Business Forum Group Speaker Contest semifinalist

How to become future-proof?

No one can predict the future, we can only assume scenarios. What matters in the end is the relationships we built, impact we created and person we became.

Here´s 3 key updates we can control:

  • Connect for inspiration – every person I meet is an opportunity to learn.
  • Create for legacy – I find ways to bring a piece of my dream into today.
  • Grow for impact – All that happens supports my journey of growth.

Make conversations matter. Create to learn and see everything as an opportunity to grow. That´s one scenario for becoming future-proof.

Would love to dive deeper to find ways to apply it in your team? Let´s talk.

Green screen video studio setup for online teaching

For speakers and teachers who care (read: geek out) about the visual experience of their students. This is my dream home studio set up for recording and live Zoom training.

The requirements for my challenge were:

+ Studio-quality audio and video

+ For recording and Zoom live training

+ Fast setup, ready to go

+ Full control one-man show

+ No post-editing

+ Fits into 10 sqm home office

So what do you think – looks like a reasonable setup or a total overkill for Zoom seminars? 😀

Current setup gear list: + Main camera: Sony ZV-1 (with excellent autofocus)

+ Video mixer: Blackmagic Atem Mini Extreme (with supersource)

+ Main lights: Elgato Key Lights (works great with Elgato Stream Deck controller)

+ Green screen: Manfrotto Chroma Key 1.8 x 2.75m Green Screen Background

+ Teleprompter: TeleprompterPAD iLight PRO 11

+ Microphone: Rodelink wireless transmitters and headset microphone

+ Shotgun microphone: Rode NT USB Mini with Elgato LP (low profile) stand

+ Teleprompter monitor: Feelworld T7 (7″, but could be larger)

+ Computer: HP Spectre X360 13″ laptop (with touch screen) with Gravity LTS 01 B laptop stand for heat dissipation

+ Monitors: Dell Ultrasharp series with separate stands

How to tame the fear of public speaking?

You want your ideas to reach as many people as possible. But there is one thing that stands between you and your potential supporters – the fear of public speaking.

Fear is not real, it is a product of your imagination

Let´s get one thing straight – fear is not real. It is a construct of your imagination. Danger can be real, but fear is something you made up.

Evolutionarily fear is an ability we have developed to stay alive – if there was some dangerous animal that wanted to eat our ancestors, then their fear kicked in and prepared their body to run for their lives.

But how likely it is nowadays that some beast will want to attack you and eat you? Or the listeners of your speech would want to eat you? The act of fear is still programmed in our DNA as a survival mechanism. But we can tame that fear for our own good.

So the next time you step on the stage and feel the symptoms of fear, ask yourself: “Is this actually dangerous, or can I let go of my fear?”

But why do you actually feel the fear of public speaking?

Your heart pumping, legs shaking, dry mouth. These are some symptoms of fear. Your body is getting you ready for the stage the same way it is getting you ready to run away from a wild bear that wants to eat you. Pumping the blood to your muscles and injecting adrenaline to your blood stream.

To some extent this is actually good – it energizes you and gets you ready to be fully alive and awake on the stage. But excite too much and you become a faster runner, but not a better speaker.

So the next time you feel the anxiety kick in before going on stage, stop for a moment. Breathe deeply and affirm to your body: “Dear body, thank you for getting me excited for the speech. I can handle it from here. Let´s enjoy the show!”

If your mind made up the fear of public speaking, it can surely make up a way to tame it.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

Marie Curie

Turn your anxiety of  public speaking into excitement for public speaking

Fear and anxiety are actually our allies in making an energizing and powerful speech. The key is to direct the “fear energy” into “excitement energy”. Direct this energy to your listeners through your clear voice and words.

So instead of worrying “Oh no, I´m feeling fear!”, rather direct your inner talk to “Oh, I am excited to go on stage and perform!”

Direct your attention on serving the listeners. Focus on how you are helping them to improve their lives using the ideas and feelings transmitted through your speech. Once you attention moves from shaky hands to serving the listeners, the excessive fear fades.

Why am I on this stage giving this talk?

Being a professional public speaker for 12 years, I know one thing: the talk goes a lot smoother when I have a clear understanding of why I came on this stage and what is the message I want to deliver to the listeners.

When preparing your talk, think about these questions:

Why did I come to this stage?

What is the message I want to deliver?

Why this message matters?

What is the value that the listeners can derive from this message?

Why I am the right person to deliver this message now?

Once you have answers to these questions, you develop a stronger inner confidence for stepping on stage. You know what your message is and whatever happens, you´ll find a way to pass on that message. Bring your focus to your message and there won´t be room for fear.

But what if I find out that I actually should not be on that stage at all?

Are you afraid that you don´t have a powerful enough message to share with the listeners?

Well, just keep it short and pass on the ideas that are worth sharing.

