Blog entry by Funmi Adeoye

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by Funmi Adeoye - Sunday, 22 November 2020, 10:12 AM
Anyone in the world
90 seconds to persuade a person...

Ever heard of an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech used to spark interest in what your organization does. During the week, Eugene asked every member of the class to do an elevator pitch. We presented to ourselves and gave each other our honest feedback.

About the task:
Time frame: 90 seconds
Task: Persuade a group of potential investors to invest in a company listed in the NSE

At first, I said to myself that 90 seconds was too short to persuade anyone. But along the line, I learned a lot from my colleague's presentation and the feedback given:
  • The introduction of your pitch is very important. What you say first determines if your audience will listen to you
  • The pace and tone of your speech: Do not rush your presentation because you have 90 seconds, instead, speak at a moderate pace, allowing your audience to digest your information and say the most important thing that would trigger more interest.
  • The use of hand gestures and facial expressions will give more weight to your speech. This also helps with connecting with the audience
  • Storytelling helps to captivate your audience
  • Build credibility with the audience by saying who you are. For instance, when you hear a speaker say." Good morning, My name is Adeoye Funmilayo, I am a finance expert with 10 years experience in banking, I am on board of ..." From this, the audience is captivated by who you are and they want to listen to what you have to say.

In conclusion, 90 seconds is not too short to pass a message across to an audience. All you need is to say those words that would catch the attention of your audience.

 
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