How do you balance rehearsing your pitch and being spontaneous and authentic?

Understanding your audience is the first step to balancing rehearsal and authenticity in your pitch. - Research your audience’s background, interests, and pain points. - Tailor your pitch to address their specific needs and preferences. - Anticipate their questions and concerns to show preparedness.

Knowing who is in front of you is crucial. A good idea is to create a vocabulary that might pleasantly impact the audience you are facing. Words, aphorisms, and analogies related to their life paths that have a pleasant and positive impact can help. Moreover, it's important to ask what matters to the people in front of you and to delve deep into this research.

If there is one important thing is this "Know your audience". Usually people tend to think about the pitch and forget to whom they are pitching. I was in that position before. "Audience" brings too many questions already: how can I make my pitch relevant to them? How does my current content resonate? Which part should I focus on? Do they have specific background? What do I need from them?

Many founders get confused about this, but in my experience, rehearsing your business pitch isn't about practicing reading a teleprompter like a famous news anchor. Unless your business plan is copied from someone else, it comes from your own experiences and life journey. So, when you practice your pitch, it shouldn't be about reading practice like a TV anchor. Instead, it's about connecting your life journey and "aha moment" with your passion, and refining your storytelling to convey the vision and passion in your heart. That's what pitching rehearsal is about.

Some organisations prepare a war and peace script and there has to be structure. People buy people and the most important thing is belief in the product or service which can only be earned by the trainer

Anyone who wants to make an impact through storytelling must first be sincere. If they want to motivate the audience in a certain direction, they must explain how a particular decision has influenced their life. Highlighting the long-term impact of things deeply orientates the mind.

Crafting a compelling story helps you connect with your audience and keep your pitch engaging. - Develop a clear narrative arc with a beginning, middle, and end. - Highlight key points and benefits that resonate with your audience. - Use relatable examples and anecdotes to make your story memorable.

Note down important points to discuss. Use a story around it. Make sure that it should be impactful, natural and real if possible. Do not mug up the whole speech. Rather, remember important points in sequence and go for rehearsal considering the criticality of the pitch. Make this a habit so that you need not have to do multiple rounds of rehearsals for future events/pitch.

One of the biggest and best items to share when you're pitching is the WHY YOU? Why are you the one to tell this story (if you're pitching Hollywood) and/ or why are you the one to create and build this brand? Adding in your personal story will go a very long way and because it is an authentic piece of the equation, going off the cuff will go miles as far as making you likable and relatable. For example, if you're pitching a story about a sailing captain in the World Cup who ran a team of disabled sailors, you should mention that! Likewise, if you're creating a startup based on an aluminum-free body deodorant because your sister just finished chemo and can't use any products with aluminum and you couldn't find a deodorant, mention it!

Effectively telling your story is key, but balance is essential to avoid being overly lengthy and boring or too brief and awkward. My key advice: Focus on engaging your audience by using clear, concise language and structuring your content to maintain interest. Tailor your story to the audience's interests and background for maximum impact.

Practicing your delivery ensures you convey your message confidently and smoothly. - Rehearse key parts of your pitch, focusing on clarity and pacing. - Record yourself to identify areas for improvement in tone and body language. - Practice with a friend or colleague to get constructive feedback.

Practice makes perfect. A good idea is to stand in front of a mirror well-dressed and practice your pitch this way. Keep in mind that you are a musical instrument, and the music of your speech has a decisive impact and empowers the information being presented. Training that is worth doing involves learning to speak from the heart.

It's always good to rehearse what you want to say and time yourself too so that you know how long it takes to deliver whatever you want to say. That said, don't over rehearse - you don't want to sound stilted. Get a good idea of what you want to say and then experiment with saying it in different ways so that you don't always deliver the same pitch and it's not word for word.

When you're practicing, you want it to be conversational. Pretend as though you're pitching your idea to a friend over coffee. You want to keep your pitch short and sweet. So many people have talked their way out of a deal. When those you're pitching to say, "Yes," stop talking. Let them talk. You've got this!

Rehearsing your pitch delivery is a must. Having worked with +100 entrepreneurs on their pitches, it's clear that practice makes perfect. To rehearse effectively, I recommend using Loom to record yourself. Then, share the recording with your colleagues for feedback and refine your pitch to make it better.

