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Step 3: Practice Delivering Your Pitch

19 January, 2016 - 17:43

Once you have the final pitch in writing, you’ll need to practice, then practice, then practice some more.

Your pitch should be spoken in a confident and compelling manner.

  • Deliver your speech out loud to ensure it flows smoothly and addresses your career highlights. Practice it until you have it memorized. Practice until you can repeat it when someone shakes you from your sleep at 3:30 in the morning and you maintain your passion when saying it.

*** Figure 5.4 "Sample Pitch 1" through *** Figure 5.7 "Sample Pitch 4" are four sample pitches.

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Figure 5.8 Sample Pitch 1 
 
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Figure 5.9 Sample Pitch 2
 
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Figure 5.10 Sample Pitch 3
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Figure 5.11 Sample Pitch 4

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • A networking pitch articulates your value proposition (i.e., the skills you have that match the position you are seeking).
  • Your pitch should contain your education background, experience related to the field in which you are interested, your critical skills and expertise, what you want to do, and why you would be good at it.
  • Writing your pitch and editing it will enable you to get the right content and tone.
  • Practicing the delivery of your pitch will ensure your delivery is natural and confident.

EXERCISES

  1. Type your pitch on a one-page document, and trim it until it’s just four or five bullets in length.
  2. Pair up with a pitch buddy to practice with each other and critique and strengthen your pitch.Does your buddy understand your value and what you want to do? Does your buddy’s pitch give you any ideas on how to improve yours?
  3. Practice your pitch until you can say it naturally, without any hesitation.