How do you handle nervousness when pitching a new product concept to the CEO and top investors?

Pitching activates the fight or flight system. It’s not life or death but the brain doesn’t do a good job of differentiating between genuine danger and a stressful business meeting! So we need to manually override this reaction by engaging something called the ‘Challenge Response’. This simply means telling yourself that this is not a life or death situation but actually just a ‘challenge’ that we more than likely have the capacity to meet. We might say “this is scary” and this engages the brain in providing the answer to this question “what am I feeling right now” and changes its focus from firing up the fight or flight response to answering your question! This blunts the stress response and maintains blood flow to the brain.

Very few people are born with a love of public speaking or presenting - the good news is it’s a skill that can developed by anyone who wants to - when achieved you will stand aside from the majority. So two thoughts:- 1. Start with a small audience who you know well and like - only build to larger more challenging audiences when you feel ready. Practice builds confidence and overcomes fear of failure. 2. Find an orator who you admire and listen to them to understand cadence, breathing and delivery. This could be anyone - an actor reading an audio book or a politician who you respect - there will be one out there. An example for me was President Obama - most striking is his rhythm/cadence & I could listen to him reading a shipping forecast!

Preparation is best way to overcome anxiety. Familiarise yourself with every aspect of your product concept, including its unique selling points, market potential, and development roadmap. Anticipate questions and concerns your CEO and investors might have, and prepare clear and concise responses. Practice and prep your pitch multiple times, ideally in front of colleague who can provide constructive feedback. This will also help to gather more insights and get more perspective. The more prepared you are, the more confident you'll feel.

Tons of preparation. That said, you also need to understand your audience, what is importance to them, and how they will use the information. To paraphrase the movie Christmas Vacation, don’t get into the weeds about the technical jargon of your novel non-nutritive cereal varnish when they want to hear about the market, the opportunity, and how they will make money from it.

When faced with anxiety, its good to write down the potential feedback of sharing the new product to the CEOs and Investors. Incase they take it positively, you have something to smile. Incase they don't, you take it as an opportunity to learn, you have 1+ experience in pitching which others might not have. Encouraging yourself that you will grow if they both accept or decline your proposal goes a long way to ensure you don't get anxious.

Always the same, even though you somehow believe it is not important, preparation is key…. And put yourself in the shoes of your audience. There no one PowerPoint that fits all

Dem kann ich voll und ganz zustimmen. Nachdem ich eine Pr?sentation geübt habe, führe ich in der Regel einen Probedurchlauf vor meinem Team durch. Hier erhalte ich wertvolles Feedback, um die letzten Feinheiten auszuarbeiten. Danach bin ich bestens vorbereitet für den eigentlichen Auftritt.

Clarity of thoughts is the most important aspect when talking about any concepts. Even if you do not have any powerpoint presentation available, you should be able to communicate everything just through your speech. While presenting, decide the scope of the topic, provide the context, precision in selection of words and sharp speech delivery always helps

Know your product concept - in and out, thoroughly! That will provide you 70% of the confidence that you need. Because you know that you will able to answer any question, hence will feel less nervous about the whole presentation.

Eu costumo me colocar no lugar da pessoa que irá assistir a apresenta??o e listar perguntas que eu faria. Depois, eu comparo com meu material e vejo se estou contemplando todos os pontos. Deixar informa??es de back up no apêndice também ajuda, caso você precise consultar algo que n?o esteja no roteiro principal. é uma forma de ter uma carta na manga para eventualidades, sem ser pego de surpresa.

Just enjoy the moment - opportunities like these do not come often. Enjoy the process for this will be a story to narrate for years to come. A good body language will be a natural outcome.

Actually, body language is one of the best ways that show your confidence and stimulate receiving messages good overview or General ideas about the topic.

Body language is really essential during a presentation. The body language often shows what kind of attitude or confidence you carry. It plays a very important role in making an impact of what you have done and the best part is it also leaves an impact of who you are.

Maintain a good pace when speaking; avoid going too slowly, but also refrain from speaking so quickly that your audience cannot follow your ideas. Your voice should be strong and clear; aim to make pauses and verify if the audience is understanding your key points. Always take a general scan of the audience and ensure to emphasize keywords that will help you deliver a meaningful summary at the end with conclusions.

Asking rhetorical questions has helped me personally in many pitching aspects since am able to pick up for the next line of discussion. Involving the audience is something every speaker must adopt especially if you speak much towards experienced audiences. They tend to know alot than we do. Engaging them makes them comfortable and it gives you the presenter a plus during presentations.

Engage audience in discussion and challenge it in a friendly way before it challenges you ;). It will help you to lead the discussion in a direction, which you determine in advance. It would also help to manage transfer from one part of your presentation to another, it would help to moderate the conversation and reduce tireness or tension. Remember, engagement of audience in discussion must be prepared well enough to look like improvisation.

Engaging your audience is essential when pitching a new product concept to the CEO and top investors. Start with a compelling story or statistic to capture their attention immediately. Ask questions to make the pitch interactive and encourage participation. Tailor your message to address their interests and concerns, showing you understand their perspective. Use visuals and demonstrations to make your points more vivid and memorable. Keep your energy high and your enthusiasm evident throughout the presentation. By engaging your audience, you can make your pitch more dynamic and persuasive, increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Getting the audience involved can help to ease nerves, in my experience. Making the presentation a dialogue rather than a monologue results in a more dynamic and participatory environment. I frequently use rhetorical questions to engage the audience with real-world examples that are relevant to their interests and problems. Encouraging comments and actively responding to questions directs attention away from my own nervousness and toward a meaningful exchange of ideas. This strategy not only improves the efficacy of the pitch but also keeps me focused and confident throughout the presentation.

