Organizing Your Pitch- 3 Tells

Welcome to the final module of our course, Speak English Professionally.

Here we will focus on how to make a pitch, a presentation to introduce a product or service.

We’ll look at how to put a pitch together in Lesson 1 and how to deliver it in Lesson 2.

Then in the final peer assessment, you’ll have the chance to show and tell me and your course mates everything you’ve practiced and developed in this course.

Appropriate body language, improved fluency and increased vocabulary.

Let’s get started.

First, how do you organize a presentation?

In English, especially American English, we organize presentations in a simple, direct way.

I like to think of it as the three tells.

First, tell your audience what you’re going to talk about.

Second, tell more.

And third, tell it again.

Or you can think about a presentation having three parts, introduction, body, conclusion.

In the first tell, the introduction, you reach out and grab your audience attention.

How do you do this?

In many ways, it’s a lot like your elevator speech.

First, you must think of your audience, what will get them interested in your product?

Be prepared with information that will make the audience sit up and listen. If possible, have your product available for your audience to see, touch, and connect to.

Or include a strong visual, a photo, a graph, a number that will help your audience connect to you and your product.

Next, preview clearly and simply what your product or service is and how it’s right for the audience.

Be direct and get straight to the point.

Use active language and state clearly what you have to offer.

At the end of your first tell, your introduction, your audience should know what the product is and what they are going to learn about.

Most of all, they should feel connected to you and want to know more.

Steve Jobs, one of the world’s most accomplished speakers, really nailed this when he introduced the MacBook Air, how?

In his brief introduction.

He named the product, previewed its advantages and revealed it dramatically.

Let me take it out here.

This is the new MacBook Air, and you can get a feel for how thin it is.

Yeah, there it is.

Look at this.

Next the second tell, the body of your pitch.

This is the time for details.

What does the product do?

How does the product work?

Why is it valuable?

Talk about your product or service so your audience understands how they can use it, and why it’s important for them.

Keep your language direct and clear as you move from one point to the next.

Use words like first, second, third, or first, next, and finally.

For each point you make about your product, provide evidence.

Here’s where you include facts and figures, quotes from customers, or a story about your product to prove how great your product is.

Again, include a visual to enhance your presentation.

Every detail you give about your product must help your audience understand you and your product or service better.

Steve Jobs after his dramatic reveal of the MacBook Air, opened his second tell with these words.

Let’s go explore this in more detail.

And then he did just that.

Finally, in the last tell, the conclusion, repeat your main points.

Tell your audience again what your product is and why they want it.

This is your last chance to secure your audience’s interest.

Give them a reason to stay connected with you.

Motivate them to want to be a part of your world.

Leave them with a great impression of you.

So, what are the features?

Asked Steve Jobs as he begins his third tell.

And then, in the conclusion of his famous presentation, he lists everything he’s already described and leaves his audience with a powerful image of his product.

I recommend you view this great presentation through YouTube.

Just do a search for Steve Jobs, MacBook Air intro.

So let’s review.

In this lesson, we’ve looked at how to organize an effective presentation.

How do we do it?

First, preview.

Tell your audience what you’re going to tell them.

Pull them in and get them excited about what you’re going to show them.

Next, tell them more.

Go over your important points and add the details and evidence that make your product stand out.

Finally, review.

Tell the audience what you told them.

Summarize your main points and leave them with a strong, powerful message about you and your product.

For every presentation, ask yourself, do I have the three tells, intro, body, conclusion?

If you do, you’re ready to start talking.