What are the most important things to remember when pitching a new idea in Business Innovation?

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt. Pitching your business innovation idea, like most things in life, requires you to frontload the bulk of your work before the pitch. Using Theodore Roosevelt's quote as your guide, begin with questions/research/interviews/"ride-along" to better understand your audience. Their perspectives. Their preferences and pains. Their desires and expectations. Their hopes and dreams. When your audience knows how much you care by the accuracy of situational analysis, they'll want to know how much you know/can help. #BusinessInnovation

This is so important yet so often overlooked: be super clear with your audience on what your *ask* is. Say this at the beginning of a pitch, not at the end. Is it feedback? brainstorming ideas? budget? a go/no-go decision? help to address blockers? Knowing what's expected of them will put your audience in the right frame of mind and ensure you stay on-topic. I love having this written down on a "Why we're here today" slide and making sure everyone is aligned on this before moving forward. Give anyone who doesn't think they need to be there a chance to step out. I find conversations are so much more productive and meaningful when doing this.

As an innovator, you should articulate a clear and compelling value proposition. Clearly communicate how your idea addresses a specific problem or need, emphasizing the potential benefits and value it brings to the organization or market. Support your pitch with data, market research, or relevant examples to build credibility and demonstrate a well-reasoned understanding of the innovation's potential impact. Also, adaptability and openness to feedback are key considerations… Recognize that the initial concept might evolve through collaboration and input from stakeholders. Be prepared to address questions and concerns, and showcase your willingness to refine and iterate on the idea based on constructive input.

It is common to create a value proposition that touches on what it is, how it works, the problem it solves, the benefits, and why it is different. Blah. Blah. Blah. A Business Innovation value prop focuses on the expected results of the "better life" your innovation creates. What it is like to live without the pain. What it is like to work in an environment that uses [innovation]. What it's like to have [innovation] guiding you and your clients' futures. #BusinessInnovation

It's about showcasing that you really understand the customer, their problem, and why is it important to solve this problem from their perspective. Key is addressing the solution, without mentioning your offering. If possible showcase evidence how you helped others with your solution.

Es importante marcar la diferencia entre una propuesta creativa y una propuesta innovadora. Y la diferencia puede resolverse en la siguiente pregunta: ?Tu propuesta de valor soluciona un problema real, de manera auténtica y puede explotarse? Una solución auténtica que no puede explotarse, se queda en la mera utopía. Es creatividad carente de sentido. Si bien en la fase de exploración de ideas, se valora la cantidad sobre la calidad, el espacio de soluciones debe irse depurando para privilegiar aquellas que son originales Y explotables. Cualidad última que depende del correcto estudio del contexto y por ende, del mercado. Una propuesta de valor es innovadora, cuando puede explotarse eficiente y efectivamente en un contexto de aplicación.

Understanding the nuance between prioritizing and sequencing workstreams is key to getting a new one off the ground. If prioritization represents the order in which the business would ideally like to deliver on new value, then sequencing represents all the dependencies and feasibility requirements that underpin a new value prop. Know where your work fits on both scales.

Creating a compelling story linked to a specific opportunity and problem is key to making your idea memorable. Each slide in the deck needs to have its unique and concise message, aligning with the narrative's overall story. Independently of the specific content or visuals of the slide your audience should get the story from just reading the titles for the slides. This to me is the best test if the story works.

Unsurprisingly, compelling storytelling is critical in engaging audiences and garnering attention. A compelling story has more than a beginning, middle, and end. It has emotional contrasts. It has obstacles, struggles, and triumphs. It has a memorable moral and a call to action. Expend significant effort in crafting this story. Get professional help. Rehearse it and weave it in as a through-line for your business innovation pitch. #BusinessInnovation

An extraordinary pitch creates connection with the audience and an urgency to act because it builds emotional - rather than purely rational - belief. This can often feel counterintuitive in traditional business settings, but don't lead with the numbers, lead with a story that speaks to people's hearts. Keep it simple and use authentic, human language. Skip the BS, generic statements and obscure jargon. What problem are you trying to solve? What's your story and why is this particular issue important to you? What potential impact could we have if we acted? How will it change people's lives for the better? Data should follow to backup the story.

If using a deck: one slide = one message. An image (or graph) equals a thousand words. Limit words to 10-20 per slide and keep visuals simple. No one should have to squint to understand the slide. Explore ways to engage your audience and create an experience. For example, online collaboration tools like Miro and Figjam are a surprisingly great way to present ideas, get instant feedback and spark conversation especially in a hybrid or remote setting. If pitching in person, consider creating a "museum-like" walk-through of your presentation where people can go at their own pace and engage with the content in a more personal way. Crucially, there's no better way to sell an idea than to show the actual thing rather than tell people about it.

Sound, light, and movement are the three key elements to attracting attention. Think of a Broadway play. Apply these elements to engage your audience. And because you are pitching a business innovation, take an additional, innovative step. Include the tactile sense. This can be done by asking the audience to write something. Draw something. Build something. Repeat something. Now, you are engaging all parts of their brains in your business innovation journey. #BusinessInnovation

Ask any professional performer how they continue to improve their craft, and you'll hear "relentless rehearsal." Your business innovation pitch deserves more than some slides and an outline before you show up and throw up. Your pitch should be new for your audience because your business innovation is new—assuming you are not confusing iteration with innovation. To deliver that performance requires rehearsal. Rework. Feedback from trusted colleagues and coaches. Rework. More rehearsal. Refinement. More feedback. .... You get the idea. Powerful performances/pitches are the byproduct of focused preparation and innovative delivery. #BusinessInnovation