tips on pitching anything
"We're currently getting ready for demo day at YC (helps fund tech startups), which means quite a lot of pitch practice. Here are the main points of feedback we tend to give to teams. This advice works for almost any kind of presentation you might give."
Advice on pitching - Aaron's Blog
My advice: The blog post says to use a joke if you are sure it will land. They almost never do. The only way to know if it will be funny for sure is to test it over and over in front of several live audiences. Most people don't have the time or will not prepare that much. One reason people like Tony Robbins are so well spoken is they speak hundreds of times, keeping the stuff that works. Btw, your family does not count as an audience.
Alternatively, you can use humor which has a lower payoff in comedy terms, but is much less risk. You see this on Shark Tank when they use silly chants or cheers, or they say something like "Sharks, who is ready to make some cold cash with my tequila popsicles?" This relies more on a light, fun, energetic, confident presentation style than jokes, or what Johnny Carson called "the hard line."
If you are brave, you can try anyway. I would keep it short, so if it bombs, you can move quickly to the next thing. For example, let's say you are pitching near the end of a long afternoon of pitches, and the audience is getting tired and burnt out. Your pitch is one of the last ones so you can say, "Folks, don't worry, we only have 30 more today." Or "Guys, they just gave me good news, we are halfway through." If they already heard 15 pitches that lasted 4 hours, the idea of 15 more will hopefully make them laugh. This relies on a confident delivery, and a tone that insures you are kidding. If it gets crickets (no one laughs), don't try to explain. Don't say, "I'm only kidding." Just move on.
Advice on pitching - Aaron's Blog
My advice: The blog post says to use a joke if you are sure it will land. They almost never do. The only way to know if it will be funny for sure is to test it over and over in front of several live audiences. Most people don't have the time or will not prepare that much. One reason people like Tony Robbins are so well spoken is they speak hundreds of times, keeping the stuff that works. Btw, your family does not count as an audience.
Alternatively, you can use humor which has a lower payoff in comedy terms, but is much less risk. You see this on Shark Tank when they use silly chants or cheers, or they say something like "Sharks, who is ready to make some cold cash with my tequila popsicles?" This relies more on a light, fun, energetic, confident presentation style than jokes, or what Johnny Carson called "the hard line."
If you are brave, you can try anyway. I would keep it short, so if it bombs, you can move quickly to the next thing. For example, let's say you are pitching near the end of a long afternoon of pitches, and the audience is getting tired and burnt out. Your pitch is one of the last ones so you can say, "Folks, don't worry, we only have 30 more today." Or "Guys, they just gave me good news, we are halfway through." If they already heard 15 pitches that lasted 4 hours, the idea of 15 more will hopefully make them laugh. This relies on a confident delivery, and a tone that insures you are kidding. If it gets crickets (no one laughs), don't try to explain. Don't say, "I'm only kidding." Just move on.
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