What are the first ten words of your next pitch, speech or presentation? Participants of Wayra Week Barcelona 2012 I was at Wayra Week Barcelona this week working with 30 selected startup businesses to prepare their companies for growth and investment. All were looking to raise a round of venture capital financing for their businesses. I spent … Read more
This is a resource page for the session at Wayra Week Barcelona on 20th February 2012. Event Hashtag: #wwbcnOrganiser: @Wayra Wayra.org Follow Today’s Speakers (Bios here) @rfauria @chemaalonso @ferranadria @rhuguet @cuchullainn Preparing a Pitch The 7 elements of a Pitch to Investors How much should I practice? Improve your Speaking email course: http://bit.ly/practicespeak Video Lessons: 4 Steps to Great speaking 5 Aspects … Read more
Manel Baucells was the favourite Professor amongst students when I did my MBA at IESE Business School. He taught Decision Analysis. There are certain types of situation under which humans will take poor (rational) decisions. We study this subject so that we can reduce the likelihood that we will take similar poor decisions under similar … Read more
“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” George Bernard Shaw Beware of Pigs One tool of “pigs” in manipulative persuasion is the rhetorical fallacy. A fallacy is a deliberate mis-use of logical argument. You’ll find them regularly in political, social and family “discussions”. Don’t … Read more
When someone tells me that I am wrong, what do I learn? “You are not doing that right!” “How did you let this happen?” Do I learn what is intended? I don’t think so. I don’t often know what is intended – that I should feel bad or guilty; or that I need to see … Read more
Mark Twain says that as a young man he did not often agree with his father, so he left home. Years later he returns and is amazed at how much smarter his father had become. What changed?
John Whitehead, co-head of Goldman Sachs in the 1970s, wrote the following 10 commandments that guided their business development efforts: Don’t waste your time going after business you don’t really want. The boss usually decides— not the assistant treasurer. Do you know the boss? It is just as easy to get a first-rate piece of … Read more
My favourite business books include Jim Collin’s “Good to Great“. It is easy to read, simple but clear about the hard decisions that differentiate the great companies from the mediocre. His new book, “Great by Choice” is out now. Jim Collins is renowned as someone who has intense discipline in his life. I loved when … Read more
Michael asks “What should you do when you don’t know what to do?” In the times when he felt lost, out of his depth, uncertain, unsure whether he was the right person in the role… All the great moments of self-doubt that I know I share… His mentor’s answer? “Do the next right thing.” The … Read more
I remember watching the “Last Lecture” of Professor Randy Pausch (video embedded below). One of his messages was “show me your calendar and I will show you where you are wasting time”. He spoke of one difference between productive and non-productive people: How you use the small gaps. Using the 5 Minute GapsThe productive people … Read more