The Art of the Pitch

Transcription

1 Acknowledgments A few years ago, I was in Japan with my late friend and colleague Andrew Jaffe. We were there as part of a contingent from the VCU Brandcenter, engaged by Dentsu, the globe-spanning advertising firm. Our mission was to teach our Western ways to Dentsu executives from every department in the agency. Presentation was a significant part of the curriculum, and indeed, the way in which the students made manifest their answers to the problems and cases we assigned them. Andrew had been the driving force behind the Sohatsu Labo, as the training program came to be known. We had known one another for many years, first when Andrew was an editor with Adweek magazine and, later, the head of the Clios. It was during our time in Japan that Andrew urged me to write a book about presenting. He brought it up regularly, both 231

2 The Art of the Pitch there and once we d returned to the States. He came to my home in Richmond, Virginia, to talk about his ambitions for the book and to offer encouragement. I wrote a first draft. Andrew said he liked it, but suggested that I start over and get more of my stories and myself into it. As I was in the process of doing just that, Andrew passed away after a long struggle with cancer. It was at this point that I committed to seeing this project through. Without Andrew and his encouragement, there would be no book. Thank you, Andrew. As with just about everything in my life, my wife, Cynthia, has been a rock of support and a wise counselor. She has put up with more from me in the years of our marriage than most people ever would. And then she endured my writing this book. Thanks to everyone who contributed their personal stories and anecdotes to the book. You re not just spectacularly accomplished, you re kind and generous. You ve given it an array of flavors I never could have conjured on my own. All the students I ve taught at the VCU Brandcenter have made valuable contributions as well, as have the participants in my many workshops over the years. I hope I ve taught half as much as I ve learned. And thanks to all my colleagues on the faculty. A special shout-out to Avery Oldfield and Megan Powers for their help with chapter seven and Marc Andrew Stephens for his photos. 232

3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sons, Peter and Ryan, had nothing to do with the writing of this book, but this seems like an opportunity to put my pride in them into print. And finally, thanks to my editor, Laurie Harting, her assistant, Tiffany Hufford, as well as Alan Bradshaw, at Palgrave Macmillan. You ve made this a better book than it would have been if I had been left to my own devices. 233

4 Notes Chapter 1 1. New Oxford American Dictionary (online edition). 2. Garr Reynolds, Presentation Zen (blog), January 24, 2008, Chapter 2 1. Lau Tzu, Tao Te Ching, translation by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English (London: Wildwood House, 1991; first published 1972). Chapter 3 1. Mehrabian s findings were published in two documents: Albert Mehrabian and Morton Wiener, Decoding of Inconsistent Communications, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 6, no. 1 (May, 1967): ; and Albert Mehrabian and Susan R. Ferris, Inference of Attitudes from Nonverbal Communication in Two Channels, Journal of Consulting Psychology 31, no. 6 (June, 1967): D. Joel Whalen, I See What You Mean: Persuasive Business Communication (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 1995). Chapter 6 1. Agnes de Mille, Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham (New York: Random House, 1991), p James C. Collins, Jerry I. Porras, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (New York: Harperbusiness, 1997). 235

5 The Art of the Pitch 3. Ibid., p Roy M. Spence Jr., It s Not What You Sell, It s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven by Purpose (New York: Portfolio, 2009). Chapter 7 1. Anna Patty, Research Points the Finger at PowerPoint, The Sydney Morning Herald, April 4, 2007, 04/03/ html. Chapter 9 1. Carmine Gallo, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009). Afterword 1. Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles (New York: HarperCollins, 1992). From chapter 7, section 3 (pp ). 236

6 Index account leader, 12 ACTION format, Adams, John, 13, 87, 228 Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting (Goldman), 105 Ailes, Roger, 65 Art of War, The (Sun Tzu), 43 6 authenticity, 15, 17, 64 5, 94, 97, 107, , 154 5, 166 Barrett, Jamie, 228 BBDO, 24 BBH New York, 146, 199 Bildsten, Bruce, 138 Blue Cross/Blue Shield, 41 Bogusky, Alex, 17, 62, , 228 Bologna, Anne, Bomb Factory, 147 Boone/Oakley, 228 Braddock, Pennsylvania, Brando, Marlon, 33 BSSP (Butler Shine Stern and Partners), 176, 178 Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Collins and Porras), Burger King, Burns, Ken, Butler, John, Butler, Shine & Stern. See Brunner, Butler Shine Stern (BSSP) Campbell, Sheila, 156, 163 Cargill Wilson & Acree, 2 Carter, David, 138 Carter, Reid, 43 Chafin, Carlos, 73 Civil War, The (television documentary), clichés, 17, 59 61, 144 Collins, Jim, Conan the Barbarian (film), 45 Coppola, Francis Ford, 56 Cramer-Krasselt, 97, 158, 164, 169 Crispin Porter + Bogusky, 11, 63, 217 Curious Company, The, 174 Curtis, Hal, Daewoo, 176 Davies, Russell, Deck, The, 35, See also PowerPoint Dentsu, 37 8 Deutsch, Donny, 108 dfgw, 114 DiSesa, Nina,

