How to Elevate Your Pitch and Achieve Positive Change
Implementing change in a large organization can be frustrating and tiresome. You have an idea of how to go about it, but things like complex leadership hierarchy, department silos, and territorial behaviors can get in the way. Changemakers, or what we like to call Cultivators, need to master their pitch for a better chance at success when it comes to advocating for organizational change.
When it comes to pitching your idea, you have to pay attention to three major components.
It's what you say – What you say matters as it reflects the focus of the pitch and the results you're striving for.
It’s how you say it – The way you share your pitch influences how your audience receives it.
It’s who you say it to – The better you target your pitch the more effective you will be.
Here are three ways you can better focus on the what, how, and who of your pitch.
1. Identify the problem and why you're the person to solve it.
Cultivators who focus on the problem they're solving and why they're the person to address are far more effective in getting the approval and buy-in they need to move forward. Understanding the depths of the problem gives a Cultivator the advantage of deep insight. Furthermore, it allows foresight into a solution, potential objections, and will enable one to prepare rebuttals.
Another critical component to a great pitch, one that's often overlooked, is sharing why you are the person to lead the initiative. Managers and senior leadership will ask why, out of potentially thousands of employees in the organization, you are the right person to lead the initiative. As you go through this process of preparing for your pitch, you can provide a range of reasons and qualifiers: expertise, connections or social currency, or even the initiative and bandwidth to address the problem.
As you go through this process, you will discover this for yourself and share your answer with conviction. Always lead with your purpose and why this initiative or solution is so important to you. Doing this will help solidify your qualifications and develop confidence amongst senior leadership. In return, they are more likely to help empower you and set you up for success.
2. Develop your storytelling skills.
To further build their case, a Cultivator needs to develop their storytelling skills to effectively communicate why their suggested change needs to happen, how it will happen, and why it needs to happen now. Done well, it will reduce the resistance and friction during the pitch. This will also help increase the likelihood of moving forward. If not, it will cause confusion and frustration, causing both parties to lose confidence in one another.
Naturally, people are resistant to change. It threatens their comfort and familiarity with order and way of life. It can also affect their sense of identity, ego, and position of power. For Cultivators to convince their team, manager, or senior leadership to support their initiative and implement change, they need to effectively communicate their ideas, which includes the benefits for the organization.
When it comes to storytelling, practice makes perfect. Pitching an idea or sharing a vision, no matter how big or small, is no easy task. It also doesn't come naturally to people, but it is a skill one can develop. When crafting a good story, there are a few things to keep in mind to communicate your ideas and purpose effectively.
Keep your audience in mind.
Construct a clear and concise message. You can do so by conducting market research, due diligence on the issues, and solidifying the pitch's main points.
Propose a solution (and a few alternatives, if possible) that address the pain points, is actionable, and lays out a strategy to implement the said solution.
There are resources for developing storytelling skills, including books, articles, online courses, and so much more. Studying these methods and practicing your pitch with friends, colleagues, and those who support you allows you to build the confidence you need to pitch it to your team and beyond. There are also online communities aimed towards helping others cultivate their ideas. Communities, like our Cultivators Community, allow people to share their pitch, receive feedback, access resources, and build connections to other like-minded individuals who have had success implementing change in their organization.
3. Recruit champions and investors.
Change in an organization can range in scale and investments. It can be as simple as experimenting with a new process for project management or initiating an organization-wide restructure. Some projects can be done with a handful of volunteers with no financial support, while others require a new department and a large budget to get off the ground. Regardless of the capacity and complexity, you will need to foster champions for your cause and investors.
Champions support your cause and leverage their social relationships to build momentum, interest, and opportunities to get the approvals you need. Champions could include colleagues, managers, and leaders from other departments who influence the company, especially with those in position to greenlight your project. They can advocate on your behalf and act as ambassadors in conversations, relationships, and rooms you may not be in. A good champion not only supports your efforts but also knows you well enough to speak on your character and integrity.
The best way to recruit champions is to identify people of influence. This can start with someone on your team and then grow to organization and industry (depending on your initiative). Build rapport with them and allow them to get to know you personally and professionally. The stronger the relationship, the more they'll know about you and can speak on your character. Once you're in good standing, share your vision on the type of change you would like to implement in your organization and get their thoughts (this is where excellent storytelling skills come in handy). Get their input on the best strategies to bring your idea to life. Once they're brought in, collaborate to spread the message and take action.
Whether you're looking to improve your team's productivity, launch a new project, or start a new department in your organization to solve a pressing problem, it all begins with the mastery of your pitch. Learning these techniques of understanding the problem, storytelling, and fostering champions will help you bring your idea to life. When it comes to change and innovation, resistance is natural. If you develop these skills, you will be able to build the confidence and conviction you need to navigate the organization hurdles. Change is possible and often necessary, so when you're pitching your ideas, your passion is essential, and that is usually powered by the reason why you care to carry out the change.
Share your ideas. Solve problems. Make a difference.
We’re building a community where your voice is heard, solutions are shared, and changemakers around the world can mobilize for change. If you are passionate about change, culture, and innovation, this is the place for you.