Are you afraid that you don´t have anything new to share with the listeners?

Generate ideas, interview experts and mix those ideas into your talk.

Are you afraid that you are not the right person to cover the given topic?

If that really is the case, then be honest and recommend some better expert for the event organiser.

Are you afraid to look dumb or accidentally say something embarrassing?

Well, if you are talking about a completely new and original idea, then for some people it will sound dumb, because they are not able to grasp it, yet. But perhaps some other listeners do get positively excited about it.

Can we be liked by everyone?

Should we be liked by everyone?

Are you afraid that it might not be interesting enough for the listeners?

Learn to know who your listeners are – what they are curious about? Tell good stories and engage their imagination. Give the listeners an opportunity to ponder with you or talk with you. Turn listeners into participants.

Are you afraid that you might forget a line in your speech? Or what if there is an accident?

But what if nothing goes wrong?

If you do forget a line or segments, just casually continue or turn that little miss-spelling into a light “oops” joke and bring your focus back to your message.

Don´t expect it to be perfect – we are humans, we are not perfect, and that´s what makes us interesting and unpredictable. In reality most people will never notice that you forgot a line or segment in your talk. Usually the speaker himself is the only one concerned about it.

Ask yourself: what is it that I want people to remember from my talk?

Choose the ideas and stories that carry this message and speak in a way that the listeners would feel you message. They will remember the feeling.

Do make notes for your speech, but don´t read them while talking

When you were in school and preparing for tests, did you sometimes make these little notes about some important facts they were asking in the test?

Making notes has it´s benefits:

  1. It helps you think things through – with a limited space you have to figure out what is important.
  2. Having notes creates a safe zone – you know that if you should forget something, you can refer to notes.

Therefore do make notes on key elements of your speech. But leave those notes into your pocket or on a podium or stage corner. Because if you made good notes, you won´t need them – you remember the important things that you wrote down.

PS! It is ok to read a line from the notes if you have a specific quote or some form of short information that definitely has to be correctly said.

How to train your courage to speak publicly?

Every speech you give is an opportunity to train your courage to speak publicly. Find a safe and supportive environment, stand up and deliver. Here are some ways to do it:

  • Group works – discussing topics in a larger group and expressing your ideas and opinions.
  • Presenting the results of group works on seminars – it is less frightening to present “the ideas of our group” than “my ideas”, because your group members have already approved that these are ideas worth sharing.
  • Debating and public speaking clubs where you can practice speaking and receive feedback from others.
  • Choirs, dancing groups – activities in which you can perform with a big group. This way you can become accustomed to be on stage, but not having to worry about being on spotlight.
  • Public speaking trainings – an opportunity to simulate situations and get feedback for your performance. I often provide video feedback on my public speaking trainings to help participants objectively evaluate their performance and find ways to improve it.

After your presentation don´t just focus on what went wrong, but ask yourself:

“What went well?”

“How can I improve this talk the next time?”

When training your public speaking skills, be kinder to yourself. Don´t expect perfection.

If you´re just starting out with public speaking, don´t compare yourself to other professional speakers, because they have years of experience training their public speaking skills and improving their talks with countless number of times they have stepped on stage. You can draw inspiration and ideas from them, but do not compare yourself to them.

The professional public speakers reached the point they are at, because they did not allow the fear of public speaking to get on their way of becoming a great speaker.

They trained themselves to become a better speaker.

But what if I get a total blank out on the stage? How should I handle that blank out?

Should it happen that you experience the moment on the stage where you forget your lines and don´t know what to say next, then the first thing to do is: breathe.

Bring your attention to your breathing – breathe deeply in a relaxing pace. While doing it, you may smile and relax, not to take the situation too seriously.

You can also think of a calming mantra that helps to calm your mind and let go of fear. Such as:

“I can do it!”

“All I need is available within me.”

“Breathe in and relax, breathe out and smile.”

“This too shall pass and all will be well.”

Then bring your attention to the message you want to deliver to your listeners and find a way towards that message.

It helps if you know well these 3 components of your talk:

  1. How to begin to attract attention?
  2. What is my main message and key points I want to deliver?
  3. How do I want to close my talk in a memorable way?

If you remember your closing and nothing else comes to mind, you can just head for the closing lines and wrap up your talk.

If things do not turn out as you expected, there is one affirmation that helps me to move forward:

All that happens is part of my journey of development.

In other words: if you lose, don´t lose a lesson.

What do you need so that you could publicly speak with courage?

The fear of public speaking is our ally, once we tame it for the good of our performance.

If you need to speak publicly and you want to speak well, but are afraid of the act of public speaking, then just go and speak publicly as much as possible. This way you fully understand that public speaking is not dangerous.

Begin with smaller groups and simpler announcements. Every time you do something that scares you, you grow the courage in you. Because you become to realise that it is not dangerous. It is exciting.

