Lecture 5: Crafting

Your Pitch

This March Edition of the GII Booklet provides guidelines and suggestions in creating your final pitch for the Global Ideas Institute Final

Symposium.

Deadline to Submit Presentations: Friday April 3rd Please e-mail to Theo Milosovic

March Lecturer Jonathan Hera, Grand Challenges Canada

Jonathan Hera is Senior Portfolio Manager of the Transition to Scale program for

Grand Challenges Canada, leading the overall funding cycle of impact investments to

ensure sustainable and aligned social and financial outcomes.

Mr. Hera was previously the founding fund manager of RBC’s Generator Impact Fund,

a key component of the bank’s Social Finance Initiative. Prior to his role with RBC,

Mr. Hera worked with Sarona Asset Management, leading investor relations and

impact reporting in addition to his role on its investment team. He has advised CGAP

(an independent financial inclusion research centre housed at the World Bank) on

strategic and third party regulatory issues as well as knowledge and change

management initiatives, and has been engaged by MEDA on financial access and

capital formation issues in Latin America.

Mr. Hera is the founding course director of “Microfinance and Impact Investing”, an

MBA elective taught at the Schulich School of Business, York University.

GII Final Symposium Format & Rubric

TOTAL PITCH TIME: 10 MINUTES + 3 MINUTE Q&A

FORMAT: The Final Symposium pitches should utilize PowerPoint software; embedded videos accepted. Physical display materials such as Bristol boards are not required and will not be shown or featured outside the allotted presentation time. Handouts to complement the presentation are permitted but should be used sparingly and distributed only amongst judges. Not all group members must speak during the presentation, but all must contribute to the preparation of the final pitch. The presentations must be submitted to Theo Milosevic (theo.milosevic@mail.utoronto.ca) by midnight on April 3, 2015, in .ppt or .pptx format. Please do not include any content (videos, websites, etc.), which requires Internet connectivity in the presentations. WiFi may not be accessible in the presentation room. NOTE: The Global Ideas Institute Final Symposium will not produce a “winner” of the GII Challenge. Feedback from our distinguished judges is meant to provide students with further insight into how they may improve their idea and presentation. Students will receive comments and a completed evaluation rubric from our judges. The rubric will qualitatively evaluate students based on the criteria in the checklist below and on the next page. CHECKLIST Each presentation will be evaluated based on the following criteria. Students should ensure each point is thoroughly addressed. Clear and consistent messaging throughout the presentation is crucial to its success. The audience should have a clear idea of the solution within the first 30 seconds of the presentation.

GII Final Symposium Pitch Checklist

TOTAL PITCH TIME: 10 MINUTES + 3 MINUTE Q&A I. PROBLEM. The team clearly identifies a problem and the critical issues that

need to be addressed. II. RATIONALE. The team clearly identifies the reasoning behind the

development of their solution. III. BACKGROUND. The team’s analysis shows appropriate understanding of

the contributing causes to the problem. The team uses evidence from their research as required.

IV. SOLUTION. The solution is innovative and clearly helps to address the

problem. V. FEASIBILITY. The proposal is feasible and suitably tailored to a target

audience for implementation.

VI. Q & A. Answers during the Q & A portion are clear, thoughtful and relevant. More than one teammate responds appropriately and with confidence.

VII. DELIVERY. The team delivers the presentation persuasively and

professionally; the team projects unity; slides/visuals are attractive and easy to understand.

What is a Pitch?

A pitch is a creative argument that encourages a particular audience to do something.

Although often thought of as a sales tool, its applications go far beyond simply selling products. A pitch can be used to encourage individuals or groups to rethink an issue, adopt a new policy, or invest their time in something. This change in behaviour is not the result of manipulation, but rather well thought out argumentation that makes a particular course of action seem obvious.*

What Makes a Pitch Valuable? Innovators know that in order to get their ideas off the ground, they have to get people to listen to them. An effective pitch is able to capture attention because:

• It explains complex ideas in a short amount of time.

• It takes into consideration the values and needs of its audience.

• It uses highly expressive, engaging vocabulary.

• It delivers information in a confident manner, revealing that the speaker

truly believes in what they are saying.

• It is highly memorable.*

*Text is extracted from the MaRS Solutions Lab Entrepreneurial Thinking Toolkit

A creative argument

that encourages

a specific audience

to do something.  Provide  your  audience  with  a  solution  to  pursue  

 Identify  a  problem  that  is  important  to  your  audience  

 Creativity  comes  from  keeping  it  BRIEF  

  Innovators hook attention with a Pitch  

Building your pitch: Pitch Structure

  EXERCISE: The 6 Word Pitch

Instructions:

• Pitch yourself to potential group mates using exactly 6 words • While crafting your pitch, ask yourself:

1. What problems do my audience experience? 2. What solution(s) can I offer?

Designing a Creative Slide Deck

The goal of an effective slide deck is to reinforce your main speaking points and deepen audience engagement.

Effective slide decks are:

1. Simple. They are uncluttered, and easy to understand.

2. Highly Visual. They use as few words as possible because they illustrate

rather than duplicate what the presenter is saying.

3. Impactful. They arrest audience attention through their images, timing, and

connection to what the presenter is saying.

Building your pitch: The pitch to the PowerPoint

Building your pitch: Slides

1

Transitions: Go easy on the transitional animations. Simple and subtle transitions do the trick of getting from one slide to the next without distracting from your important content.

Leave room for additional insights: Do not plan to reiterate what is already apparent on the slide. Words and images should be a trigger for what you are going to say, reinforcing your speech, not making your speech redundant.

One idea per slide: Text and visuals on the same slide should speak to the same idea. What you are saying while that slide is on display should also support that idea, even if you plan to go further into depth. Avoid bullet points: When you are able, trade the list format for a more interesting photograph or illustration that demonstrates the same idea. If you cannot avoid them completely, limit yourself to three short bullets, which will be easier to digest than five or ten long ones. Display less than 15 words per slide, preferably less than 10: The faster someone can read what's on your slide, the quicker they will return to your face and concentrate on what you are saying. Use legible type with a good weight: Just as you should opt for colors with high contrast, you also want people to be able to read your slides from a distance. Avoid thin and ultra-thin typefaces, which have a tendency to disappear into their backgrounds. Also avoid difficult-to-read display fonts.

Building your pitch: A strong PowerPoint deck

2

 

Think Big! “You shouldn’t have to wait until your fourth year to have academic fun.” –Teresa Kramarz, Director Munk One provides students with a focus on innovation and global problem-solving. Through case studies of complex challenges worldwide, Munk One students identify innovations that succeed, why innovative solutions sometimes fail to address global problems, and how successful innovation can be fostered. Our program is about connecting big ideas with students who have an urge to tackle global challenges. A Munk One student is someone who wants to have impact – someone who wants to make a difference – in the global community. Munk One is a chance to engage professors, fellow students, and a network of experts on the value of innovation. Most importantly, it’s about building a community in your first year at UofT that will stay with you through your entire university career. Not just any collection of classmates; a community of first year students with diverse interests who share a common goal: problem-solving for a global community. Munk One brings you smaller classrooms, professors you get to know, a network of friends, and opportunities to engage in more than just lectures. APPLY TODAY! munkschool.utoronto.ca/one/apply Follow us on Twitter @mymunkone Questions? Drop us a line: munk.one@utoronto.ca

 

http://news.utoronto.ca/transforming-undergrad-experience-munk-one

 

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