Life's a Pitch Why Every Business Interaction Is a Performance

Just as an actor communicates with intention, so must we in business. Whether we're pitching to a client, interviewing for a role or briefing a team, our goal is to persuade, inform, motivate, or inspire and it's our intention that matters most.

As a trainer, coach, and speaker, I define 'good communication' in business as achieving the outcomes you desire whist being clear about your intention. This ensures your audience gets what they need, whist allowing you to be clear, concise, authentic, and engaging - a storyteller they remember.

Start with the outcome
Before every business interaction, ask yourself: "What do I want this person or group to go away thinking, feeling, saying, doing, or knowing?" Deciding this in advance gives you a roadmap for your conversation or presentation and ensures your audience knows what's expected of them, whether that's approving funding, adopting a new process or making a hiring decision.

Think, feel, say, do, know, in action|
The first step is to write down your desired outcome for each of the five prompts, and then to rehearse what you've written aloud, speaking directly to your audience. Let's look at some realistic scenarios:

A sales presentation – pitching your products or services to a new prospect or client:
I want you (the customer/prospect) to:

• Think we are the right partner to work with
• Feel confident buying from us
• Say that we'll recommend you as your supplier
• Do sign the contract
• Know we have your best interests at heart

Job interview – why you?
I want you (the interviewers) to:

• Think that I am the best candidate
• Feel positive about supporting me
• Say that I have what you're looking for
• Do recommend my application, or better still, hire me there and then
• Know that I have the drive to succeed

Introducing change or a new way of working
I want you (the team) to:

• Think this is a good idea and it makes sense to adopt it
• Feel positive about the proposed new way of working
• Say you think it's a great idea and support it publicly
• Do agree to try out the new approach straight away
• Know that even though we'll face challenges ahead, it will be worth it

Connect your topic to your outcomes
Once you have your desired outcomes clear, link your topic to them with a connecting phrase such as "so that…." For example, "Over the next 10 minutes, I'll share how we'll run this project so that you feel confident in our ability to deliver (think), feel positive about our approach (feel), brief your Board (say), sign off on the budget (do), knowing we'll support you to make this work (know)."

Rehearse like an actor
Actors deliver their best through practice and feedback, and so should you. Like an actor, get into the habit of rehearsing and practising aloud. Record yourself on Zoom, Teams or your mobile. Then, review, tweak and repeat. And remember, you don't need to show the recordings to anyone else and you can delete them afterwards. Even great actors like Maggie Smith and Judy Dench dislike seeing or hearing themselves on screen, but rehearsal is the quickest way to improve your delivery and your performance as a speaker.

Make it a habit
Build this Think–Feel–Say–Do–Know outcome habit into every interaction. If you can't define all five outcomes, question why you're presenting at all. Taking a few minutes to clarify your intention ensures you control the direction of your conversation and helps your audience know what to expect.

Life's a pitch. When you're clear on your intention and your desired outcomes, your performance, and your impact, will shine.