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Join the discussion – what are your takeaways from this article and is there something you want to clarify or ask so that you could speak with courage?

 

 

 

How to pitch your early stage startup idea?

How to win the startup competition game?

It is easier to win the game if you know what they give points for. Many startup idea competitions have evaluation criterias and point sheets for jury members. In many occasions the assesment criterias are as follows:

  • Opportunity – is there a significant problem that can be solved?
  • Traction – are people signing up to use the solution and buy the product? (not just your friends giving it a “like”, but actual potential buyers)
  • Scalability – how will this business model work out on long run?
  • Team and execution – do you have the right people to make it happen? Including team dynamics: are they right fit to work together?
  • Presentation – is it effective, clear and on time? Does it make me want to learn more about your startup?

Be sure to check out which evaluation criterias your startup pitch competition has.

What are the investors and jury members looking for?

In general investors want:

  1. Invest in products that people actually want to buy – can you prove that there is a significant market and people shouting “take my money and give me your product?”.
  2. To get their money back with good return – so they are looking for teams who are actually going to make it happen. There is no point in putting your money into a team, that just wanted to have some fun team-work exercise for the weekend. As an investor you want to bet on those who are ready to put years of hustle and grind to really bring their idea to life.
  3. Protection for their investment – some call it “moat“* some call it “unfair advantage“. They want to see that you can do something valuable that no one else can copy.
    *(A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence)

But the final decisions are often not rational, but rather emotional.

I see something in you, but I don´t know what it is.

And that emotional part makes it more complicated, because different investors can have different motivations that they are seeking for their current portfolio.

For example:

  • Social impact – does this thing make the world a better place?
  • Their area of passion – do they relate to the problem you are solving or technology you are using?
  • The “wow factor” – they just want this cool idea as part of their portfolio.
  • Determination – the absolute certainty of the founders that this idea needs to executed. Even if no-one backs them up, they are still determined to make it happen and become best in the field.

Keep in mind that humans make the final decisions to pick the winner. And humans have emotions. And to most people emotions override rational numbers. So build the emotional connection and make your pitch unforgettably great.

So what is it that you want to be remembered for?

The human memory is selective, it likes things that have emotion in it and that are connected to existing things. So if you want to be remembered – be relevant and tap the emotions of the listeners.

As the rule of golden circle says: people don´t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Why are you doing this startup? Clarify these 3 elements:

  • WHY (mission) – what is the impact you want to create and in which way do you want to contribute to the world?
  • HOW (values) – what are the values and principles that guide you in you activities?
  • WHAT (product) – which activities will actually help you attain that impact?

Do check if your startups social media, website, communication and all other elements are in alignment with your mission and values. In ideal case, your idea pitch should reflect those principles even without verbalizing what your mission and values are.

Don´t just talk about your mission, embody your mission. Let the listeners feel your mission.

Why, to whom and how to pitch?

Before you rush designing your slide deck, get really clear on those 3 questions:

  1. Why do I speak? What do I want to get as a result of my pitch? (is it validation for the idea, mentoring, feedback, new users or partners or … ?)
  2. To whom do I have to speak to get it?
  3. What do I need to show or persuade, so that they would give it to me?

Is this pitch competition actually the right place to get what you want for your startup?

What is the core message you want to deliver?

Clarify these questions:

  • How are we going to disrupt the ____ industry?
  • What makes us special compared to ____ or ____?
  • How do we want the listeners to remember us after the pitch?

The listeners won´t propably remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel. With that in mind – it´s not about cramming all the information into a pitch, but it´s about figuring out what is the main thing that we need to convey.

Even though I ask a lot of questions in this article, you not have to cover all the answers in your pitch. But it does help you clarify what is the important thing to focus on.

How should I structure my pitch?

Your pitch should answer these 3 questions:

  • What? – what is it that you are actually doing?
  • So what? – why should we care? What´s in it for us? How will it improve our lives?
  • Now what? – if I like your idea, what should I do next?

A more thorough classical structure could be to cover these points:

  • Problem or opportunity – what is the problem you are solving or an opportunity you are bringing to the marketplace?
  • Solution and use – showing how your solution solves the problem for the customers.
  • Competition and uniqueness – comparing what are the existing alternatives that currently reduce or solve the same problem that you are solving. Also pointing out how your solution is better than others in aspects that are actually important for the customers.
  • Business model – how are you going to make money? How can you sustain the growth and profit on the long run?
  • Current status – what have we achieved so far?
  • Team – who is in our team and what valuable skill each team member is bringing to the team to help this idea succeed? Are all the necessary skills covered?
  • Next steps or strategy – what is our plan for further developing our startup? Important milestones and projections?
  • Summary, ask or call to action – remind the listeners who you are, what you are doing and what makes your idea special. Your call to action, if you have one.

