Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion
The School of the Archdiocese of Capiz
Roxas City
GEC 5
PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
MODULE
Module 3 : Purposive Communication
Lesson 3 : Communication Across professions:
a. Pitching
A. Course Outcomes
1. Persuade people when it comes to pitching a project, when it comes to marketing,
in the context of a corporate conference, and in the public sphere as advocate.
B. Introduction
Corporations and private institutions rely on persuasion in order to get
investments, broker deals, and find clients. Persuasion comes, not just in the words that
are used, but also with snappy audio-visual presentations and infectious music. It can be
dead serious, as in corporate negotiations, or seriously fun, as in marketing products
and pitching projects.
C. Readings/Content
Music, baseball or a presentation term?
What is pitching exactly? If you don’t know it, don’t worry. You are excused. A
lot of people don’t know what it is and it’s really not that strange, because the word has
different meanings in different contexts; in the world of music, we have the vocal pitch;
in the world of baseball, we have the pitching of a ball; and finally, in the business world,
a pitch is a short presentation. And this is only to name a few.
Pitches for all occasions!
Pitching can be used under many different circumstances and for different
occasions. We use pitching for our work, when we must convince a colleague or
business partner about a new idea or a certain way of doing things. We pitch our self
before going out on a date with the beautiful girl or pitch the trip to Venice to our
girlfriend.
Often, we are not even aware that we are pitching under these everyday
circumstances but that changes substantially during special occasions. We use pitching,
when we; make a speech to our best friend’s wedding; present in an exam situation; or
present an idea, concept or product to a potential client or business partner.
When we use the word ‘pitch’, we refer to the latter example – a pitch is a short
presentation.
A discipline of its own
They say that an idea is worth nothing without the execution. A central part of
the execution is to communicate your idea. In other words: it is not enough to have a
good idea – you must also be able to sell it to others. You must convince, sell and
communicate clearly and get your message across. That’s what pitching is about.
It is very easy on paper; you have a good idea, so you want to convince others
that they should participate in the execution of it; you have a great product, so you want
the customers to buy it. Often it isn’t as easy as it may sound. Therefore, it would be
beneficial to consider pitching as a discipline of its own: as something you can practise
and eventually master.
Pitching is a discipline that enables you to present your idea concisely and convincingly,
so that your idea, message or product – no matter what it is – can reach the stars.
Pitching Project Ideas
Pragmatic Programmer Tip:
“It’s Both What You Say and the Way You Say It, there’s no point in having
"great ideas if you don’t communicate them effectively.”
When do we make pitches? All the time!!!
a. To colleagues:
to argue for a technical direction
b. To management:
to convince that your idea/project/approach is of value
c. To customers:
to purchase your product, to fund your project, to change their requirements ….
What makes a successful pitch?
1. Know your objective
- Motivate your idea
- Provide a focused, succinct, statement of the value
- Differentiate yourself from others who offer the same (or similar) value
- Include how, specifically, you can provide it
- Justify the ability (and cost) of your team to do the work
- Make it look good
2. Present at a level appropriate for your audience
3. Predict and answer the audience’s (unspoken) questions
4. Leave your audience with something positive they can remember
Knowing your audience
W: What do you want them to learn
I: What is their interest in what you have to say
S: How sophisticated are they
D: How much detail do they want
O: Whom do you want to own the information
M: How can you motivate them to listen to you
Common Mistakes When Making Pitches
1. Misjudging your audience (their interests, background, requirements, etc.)
2. Not adequately motivating your idea not helping the audience understand
the “big picture” of the area in which your product fits
3. Not covering existing alternatives and what specific novelty you are offering
4. Not presenting a realistic picture of how the cost of the project justifies its
value
NOTE: see the following examples on how do Pitching on YouTube
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2LwuF7zn9c
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njh3rKoGKBo
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej6eXCQT2GM
D. Student Activities
SITUATION: Sinadya Festival 2020 happens in December 2020. Naturally, the event
will need official accommodation for their guests.
INSTRUCTION: Prepare a 3 – 5 minutes pitching video presentation to market your
accommodation establishment. In your video presentation, do not forget to provide
all the materials needed for the pitching such as picture/video of the establishment
and its amenities. Submit your output on May 15, 2020 THROUGH OUR OFFICIAL
GROUP CHAT.
E. Assessment/Evaluation
1. Pitching Video Presentation
F. References:
R1. https://blog.pitcherific.com/en/what-is-pitching-exactly/
R2. https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse403/06sp/lectures/ProductPitches.pdf
