Making the Case
Know how to best present your Action Plan!
What is a pitch? | A clear and succinct speech intended to sway your audience into giving into your desired objective. A pitch can also be a conversation about your topic. It is an opportunity to share what you know, make connections, and grow your knowledge as your project progresses.
What it is not | A pitch is not a thirty second time trial to defend your idea. It is friendly and approachable. A great thing to keep in mind is that you’ll never have to convince someone of your passion for the project: that’s why you’re doing it. A pitch rather than a sell of how passionate you are is a chance for you to meet someone where they are, find common ground, and share how your project might impact or affect them.
Why is it important? | At its core, pitches are designed to be concise, clear, and convincing. It is your way of conveying your idea, how you plan to develop and manage it, and what you’ll need from your audience.
For the purposes of your AP you will need to give two types of pitches, outlined below:
What it is not | A pitch is not a thirty second time trial to defend your idea. It is friendly and approachable. A great thing to keep in mind is that you’ll never have to convince someone of your passion for the project: that’s why you’re doing it. A pitch rather than a sell of how passionate you are is a chance for you to meet someone where they are, find common ground, and share how your project might impact or affect them.
Why is it important? | At its core, pitches are designed to be concise, clear, and convincing. It is your way of conveying your idea, how you plan to develop and manage it, and what you’ll need from your audience.
For the purposes of your AP you will need to give two types of pitches, outlined below:
Part 1: Crafting Your Pitch
Understand what and who you will need to present to to ensure you are filling in the AP “Pitch” sections correctly and thoroughly.
Structure | Many pitches employ the Inverted Pyramid structure in which you begin with the most important information, then support your claims, and end with some sort of call to action.
Content Tips | How to craft an effective pitch.
Content Tips | How to craft an effective pitch.
- Introduce yourself: If you are talking to someone who might not know you, begin with your name and title.
- Keep your audience in mind: Construct your pitch to cater to the person and what you want from them. Don’t do this to “kiss up” but rather to find commonalities. How does your goal benefit both of you? Prioritize your audience and you’ll always find a good conversation.
- Keep your setting in mind: Is this for a longer meeting? A short walk? Would they be willing to listen to (and benefit from) more information? Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Don’t cram a 30 minute presentation into 30 seconds. Use that 30 seconds to ask for a meeting.
- Use data when it can help make your case. But don’t overuse it. A pitch is not a test to see how many numbers you’ve memorized. Use relevant statistics when it’s important, but don’t add them for the sake of increasing your pitch.
Part 2: Types of Pitches
Once you have completed your research, now you are ready to sell your idea!
Pitch 1: Persuade & Get Permission
Audience | No matter your audience, getting permission comes from successful conversation around your idea.
Authority Figures (administrators, teachers, community members)
Length | Creating an elevator pitch will force you to consolidate the inspiration, intent and impact of your plan.
Audience | No matter your audience, getting permission comes from successful conversation around your idea.
Authority Figures (administrators, teachers, community members)
- This is an explanation of lessons learned during your research backed by evidence, including how you plan to implement your project while evaluating short-term vs long-term impact. Remember: If you are unable answer basic questions about your project it will seem unplanned thus jeopardize your project
- This is a way to recruit, and create hype.
Length | Creating an elevator pitch will force you to consolidate the inspiration, intent and impact of your plan.
Short Pitch
Can be given on the fly to a busy principal or administrator. This is a chance to get your foot in the door and ask for a longer meeting. |
Longer Presentation
If you are granted the opportunity to present your Action Plan it pays to be prepared! This may include visuals, like a powerpoint. It should also include:
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Pitch 2: Update & Get Feedback
Now that you have been working on your AP for the last three months it’s time to give your audience an update on the progress of your project and hear their feedback. Use your audience's feedback to your advantage to set new goals and ensure you’re on the right track.
Now that you have been working on your AP for the last three months it’s time to give your audience an update on the progress of your project and hear their feedback. Use your audience's feedback to your advantage to set new goals and ensure you’re on the right track.
Part 3: Delivering Your Pitch
Now you can deliver your final product!
Final Tips | Keep these speaking tips in mind when delivering your pitch:
Follow up | People are busy. Lack of response does not necessarily mean lack of interest. This is why it is important follow-up. Always ask for contact information, and then send a thank you follow-up email. If they do not respond to your initial request, follow up again in the next week. It’s also okay to ask to be connected with another person in the organization. Sometimes when we get contact information online or from a third party, it might not be the most accurate person for the project.
- Speak slowly and clearly: Avoid long sentences or tangents.
- Make eye contact: This will better hold the attention as well as make the conversation more personal.
- Project: Even if you are with one person, don’t speak meekly. You know your information and are confident about it.
- Enunciate: We tend to mumble when we are nervous or speaking publicly.
- Bring Aids: If you think it would be helpful, bring your data or a brief outline of your project with you.
- Don’t ask questions people can say no to: Asking questions can be a great way to get your audience to interact with you: but be sure they are questions that will keep the conversation moving!
Follow up | People are busy. Lack of response does not necessarily mean lack of interest. This is why it is important follow-up. Always ask for contact information, and then send a thank you follow-up email. If they do not respond to your initial request, follow up again in the next week. It’s also okay to ask to be connected with another person in the organization. Sometimes when we get contact information online or from a third party, it might not be the most accurate person for the project.
Example Pitch
Watch an example pitch from Celeste, a 2016 Sc3 Faculty Fellow and a Children's Museum Professional.