I recently read “The Art Of The Pitch: Persuasion and Presentation Skills That Win Business” by Peter Coughter. Below are the quotes I found most interesting. As always, if you like the quotes, please buy the book here.
“Being competitive wasn’t enough. We had to be compelling.” (3)
“We are the gift. We are giving ourselves to our audience. We’re giving them the product of our thoughts, efforts, and personality. We’re giving them who we are. We’re telling them our truth. That’s our gift to them.” (8)
“The trick is to understand that you are simply talking with your audience, sharing your thoughts. You’re not arguing. You’re not selling. You’re having a conversation. You’re giving them a gift.” (8)
“Good enough isn’t good enough. Because good enough will leave you in the middle of the pack.” (11)
“Take some time and figure out how to sell it. Apply the same creativity and energy that went into creating the work to selling the work. Do an ad for your ads.” (14)
“In fact, since we’re trying for a conversational style, there probably SHOULD be some mistakes.” (17)
“What audiences want is authenticity. They don’t want a game show host.” (17)
“Find your own style and exploit it. Work it. Develop it. Find YOUR voice. Don’t try to sound like anyone else.” (17)
“Great presenters tell stories. We all love stories. Stories that have a beginning, a middle and an end. Stories that grab our attention right away and hold it all the way to the end.” (17)
“Get yourself and how you feel about the subject into your presentations. This is what audiences can relate to and, therefore, relate to you.” (18)
“Think of every presentation as a story and concentrate on creating a real attention-getting opening and a powerful close.” (18)
“Nothing will solve as many problems as knowing your stuff.” (19)
“Because she knows her stuff so well, the presenter is free to concentrate on the reason she’s there – the audience.” (19)
“If you’re counting on your memory to conjure up every single word you memorized, you are doomed.” (19)
“Great presenters know that, like advertising, presenting is the art of seduction, not debate. They realize that people make decisions emotionally. They will rationalize decisions based on all the facts and figures, using the objective to help them justify the decisions they made subjectively.” (22)
“I’m not saying you must give them what they like. Not at all. I’m saying that you must know what they like in order to give them what they need.” (23)
“I’ve learned that our nervousness is never transmitted to the audience in the same proportion that we feel it.” (23)
“Remember, the appearance of spontaneity is the product of preparation.” (24)
“We practiced so much, it because natural. An ironic truth,” says Peter Ignazi.” (24)
“You have a symbiotic relationship with the audience. Without them, there’s nothing for you to do. Without you, they have no reason for being there. So you’re dependent upon one another to pull this thing off.” (27)
“This is where elegance lies. In the removal of everything that is superfluous.” (30)
“Start at the end and figure out exactly what it is that you want to accomplish… What do we want, and what do we have to do to get it? Then work your way to the begining.” (35)
“Think of the audience as your partner, not as an adversary. Think of them as your “other half.” They respond to your deft lead. You’re setting the rhythm and tempo of the “music.” You’re in complete control, but you’re exercising this control effortlessly, and they are responding to your confidence and power. And having a great time.” (37)
“Remember that even when you’re supposed to be talking about yourself, you should be talking about the client [audience].” (44)
“Our audience decides an awful lot of what they think about us and what we’re saying based upon our attitude.” (52)
“Dr. Joel Whalens writes, ‘Your attitude is the power that drives the most important and powerful symbols you communicate. To be a great oral communicator, you must first manage your attitude. It’s the way you say your words that makes you persuasive.’” (54)
“If you want to win, if you want to get what you want, you must make your audience respond emotionally.” (57)
“There is a very high correlation between creative reputation and ability to present.” (61)
“Who you really are is far more interesting than who you think they want to believe you are.” (70)
“The essence of selling is emotion. Virtually nothing is sold on the rational, analytical level.” (74)
“The secret to selling great work is to sell the idea of the work before you sell the work.” (76)
“He eliminated the obvious solution and took the audience by the hand, leading them to a point where the only possible solution had to be his. Sell the idea of the work, then sell the work.” (78)
“Whatever the subject matter, there is a way to make it meaningful and relevant to our audience. There is a way to capture our audience’s imagination, and persuade them to our point of view. That way is through the use of emotion.” (80)
“Don’t memorize. Know the material. Make it yours.” (92)
“We are drawn to confidence. We follow confident people. But turn the confidence dial up a little too high, and the audience is turned off.” (95)
“Never appear to be anything but thoughtful. Thoughtfulness is one of the most important attributes we can possess.” (101)
“If you appear to be young, people may assume that you are inexperienced, less than savvy, and not really in any position to be telling folks what to do. But all of that can be overcome if you appear to be thoughtful.” (101)
“I’m talking about the quality that certain people seem to have that communicates intelligence. Wisdom. Knowing your stuff. It’s not necessary to do a lot of talking in a meeting or presentation to seem thoughtful. It is only necessary that the things you say are smart. Insightful. Cogent. Even brave.” (102)
“If you’re really good at it, your ideas will be so thoughtful, and so well expressed, that they can’t be refuted.” (102)
“No one knows if one idea is better than another if it isn’t presented in such a way that it is clear to the audience that the idea is better.” (104)
“While it’s true that the audience will likely remember less than 10 percent of what you say orally, you must give them exciting and powerful words to hang onto. If they only remember a few, make them great.” (107)
“When we are selling our ideas, the audience must first buy us. And as we said earlier, if we want them to buy “us,” we have to show them who “us” really is. Not some caricature of “us,” but the genuine article.” (107)
“We weren’t selling, we were just having a conversation and being ourselves. Which is, of course, the best way to sell.” (119)
“Have a point of view. Have something to say. Say it in such a way that I get excited.” (124)
“You have to develop your own lexicon. Whether it’s your agency talking, or just you, I suggest that you speak in your own language.” (125)
“Until your business decides to get serious about who it is, and why it is, and what it believes in and stands for, and finally, how it expresses itself, you will continue to struggle in the middle of that great undifferentiated pack of sameness.” (126)
“If you aren’t clear on just who and what your organization is, why should anyone care what you think about a specific issue?” (129)
“It just has to be the best story. The story that is most enjoyable to hear. The story that entertains. The story that allows you to show just how passionate you are about the subject. And maybe most importantly, the story that you believe.” (136)
“A good meeting is not the goal. Great work is. Eyes on the prize.” – Mark Fenske (149)
“This is about persuasion, and someone who appears to be regurgitating memorized material is not persuasive.” (156)
“The appearance of spontaneity is the product of rehearsal.” (171)
“From time to time, change the volume of your voice.” (191)
“If you do what the client, or new business prospect expects you to do – they will be disappointed.” (215)
Did you like the quotes? Then buy the book here.
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