FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Pitching onstage: The art of stage performance is more than storytelling

Pitching onstage: The art of stage performance is more than storytelling

THESE DAYS, venues and events for start-ups are available everywhere. Some request specific areas of interest to serve a particular industry, while others welcome all types of projects. 

Rewards can be different. Some companies offer funding with no strings attached. Others agree to provide support in marketing and production. In some pitching competitions, the prize is an equity fund given by the company. 
Based on my five-year experience as a judge in start-up recruitment events throughout Thailand, I've discovered that despite differences between pitching events, one thing every venue has in common is that the secret of pitching is to win the judges' hearts.
Pitching is more than just presenting a product. The start-up must be able to convince a panel of judges who are looking to give an opportunity to the right team, not just the right product. Experienced judges will not simply look at your product or service, but will try to foresee what your start-up team will be like after three years.
To make a good impression on the judges, start-ups must practise "the art of stage performance" comprising four parts: actor, audience, script and composition, and properties of scene.
The "actor" here is the pitch man. He is the most important aspect, having to tell a compelling story from start to finish. 
Experienced pitch men must know how to trigger judges' curiosity so they want to have a genuine conversation with him during and after the pitch. Besides knowledge of the product or service, the pitch man must foresee the future of his start-up. 
He must do more than just make a presentation duty. He must study not only the company providing the grant but also the whole industry so as to convince the judges that he thoroughly understands his start-up's position and in which direction his team will be heading. Much as an actor memorises his script and practises his role, so does the pitch man.
Generally, pitching contains two parts: presentation and Q&A. Quite often, the pitch man puts too much emphasis on preparing the presentation and too little on answering judges' questions. 
When confronted with a question they are less familiar with, some pitch men steer away by saying, "That's not my task," which doesn't sound right. To build confidence, prior to the pitch day, you should invite 15-20 people with expertise in different fields to listen to your pitch. Invite each of them to ask you several questions so you'll have at least 15-20 otherwise unfamiliar questions for which you will now have enough time to prepare.
Technical questions can be tricky, as they often require complex explanations. Good pitch men listen carefully for hidden questions. Many times, a judge will use a technical question to test the pitch man's competency. This is not because the judge wants you to be tech savvy, but because he wants to see if your start-up is capable of handling challenges. Hence it is not necessary for the pitch man to go in depth technically, but rather to demonstrate the use of analytical skills with a touch of technical knowledge to overcome challenges.
The "audience" is the panel of judges. One major mistake in pitching is to set the objective as what to present. The correct approach should instead be what to say to impress the audience. 
If the audience prefers comedy, then the director must create humorous plots. If your audience is interested in romantic drama, of course, you ought to give it to them. Hence it is imperative that start-ups study the profiles of the judges before the pitch. 
Many companies invite an array of professionals from different fields. Judges whose specialities match the start-up's topic tend to understand the pitch content better. It is advisable for the pitch man to know each judge's background so you can create a plot or story that is compelling to him.
Another common mistake is spending too much time on one single question from one single judge. Do not ignore the other questions. Keep in mind that your audience is not just the judge who asks you a particular question, but everyone in the panel. Spending lots of time on one question means you are pleasing just one judge and leaving the others unattended. It's not worth getting one point from answering Judge A but losing more points from the other judges.
"Script and composition" refers to the content you prepare to talk about. It is important that the content serves the audience's interests. Very often, start-ups aim to talk about product features rather than customer benefits. 
Moreover, the pitch man must realise that every day the judges have to listen to a number of other presentations. Do not go into too much detail during the pitch, as it will cause the judges to lose interest.
"Properties of scene" are the presentation tools. The most popular of these are slides. Make sure that the content in each slide supports your script. If you are talking about something that may be too technical to understand easily, a judge can turn to the slide for clarification. 
Something even better than slides is a product demonstration. This helps convince the judges that you can deliver real products to the market. A mock-up or prototype can help you earn a few extra points from the judges.
In the end, every pitch brings out winners and losers. Don't be discouraged if you lose because the judgement is made by a handful of people. What is more valuable is the experience and feedback from the judges, which will help you improve your ideas. 
Since 2011, Advanced Info Service has been dedicated to supporting start-ups and tech companies. Any start-ups can submit proposals to www.ais.co.th/thestartup/connect. 
Each month, AIS appoints a panel of judges with different expertise in design, business and technology to review start-up proposals and give comments. Outstanding start-ups will advance to become AIS business partners with a great chance to enhance their business possibilities. 

Srihathai Prammanee is head of AIS The Startup.

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