Being adaptable allows you to respond to the dynamics of the room and keep your pitch authentic. - Read the room and adjust your tone and approach based on audience reactions. - Be prepared to pivot if the conversation takes an unexpected turn. - Keep a few flexible points that you can modify on the fly.

I think it's always a good idea to have a few ideas in your back pocket. When pitching an idea or interacting with someone in an interview there's always going to be questions you weren't expecting. Knowing the main ideas that are important to you to convey can help keep you on track and communicating effectively.

Don't focus on memorizing every detail, it's not a school exam. Instead, embrace the flow. My advice for entrepreneurs is to practice their pitch under various conditions, whether in the shower or over music. Having a script is beneficial, that's true. But, always aim to transcend it by presenting your slides in diverse ways to keep your delivery dynamic and adaptable.

Read the Room: Pay attention to the body language, facial expressions, and engagement levels of your audience. If you notice signs of confusion or disinterest, be prepared to pivot your approach, clarify points, or invite questions to re-engage them.

Adapting to the situation while being spontaneous involves staying informed and ready to pivot. Prepare thoroughly, but remain flexible to address unforeseen changes or audience cues. This balance ensures you remain composed and authentic, effectively responding to dynamic environments.

Authenticity is key to making a genuine connection with your audience during your pitch. - Let your personality shine through, even as you follow your pitch structure. - Use natural language and avoid sounding overly scripted or rehearsed. - Show passion and enthusiasm for your idea to engage your audience emotionally.

Always remember that people buy from people! Be yourself - there's only one of you! If you're passionate about what you do, that will shine through.

Crammed Pitches sounds different! If someone is authentic, he/she doesn’t need to cram it for any meeting. He/she would be always ready to explain it !

Being yourself while rehearsing your pitch means integrating your personality into your preparation. Practice with your unique style and voice, ensuring your authenticity shines through. This approach makes your pitch more relatable and engaging, resonating genuinely with your audience.

Seeking feedback while maintaining spontaneity requires a balance between learning from critiques and staying true to your style. Use feedback to refine your pitch, but ensure it enhances rather than stifles your natural delivery. This approach fosters continuous improvement and authenticity.

Don't hog the floor! Be mindful of how much time you've been given and make sure you don't eat into someone else's time. And don't waffle!

Keep practicing, Pitching is just like any other skill. After over 30 pitches, I’ve seen it firsthand. To get better, always ask for feedback, change your approach depending on who you’re talking to, and practice in different places to become more adaptable. Remember, life itself is one big pitch, so stay alert, take every chance to improve, and keep moving forward!

-The person you are calling does not know what your supposed to say, but it is easy to pick up if you are reading from a script. If you need to tweak the words of the script to sound more like you, do it! -Standing up when calling forces you to have an open, powerful body stance vs. sitting crouched in a chair. If you need to feel more confident, literally stand up! -You might be intimidated that you are calling an Executive VP for <insert company, but they are no better than you; they are also a person, and just have a bigger/better title, for now. - Detach from the outcome. Call to help vs. book a meeting. If you call because you can help, you'll be more open to listening and more likely to book the meeting. Plus it's more fun!

Sometimes you will not know your audience. Sometimes the audience that shows up will not be who you prepared for. It happens. One profession that deals with this all the time - Standup Comedians. They have to get on stage and try to connect with their audience and make them laugh. ALL before they've ever met them. So what's the trick? If what you've prepared to say is not connecting with the audience - Feel what they're experiencing. Perhaps pause and examine (or find out) what their experience has been so far. You may even want to ask the audience to share some of their thoughts. Comedians use this to "riff" for laughter. Presenters can use this to re-adjust their pitch.

What did your teachers say to you when you were a kid? “Practice makes Perfect” You remember that ? Please… with all due respect… your teacher was not 100% correct. Pitching doesn’t have “Perfect”. It never had and it never will. Audiences and situations will differ. Moods will swing. Trends can change. If you want to try and become “perfect”… you’re aiming for the impossible. Best thing you can do is practice, rehearse and familiarize yourself with your pitch. When you do so, you can be comfortable enough to pick back up where you left off, if you were interrupted/lost track momentarily/running short on time Practice won’t make perfect, Teacher! Practice just builds confidence.