Don’t rush to the solution. You need to go through a good diagnosis process before the listener is ready to hear the solution. If you rush to solution, the listener is not ready to trust you. Do you take time in your meetings to really ensure that everyone shares the view of what the problem … Read more
Here are 7 critical elements of an effective entrepreneur “Pitch” that works (video here on the blog): The 7 elements of a good entrepreneurial elevator pitch A good entrepreneurial elevator pitch will contain these 7 elements: description of the problem you solve the individuals or groups that will benefit the specific product or service you … Read more
The importance of emotion in moving people to take action. This is a video from a recent seminar for the Barcelona Internet Startups Meetup group on the role of emotion in moving people to action. This is a great group to meet entrepreneurs, VCs and techies living in Barcelona. The third pillar of Aristotle’s triad of Persuasion … Read more
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
“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
In my 8 years as a management consultant at Accenture, preparing a presentation was synonymous with preparing the Powerpoint slides. “Hey Neill! Proposal presentation this Friday…” – I immediately opened Powerpoint and started creating slides… A lot of powerpoint is not Great Powerpoint. Great Powerpoint can be a powerful addition to a great speech. As the saying … Read more
What is Charisma? In the words of Dr. Nick Morgan “Charisma is focussed emotion.” There are 2 ways to increase your capacity to deliver “Focussed Emotion” when you speak: Remove Distractions: remove all distractions 30 minutes before you speak Care: know how the message of your speech can change people’s quality of life Watch the … Read more
According to the report “Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce“, the top 6 competencies for success in the labor market today are: Networking – connecting to people and sharing your and their goals (Networking in 7 simple … Read more