But be aware, that this structure might not be suitable for shorter 2-3 minute pitches. Also be aware that you do not need to give equal amount of time for each point. Only give time to those that really matter in persuading the listener to support your team.

Most importantly: if everyone is going to have the same structure, it will be boring for the jury members to listen. Therefore you to choose the key elements and cover them in your unique and engaging story. Save the details for Q&A.

Don´t just tell me, show me – the power of visuals

Elevator pitch has limited time – we want to maximize the impact of those minutes. So instead of giving a long talk about your business model or strategy, just show it with a visual.

Not all slides are created equal. Here´s the checklist for good pitch slides:

  • Delivers a clear message – does the viewer understand what you are doing, what makes you special and why they should care?
  • Only the essential information – don´t try to cram all the information on the slides. On each slide ask “Is it necessary to have these sentences here?”. If not, you might want to remove it, because long complicated text could mislead the listener from the important stuff. You can actually have more advanced slide deck that you send as handouts for investors, if necessary.
  • One point at a time – listeners read faster than you talk, therefore if you have a long list of things, use animation to bring each element in when you need it or separate the big ideas on separate slides (slides don´t cost a dime!).
  • Text is well readable – tiny text might look nice on a laptop screen, but will the people on back rows be able to read it? The minimum font size should be 24pt, or even better 30pt.
  • Test it – do the fonts work on presentation computer? Are images and texts in their right places? Do the animations work properly? It is recommended to have your slides saved in pdf format, to avoid “surprises” on stage. If you use videos or animations, then especially make sure that they would work properly on presentation computer.

For pictures, design tools and free PowerPoint templates, check out this list: Free tools for designing and marketing your your ideas.

For a wider selection of well-designed paid PowerPoint templates check out Graphicriver under “Presentations” section.

In general, if you´re not sure what you are doing, then just go for widescreen slides with black background and white text with keywords. It won´t impress, but it will help you structure your talk and help listeners to comprehend the important stuff.

The pitch does not have to answer all the questions about your startup. It has to get the listeners interested to learn more about your startup.

Don´t waste a good real estate – use the final slide wisely!

Too many presenters finish their pitch with a “Thank you for listening” slide and head for Q&A. Instead, you should put your core message, mantra or call to action on the final slide, so that it would be visible during the Q&A.

With so many teams pitching and a long day behind, it could be that a jury member can´t even remember what your recently presented idea was about. Make it easier for them to provoke good discussion.

Also make a good use of your first slide – can it start building the story and arising curiosity even before you arrive on stage?

How to master the Q&A?

You want to feel confident when addressing the questions. How to develop that natural confidence? By being prepared for tough questions.

Here are some questions that investors and jury panels are often asking:

  • How did you come up with the idea?
  • What makes your product different than the other similar one?
  • What is your market size (number of potential buyers you are going to address)?
  • What is your go to market strategy? (how are you going to get first clients?)
  • Why do you believe now is a good time to enter market with that idea?
  • Why should I invest in your startup?
  • What is your previous track record and experience in this field? What have you learned from that experience?
  • If I were to invest in your company, what are the next specific steps you are going to take with the funding?
  • What will quarantee that your startup will succeed among other similar players in that field?
  • How is your intellectual property protected?

Brainstorm all the questions that listeners might have about your startup – including the tough ones. Write them down into Google Docs file and together with all team members have written answers for all questions.

Rehearse your pitch, record it and ask for feedback

By rehearsing your pitch you develop a better fluency – you verbalize the key ideas and develop a better clarity of what and how you want to say.

Videorecord your rehearsal, watch it. Ask what went well and how can I increase the effectiveness of the impact? What can I leave out, how can I use metaphors or examples, better wording?

Improve it and do it again, but better this time (don´t seek for perfection, if you mess something up, repair it and move on). Once it no longer sucks, show it to someone who can give you honest feedback.

You might ask feedback for these elements:

  • Attention – did I get and keep your attention? Were there moments you got a little bored?
  • Contact – did you feel engaged as a listener?
  • Impact – did the talk succeed in bulding an interest for the idea?

Bonus for more detailed feedback on the performance:

  • Explanation – were the visuals clear and helpful?
  • Voice – Did I sound natural?
  • Gestures – Were my body gestures natural? Did they support my message?

If not, then how can I improve?

In some occasions you might even be able to access the very stage that the pitching takes place. Use this opportunity to get a feeling of the stage – its size, screen and equipment placement, location of the jury etc.

And one more thing: remember to get a recording of your real-stage final pitch as well – this way you can learn how you actually perform on stage and it could be a nice resource for future use.

Speak to inspire

Remember, you are on the stage to inspire listeners to support your cause. You already believe in your startup idea. Now is the time to step on the stage and inspire them to support your startup.