Sempre bom fazer uma apresenta??o com antecedência e rever os principais pontos. Isso vai ajudar a acionar alguns gatilhos. Use imagens, sons, olfato e vis?o...

To present a new product concept to the CEO and key investors, the most effective visual aid would be a combination of well-designed slides with clear and concise graphics, interactive prototypes, and short videos. The slides should highlight key points such as the target market, value proposition, and financial projections. The graphics can illustrate market trends and competitive advantages. Interactive prototypes allow for a practical understanding of the product, while videos can show the product's use in real-life scenarios, providing a clear and engaging vision of the concept.

Using visual aids effectively can enhance your pitch when presenting a new product concept to the CEO and top investors. Incorporate high-quality images, charts, and graphs to illustrate key points and make complex information easier to understand. Keep slides clean and uncluttered, using bullet points and concise text to highlight essential information. Use videos or demos to showcase the product in action and provide a tangible sense of its value. Ensure all visual aids are professional and align with your brand's aesthetics. Practice with your visuals to ensure a seamless integration into your pitch. By leveraging visual aids, you can make your presentation more engaging and impactful.

Using clear and professional pictures not only strengthens my pitch?but also helps to keep the audience's attention on the crucial issues. I make certain that each visual element is specifically tailored to support and enhance my narrative, rather than overwhelm or distract. Furthermore, having a visual roadmap allows me to keep on track and restore my place in the presentation when needed. By incorporating excellent visual aids, I can simplify complex information and provide a more interesting and memorable presentation experience.

To manage time when presenting a new product concept to the CEO and key investors, I follow a structured and concise approach. I start with a clear introduction of the problem the product will solve and its market relevance. Then, I present the solution in a visual and direct manner, highlighting key features and benefits. I use data and metrics to support the feasibility and potential success. I conclude with a summary of the value proposition, implementation plan, and a call to action. I keep the presentation brief and focused, allowing time for questions at the end to encourage engagement and dialogue.

Prep can be an important part of how we contribute to a presentation; it also matters how we prepped. So if you didn’t prep in a way that was conducive to typical personality, try these if you’re in immediate need: 1. Take deep breaths while you look away from your audience or close your eyes before pitching 2. Visual aids & body language are listed in other slides; if you’re going to have a physically visual anxiety induced reaction, try to make it something that still conveys confidence like pacing in rhythm, or using one hand as a pointer. 3. Think about things that make you feel confident and relaxed, not your audience in their underwear. 4. Listen to audience questions & concerns, then ask any follow up / clarifying questions.

One thing I’ve found helpful in maintaining pace is timing yourself ahead of time, on a granular level. Make sure you allot certain amounts of time to certain aspects of the pitch, context will mean that these aspects will vary in importance. Make the most of it!

Pacing yourself is crucial when pitching a new product concept to the CEO and top investors. Speak slowly and clearly to ensure your message is easily understood. Avoid rushing through your presentation, which can make you appear anxious and reduce the impact of your key points. Allow pauses for emphasis and to give your audience time to absorb information. Monitor your timing to cover all essential aspects without running over. By managing your pace, you can maintain control of the presentation, engage your audience effectively, and convey your message with confidence.

I did original research on this at Stanford University and came across a surprising finding: connecting with your values successfully blocks the stress response before a presentation. People who reflect for 10 minutes on their own core values before their speech had lower anxiety rates than a control group who reflected on other people's core values. Not only that, but those who reflected on their own core values were perceived as giving higher quality speeches by judges who were blind to the experimental conditions and the hypothesis. When you know what matters most to you, you don't have to resort to "faking it" so you look confident. You exude confidence in all that you do when you know what authentically matters to you.

it's quite common to get cold feet while presenting to the board, but taking some precautions will help presenting confidently - at first review past presentations & their feedback. this will help understand the boards way of thinking & expectations - ensure the agenda is properly covered & to the point - jott down all the predictable questions & be well prepared - allow the board to complete their point of views / feedbacks - most imp, share your presentation with them at least 2 days in advance & ask for feedback. certainly this way you can take control of the presentation & the audience better.

To handle nervousness when pitching a new product concept to the CEO and top investors, prepare thoroughly and practice your presentation multiple times to build confidence. Focus on key points, using visual aids to support your message and keep the audience engaged. Take deep breaths to stay calm and visualize a successful outcome. Tailor your pitch to the interests and priorities of the CEO and investors, and be ready to address potential questions confidently. Seeking feedback before your pitch can also help refine your presentation and boost your confidence.

When you are delivering information about a product, you should have the right knowledge of the product. While delivering you must take into account that whatever you speak about the product should be right and real. If there is a mismatch, there is always in your mind that you are delivering wrong information and you might sweat profusely, fumble, and many odd scenarios happen at that time. In the long run, you might lose the trust of the CEO or the client & the goodwill of your organization degrades. So, delivering truth is the best way. If you think that your company is misleading clients about the products, join the company where honesty is the best policy and the quality of the product is genuine. Stay away from toxicity.

Stage fright is as normal as possible for any human being, especially when there is a lot at stake. But what I found helpful is thinking that those people listening are humans as well, if what I pitch brings a lot of value then it will be appreciated. Probably the most important thing is to really believe in what you are presenting.