When I set up Aristo in 2008, I planned to offer myself to individuals and companies who needed to communicate better. I would be a presentation coach.
The experience I had gained as a business owner for over twenty years would stand to me, along with my fifteen years of involvement with Dale Carnegie Inc. organisation as a coach/trainer on their Leadership programmes. They are the world’s biggest soft skills training organisation, with over eight million delegates.
However, in my first six months in business, I discovered that everyone who said they were a coach included presentation skills/public speaking in their list of attributes.
Needing to differentiate myself from the crowd, I had to find my niche rather than be a generalist.
With the help of my good friend and branding expert Cathy Winston, who pointed out that my superpower is as a Pitch Coach, we created Aristo’s strapline and niche, which I have been using with great success for the last fifteen years:
”I capture your business story and give you the confidence to tell it or sell it”
Why am I different?
In my experience, presentation coaches focus on providing the following advice:
– Stand up straight
– Make eye contact
– Speak slower, quicker, louder, softer
– Don’t wave your arms about
– Take your hands out of your pockets
– Move with purpose?
– Don’t walk up and down [like a lion in the cage]
– Smile
– Memorise your script
– Don’t memorise your script
– Practice in front of a mirror
Did this work? NO! Why?
The above is more about body language, not “the business story”.
As a Pitch Coach I help the people I work with to remember why they were excited in the first place about their idea. Often this is the critical element, as the person can lose the excitement they experienced when initially formulating their business idea.
As a result of my intervention, they become more open, relaxed and conversational in their presentation style, with little need to focus on body language.
Stress is reduced, and a conversation emerges that is exciting, engaging, and entertaining.
I also provide templates during this part of the engagement to help them structure their story while dramatically reducing preparation time.
This achieves a renewed excitement to “tell their story”.
P.S. I have supported entrepreneurs to win over $150 million in investment through telling their story.
By Executive Coach Andrew Keogh of Aristo.ie
