While Perfect Pitch is a simple method, it is not easy to master. Attending a workshop or going through this course will give you the tools, but it takes time, effort and practice to become skilled. If you are in a hurry, One-on-One Coaching will help you translate your ideas into a clear, concise and compelling pitch for your …
Linda S. Plano has been communicating complex technologies to business people since she was a Research Scientist at a startup company while earning her PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from Stanford University (BS Physic, MIT). Since then, she has had roles up to CEO of a startup company and up to VP for New …
Exercises for “Perfect Pitch Philosophy” Please open your editable PDF [download from the Materials tab of the “Perfect Pitch Downloads” lesson]. Enter your name and email if you would like feedback when you are done. You may have several communications opportunities in mind, but I encourage you to select one high priority audience on which you will …
Before you start writing a pitch, know as much about your audience as possible. You can use the examples in the previous topic to get started, but knowing is better than assuming! Review their social media feeds and website; if possible, ask mutual acquaintances for further insights. Fear and Greed also depend to a lesser …
A challenge in teaching about communications strategies across the academic environment is that there are so many potential audiences and so much variation in their fear and greed that it is difficult to generalize. The following examples should be considered as illustrations, not as comprehensive. To get at fear & greed, you need to identify …
Focus on your audience Easily said, not so easily done! Fortunately, there is a simple tool to help you assess whether your pitch is focusing on the audience. As noted (a bit tongue in cheek!) in the video: investors are basically very simple creatures. They make up their minds based on just two simple things: …
Exercises If you have not already done so, download the exercises from the Materials tab in the “Perfect Pitch Downloads” lesson. Start by describing why the existing solutions are inadequate for the problem detailed in Question 01. Use those failures to describe how your innovation will deliver a better solution in 200 words or fewer.
The number one mistake that academic innovators make in answering this question is in trying to teach rather than engage. They often believe that, to appreciate how amazing their solution is, the audience must understand how it works. While this belief is certainly based in truth, it is a risky strategy to employ: You may …
The way you communicate your solution will generally be to find a balance between describing your exciting capabilities to build greed and minimizing the worrisome risks that usually accompany trying something new. Investor Perspective Investors generally want to hear that you are intent on providing solutions, not innovation for the sake of innovation. Your focus …
Your Solution to the Problem in Q01 Your answer to “Question 01: Who cares?” should have set you up perfectly for answering Question 02. Investor Perspective You have identified your user and an important problem for which they have inadequate solutions. Now your audience will pay attention as you describe your innovation – after all, …
Short discussion to identify the best way to proceed for your situation.
Experience my process and get practical advice for an upcoming presentation or pitch.