We’ve already covered a lot of things to do in this blog, to make your pitches even better, and this week we’ll tell you, why you should try to incorporate a story into your pitch. Telling a story can be an incredibly powerful tool in your pitching toolbox for a bunch of different reasons. It’s not always easy, but if you manage to do it correctly, you’ll have a good platform to build from.
Why you should tell a story
First, why telling a story is a good idea. Humans have told stories for millennia starting out small with little drawings in french caves of people hunting animals. The pyramids in Egypt aren’t (just) covered in words but also great big pictures, and stories like The Odyssey have lived through the ages and are still told today.
It’s a core part of being human to tell and listen to stories, because stories can give us an emotional rollercoaster ride, we can identify with the people in the stories, and we are often fascinated by the stories, we are told. All of these are good things to achieve in a pitch, because it makes the audience engaged and intrigued – you have their attention.
Also the way we remember things tend to be contextual. It’s a lot easier for most people to remember things, when they can tie it to something – the concept behind the memory-technique involves building a path, that is loaded with information. A tale is loaded with details people can tie information to.
Telling a story is also a good way of making sure, your pitch or presentation moves forward. A story has a beginning, a middle and an end, so there’s a natural flow to a story, that helps keep your pitch flowing dynamically.
How to tell a story in your pitch
Secondly, the how of telling a good story in your pitch. Put a person in your tale, and give that person a name – preferably your customer. This helps with the identification and gives your story an easy focus point for the audience.
It doesn’t have to be an actual person, you’ve met or heard of – feel free to make up that person. Just make sure, the person might as well have been a real person with real struggles.
Try to mix in the information you want to give to the audience with the parts of the tale, that invokes feelings into the audience. This will underline the facts, you present, and make them more memorable.
Also think about the level of details in your story – especially in regards to your timeframe. If you know, you only have a short period of time available, you can cut back on the details. If you’ve got some time on the other hand, details of the person in the story can help boost the identification.
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