“A Perfect Pitch” (2006) is a book written by Jon Steel. The book impresses upon the reader the importance of presentations or “pitches” http://tinyurl.com/4vg645e
The final chapter of the book includes a case study called “A Perfect Pitch”. This case study describes the London Olympic Committee’s final presentation in their quest to become the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. On the final day voting by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was extremely close. Two contenders, London and Paris, gave a final pitch that day, it was a 45 minute presentation.
London’s committee had suspected voting would come down to the wire. Their presentation team studied every angle and nuance, developed a single clear message, and then rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed. They made sure their pitch was focused on the IOC‘s mission and values, and that their message was powerful enough to resonate deeply with IOC members. London’s commitee concluded their presentation by stating “On behalf of the youth of today, the athletes of tomorrow and the Olympians of the future, we humbly submit the bid of London 2012.” Their message: we will build YOU (the IOC) a legacy for the future of the Olympics.
Paris’s committee concluded their presentation by saying “Paris needs the games. Paris wants the games. Paris loves the games.”
I believe every presentation in which you are trying to persuade someone to take action has a large “YOU” factor. The YOU factor is about how well the presentation is focussed on your audience’s needs, values, and vision. I think if someone counted the number of times a presenter used the words “you” or “your” in their presentation, it would correlate with how well their message was received.
When you present, how is your YOU factor?
Joe Pops
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