A good idea can still fail to connect if it is presented in only one way. Combining stories, visuals, evidence and interaction can help more of your audience understand and remember your message. Read more...
When a pitch fails to gain support, we often blame the idea, the presenter or the quality of the slides. However, the problem may be that the presentation does not give the audience enough ways to engage with the message.
People do not all process information in exactly the same way. Some want to see evidence. Others connect with stories, images, conversation or practical demonstrations.
An engaging pitch does more than deliver information. It helps the audience see, hear, discuss and experience the idea.
Move Beyond Text-Heavy Slides
Slides filled with words require the audience to read and listen at the same time. This divides their attention and often makes the presentation harder to follow.
Use slides to reinforce the spoken message rather than duplicate it. Photographs, diagrams, simple charts and well-chosen examples can make complex ideas easier to understand.
The visuals should support a clear central message. Adding more graphics simply for decoration can be just as distracting as adding too much text.
Tell a Story
Facts explain an idea, but stories help people understand why it matters.
A story can demonstrate the problem your idea is intended to solve, show how it affects a real person or help the audience imagine a better outcome. It gives abstract information a human context.
A useful story does not need to be dramatic or lengthy. It simply needs a recognisable situation, a meaningful challenge and a clear connection to the idea being presented.
Support the Story With Evidence
Although stories create an emotional connection, many decision-makers also need evidence before they will support a proposal.
Use relevant data to demonstrate the scale of the opportunity or problem. Concentrate on the figures that directly support your argument rather than presenting every piece of research you have collected.
Explain what the numbers mean. A statistic is more powerful when the audience understands why it matters and how it relates to the proposed action.
Make the Idea Tangible
When possible, give the audience something they can experience.
This could be a prototype, sample, demonstration, short activity or comparison between the current experience and the proposed one. A tangible example turns an idea from something theoretical into something people can imagine using.
Even when a physical demonstration is not possible, a realistic scenario or visual mock-up can help the audience picture the result.
Encourage Participation
A pitch should not always be a one-way performance. Asking questions and inviting participation can turn passive listeners into active contributors.
Consider asking the audience to share an experience, choose between alternatives or respond to a short scenario. Participation helps maintain attention and can also reveal what the audience values most.
The objective is not to introduce a gimmick. Every interactive element should help people understand or evaluate the idea.
Combine Different Approaches
Appealing to different ways of learning does not mean creating separate presentations for every audience member. It means combining complementary methods.
For example, you could:
Open with a short story
Illustrate the problem with a visual
provide evidence through one or two meaningful statistics
Demonstrate the proposed solution
Invite questions or discussion
End with a clear request or next step
This creates several entry points into the same central idea.
The Takeaway
The success of a pitch depends on more than the strength of the idea. It also depends on how easily the audience can understand, experience and remember it.
By combining clear language, visual communication, storytelling, evidence and participation, you can make your presentation more accessible without making it more complicated.
This article is an independently written summary of ideas presented in “To Make Your Pitches More Engaging, Appeal to Multiple Learning Styles” by Duncan Wardle, published by Harvard Business Review on 25 July 2024. Read the original HBR article for the author’s complete discussion and examples.
