Building Your Argument
The American continuous improvement visionary, W Edwards Deming, suggested if you can’t articulate your process, you don’t know what you’re doing.
Here is a process to ensure you will always know what you are doing when it comes to planning and building a persuasive pitch. The following illustration shows the order in which to build your argument.
Like any good pyramid, it all starts at the bottom.
1. Desired Outcome
Before anything else, start by focusing on your desired outcome: the key thing you want people to take away from your pitch. Your solution to their problem. The transformation you are promising. Everything flows from this.
Take the time to get it right up front. You will save time in the long run and achieve the clarity you are seeking.
It could look like this:
By committing to our Strategic Pitching structure every time you pitch, you will build confidence and authority, give your ideas their best chance of success and your career outrageous momentum.
2. Agenda
Every topic can be broken down into simple agenda items. For verbal meetings and pitches, try to keep it to three, or four at most. These items represent the topics you will need to discuss in order to build and prove your desired outcome. They shouldn’t contain any unnecessary detail. An agenda for the above desired outcome might look like this:
The Problem
The Solution
Applying It
3. Key Points
Develop key points you want your audience to take from your agenda items. Each key point should help prove your overall desired outcome.
As tempting as it might be, don’t let your key points become agenda items. Keeping them separate allows you to introduce a macro topic, support it with evidence and deliver a compelling key point for retention.
The difference between agenda items and a key points:
4. Proof
Once you are clear on your key points, prove them. Do so using the evidence boxes.
Commit to only including evidence and information that help you prove your key point. Nobody has time to hear how much you know.
Choose the most persuasive proof from your:
Data
Consumer Research
Anecdotes
Examples
Case Studies
Testimonials
Check that each proof box only contains essential information and that each key point still proves your desired outcome. If it’s all good, you are done and ready to start contemplating your delivery.
Congratulations!
Happy pitching!
P.s. If you struggle populating these boxes, our Populating Your Pyramid? resource and template can help. It’s often my go-to reference when building my pyramid.