Pitch competitions are platforms or seminars held regularly in which entrepreneurs and startup founders get together and provide their idea or plan of business in front of many other business people. The top ideas win and they are provided with investors or resources they require for their business. Pitch competitions are a great way to lend support to new entrepreneurs who want to make it on their own. But for winning a pitch competitions, your ideas need to be sharp, unique. The judges need to be left impressed and interested with your plan.
Here are 5 steps through which you can win a pitch competition.
1.Make the judges listen to you from beginning
The initial 30 seconds create an impact on the audience and the judges. It is during that time that they decide to be interested or not. Build up your story in such a way in the initial 30 seconds, that everyone is bound to pay attention to your whole speech. You get 3-5 mins max. to sell your plan. Make full use of it and don’t waste time beating around the bush.
2. Keep it simple
When you can show it to people, then why beat time trying to create a visual with words. Use presentations, videos and pictures to make your idea seem more simple. Help the judges visualize it quicker. Keep minimum jargon and fancy sounding words. If you are trying to sell a product, show it to the audience instead of speaking about it.
3. Personality and confidence
Your personality connects with the jury, your confidence makes them take notice. Play with these tools to create an impact on the audience. Share your experiences, tell the audience an anecdote. It never hurts to make your listeners laugh!
4. Take questions
By communicating with the audience, you are connecting with them. Take questions from the audience as well as the jury. Answer them as concretely as you can. Build a rapport. These will help in keeping your idea memorable.
5. End with a bomb
A tagline. A joke. Anything that can act as a memory cue. There are many more competitors before or after you in the competition. Make the audience remember you.
Apart from these tips, make sure that you always have a good research and plenty of examples to support your speech. read your prepared speech out a few times in front of your family or friends and ask them for honest feedback. And never lie!
Related Read: Not The Million Do’s And Don’ts Of Effective Startup Pitch Deck !