7 The Art of the Pitch Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), 2, 160 DraftFCB, 93, 170 Duckworth, Gary, 114 Earle Palmer Brown, 47, 71, 73 Eastwood, Clint, 33 eye contact, 99, 181, Fallon, 47, 125, 138 Fallon, Joe, 108 Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation (Hogshead), 187 fear, 8, 23, 83 5, 91 3, 114, Fenske, Mark, Freson, Ray, 41 4, 46 Gallop, Cindy, 142 6, 199 Garnett, Steve, 160 Gates, Bill, 115, 179 Gillespie, Dizzy, 30 Gladwell, Malcolm, 5 Glen, Doug, 65 6 Godfather films, 33 Goldman, William, 105 Goodby, Jeff, 17, 65 7, 87, 172 Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, 113, 116, 135, 222, 228 Gossage, Howard, 33 Graham, Martha, 111 Grayson, Andy, GSD&M, 128 Gulf Oil Corporation, 2 high risk high gain, 70 2 Hogshead, Sally, 17, Hughes, Mike, 80 1, 102 humor, 20, 89, 96 9, 114, 164 I See What You Mean (Whalen), 54 IfWeRanTheWorld.com, 142 6, 199 Ignazi, Peter, 24 It s Not What You Sell, It s What You Stand For (Spence), 128 J. Walter Thompson, 41, 214 Jackson, Michael, 120 Jacobs, Chris, 96 7 Jensen, Lance, Jobs, Steve, 171 2, 191 jokes vs. humor, 20, 98 9 Just, Don, 91, Kay, Gareth, 114 6, 119 Keynote, 133 Krivkovich, Peter, 169 Lao Tzu, 30 Lawner, Ron, 108 Leo Burnett, 193 Lexus, 47 MacWorld, 171, 191 Martin Agency, 13, 47 9, 72, 80 1, 102 7, 228 Martin Workshop, Matus, Stanley, 1 memorization, 18 9, 23, 25, 92 3, 155 6, Mercedes, 47 9 Mirren, Helen, 33 Moran, Darren, 92 3, 170, 208 Mother, 228 Mumford, Lee, 160 National Basketball Association, 113, Nintendo, 66 Oakley, Boone, 228 Ogilvy, David, 115 Othmer, Jim, Pafenbach, Alan,

8 INDEX Patton (film), 56 Pepsi, 120 Perfect Pitch (Steel), 135, 157 Phillips, Leslie, Porras, Jerry, Post-it notes, 152 PowerPoint, 106, 113, 115, , 172, 186, 206 Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, The (Gallo), 171 presentations characteristics of effective, as a dance, 36 9 equipment for, everything as, 9 eye contact and, 99, 181, fear and, 8, 23, 83 5, 91 3, 114, humor and, 20, 89, 96 9, 114, 164 memorization and, 18 9, 23, 25, 92 3, 155 6, as an opportunity, 10 organizing, PowerPoint and, 106, 113, 115, , 172, 186, 206 rehearsing, 24, use of the term, 7 8 punctuation closing, eye contact, facial expressions, 194 gestures and, 196 movement and, pauses and silence, on the phone, pitch, 193 questions and, tone, visual aids and props, volume, Queen, The (film), 33 Red Book, 2 Regardie s (magazine), 100 Return to Love, A (Williamson), Rolling Rock, Ross, Marshall, 228 Scali McCabe Sloves, 47 9 Scott, George C., 56 Scott, Pam, Secret Weapon Marketing, 136 Sega, 65 7, 172 Siddall, John, 1 Siddall, Matus & Coughter, 1 5, 41 Sittig, Dick, 136 Sloves, Marvin, 48 Sony, Spence, Roy, 128 Springsteen, Bruce, 171 Steel, Jon, 87, 135, 157, 222, 228 Steinhour, Jeff, 11 2, 63, 215 7, 228 Stern, David, storytelling, 17 8, 21 2, 45 50, 53 8, , 114 6, 141 4, 152 4, 164 6, 192, 208 9, Sun Tzu, 43 4 Sweller, John, 134 5, 141 Thompson, Robbin, 73 Toastmasters Club, 89 Todd, Brad, 122 Truth, Lies & Advertising (Steel), 136, 222 Twain, Mark, 34 VCU Brandcenter, 4, 9, 91, 142, 147 9, Vega, Guillermo (Guille), 70 Virginia, State of, 72 3 Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter, 4, 9, 13, 53, 91, 137, 142, 147 9,

9 The Art of the Pitch vocal delivery. See punctuation voice-over, 154 Volk, Kristen, 109 Volkswagen, Volvo, 47 WebEX, 204 Weight Watchers, 71 Westbrook, Bill, 47, 61 2, 70 2 Whalen, Joel, 54 white space, 30 5 whiteboards, 152 Wieden + Kennedy, 66, 70, 122, 223, 228 Williamson, Marianne, Yellow Pages, 2 240