write about other things, you can find me in Medium

Public speaking, presenting and pitching.

It is really hard to speak in front of an audience. 100% harder if you are trying to sell something: an idea, a product, an opportunity. 200% more challenging if you are looking for investors. And so on.

However, the key to any of these really scary moments relies on preparation. People who stun their audience, don’t have a special virtue or charm, they just analyse everything around the situation, minimising the risks, and get plenty of practise. They also feel as comfortable with themselves as they can be, rather than trying to impersonate other speaker’s style. When they stand on the stage they feel confident because they have covered every possible angle.

Once you feel confident you sound better in front of your audience. Your body language changes. You are feeling better in your skin.

Here is my personal guide on how to prepare for a presentation.

The outcome:

What am I expecting as a result of my speech? Which are the key things I have to get across to my audience? How do I want them to feel?

The central product, idea or opportunity:

What problem am I solving? who is the team behind, and can we manage?

The audience:

Who are my audience? what are they motivations to listen to what I have to say? what are they interests? What risks worry them the most? What questions could they have? Have I met them personally and is there anything I already know about them? (profession? investor? students? of what career? is it someone in my organization whose approval I am looking to secure?) Can I approach them and ask what they expect to see? Do I know anyone in my immediate environment who fits the profile of my audience and can help me practice and give me feedback?

The story:

When I go over my visual aids and my speech: is it in the correct order? is it engaging? am I creating suspense? Is it exciting? Is it coherent? does it cover the needs of my audience in terms of: who am I/ problem/thrill/ solution/ risk and risk management?

Also, Am I reading the presentation? Can I go through this story without my eyes fixed on a screen or notes?

The content:

Format: Have I done a practice? is the duration ok? am I leaving time for questions? Is my tone correct for my audience? am I using the correct jargon for the theme and audience? Are my visual aids attractive? ie: not too much text, visually engaging and easy to get at first sight

Figures: are my key figures correct and do I know and understand everything around them? Are they reasonable?Have I included key elements in my projections / results such as ROI, risk assessment, profit, revenue, growth un units, pricing ?

Is my business model clear? Is my value chain clear? Have I explained the current size of the business, the growth drivers, the current assets, the needs?

Finally, me:

In my case, I know beforehand that I will be nervous. So I have some personal rituals:

I wear dark clothes (my fear of food and beverages spilling over me)
I must be comfortable, specially if I will be standing. I simply select and try on what I will be wearing in advance, just to discard anything that could potentially bring discomfort: new shoes that hurt, a sweater that is itchy, earrings that will entangle my hair, etc.
I try to cut my intake of liquids and food early enough!

If you can answer these questions, then all that is left is rehearsing. Have someone listen and time you, then you will have some valuable feedback to work on!

And if you need some help, just get in touch.

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