What’s Your Headline? The excruciating Newsnight interview with Treasury Minister Chloe Smith this summer is just one example of how poor preparation for an interview can have disastrous consequences. Whether you’re being interviewed for a industry magazine, newspaper, TV or radio, you can improve how you Pitch, Present and Persuade.  The 5 Rules of Effective Media Interview Preparation As your company representative, you become its face and voice –  the reputation of your company is now in your hands. Understanding how to handle the media is an essential skill that every executive should develop. Media training is a core management skill. If you let the journalist to control the interview, they will get the story they want, not the story you want to tell. …
Read entire article »

“It’s not just what you say that counts, it’s also how you say it. The success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it.” Alain de Botton Be More Persuasive Persuasive presenting takes more than just a few well-chosen words. To succeed it is essential that your team offers the ‘whole package’. Whether you are talking to investors, pitching for new business, or appealing to your colleagues you can improve how you Pitch, Present & Persuade.   Use the Five Pillars of Persuasion Persuasion isn’t about emotive language and pleading looks; persuasion comes from the interaction of 5 elements: 1. Knowing your audience – what really matters to them? Create messages that speak from their point of view 2. Offering a simple …
Read entire article »

If you want reminding how to put together and deliver a great pitch to investors, David Rose sums it up beautifully in this short TED video The advice is clear, simple, and gets to the point. In summary: You need to get across that you have/you are: Integrity Passion Experience Knowledge Skill Leadership Commitment Vision Realism Coachable You do this by giving your pitch: A logical progression Include “Things I know and understand” Clear validation A believable upside You must avoid: Things that the VC knows/thinks are untrue Things they don;t understand Things that make the VC think David Rose’s recommended running order is: Logo Business Overview Management Team Market Produce Business Model Strategic Relationships Competition Barriers to Entry Financial Overview Use of Proceeds Capital and Valuation Logo   Great advice from a master.   …
Read entire article »

How can you improve your firm’s success in pitching? In presenting? And in giving conference talks? How much would a 10% improvement across your company be worth? You can learn a lot by reviewing how other people present. We analyse great speakers to help our clients be more effective when pitching or presenting. That’s why clients such as Statoil, Deutsche Bank and Miele use Benjamin Ball Associates for their presentation skills training.   Three Persuasive Videos for Summer Despite huge differences in the following three videos, you will see that all three speakers: - Make a connection with the audience in the first 15 seconds - Explain complex ideas clearly and simply - Look and sound confident They do this using different techniques. For …
Read entire article »

We all know that body language is important in business.  But how important? And does is really make a big difference when selling something complex like an investment in a hedge fund, private equity or venture capital? And can you really improve how you are precieved just by changing some superficial behaviours? The answer is definitely yes. Professor Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School has been studying the importance of body language and power poses on decision making. In this 10 minute video she reviews some research into power poses and give some quick tips on how to be more successful in interviews and when pitching for investment. In particular, note the importance of 1) Preparing in advance 2) Being enthusiastic, and not …
Read entire article »

Are there some underlying ideas that distinguish a great presentation? Are there things that you can learn to improve your presentations? We have found that drawing upon research into cognitive psychology and by studying great design we can help our clients create better and more effective presentations. Even investor pitches and annual results presentations are improved by applying some simple rules. If you are interested in some of what inspires us, these two presentations, and one video, will give you some useful tips on how to create and deliver more effective presentations.   Brain Rules for Presenters View more presentations from garr Chris Atherton at TCUK09 View more presentations from Chris Atherton …
Read entire article »

In just a hour you can be cured of your ums and errs – permanently. But why is this important?  Someone who has not addressed this is limiting their career success. If you have these verbal tics you are seen as less certain, less impressive and less competent. And we can do this work with you over Skype. If you want help with this, contact …
Read entire article »

I urge you to review this quick guide to what makes a good presentation.   Death by PowerPoint View more presentations from Alexei Kapterev …
Read entire article »

There are approximately 3500 private equity funds in China. Of these a large proportion are fund raising. At the SuperReturn private equity conference in Beijing we ran a series of panels looking into best practice for private equity fund raising. As a result, we have put together a short white paper with tips from some of the leading GPs and LPs …
Read entire article »

Why should anyone decide to select you when you are pitching for new business?  It’s an important question that we help answer in our pitch training programmes. Win More Business When You Pitch Would you like to increase the number of pitches you win, and improve the pitching skills of your team? From our tailored training you will take away pitching tips that you can apply immediately. One global law firm told us that the partner training we developed was directly responsible for winning a new FTSE100 client. See Case Study A quick return on your investment is one of the many benefits of working with us. Read what our clients have been saying. Make the Right First Impression People …
Read entire article »

We have just published new case studies highlighting some of the recent work we have done. Blue Sky – preparing the ceo and team for important new business pitches Olswang – building business development skills in this distinctive international law firm Impetus – Clarifying messages and Building fundraising skills …
Read entire article »

  When you give a conference talk (or any other bit of public speaking) you want to sound impressive. But, too many people fall into this trap:  The way we speak and the way we write are very different.  What looks good when written is unlikely to sound good when spoken. So, if you prepare by writing a script, do it differently.  The …
Read entire article »

  When they work well, panel sessions are the lifeblood of any conference.  When bad, they are a disaster. But what makes a great panel session? At BBA we prepare a lot of people for panel sessions.  The real value comes from good planning. But,  if you are heading for a panel session now and want to ensure a performance that will make you stand out, do just these three things: Focus only on what really matters to this audience and give lots of practical advice.  Tell stories and give examples. Create a debate.  Disagree. Have an opinion and argue your corner.  Use lines that are quotable. Sit forward, speak up and talk directly to the audience.  Show your passion; make sure every word and every phrase …
Read entire article »

There is one simple mistake repeated by too many conference speakers, especially in the financial world.   We want to make sure you do not fall into the same trap. To accompany your conference talk you may want to use visual aids.  What some people do is re-use their PowerPoint slides which have worked well in their pitch books. This is a huge mistake. It’s the …
Read entire article »

Investors managing over $10bn in Private Equity judged the 2011 Superinvestor Quick fire Showcase in Paris yesterday. Seven funds competed by pitching their investment ideas for no more than 90 seconds  to a room packed with potential investors. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY Demonstrating that quality beats quantity every time , Simone Balch of DW Markets secured second place in this popular competition. Speaking to a packed conference hall Simone gave her carefully crafted pitch in just 45 seconds -  half the allotted time. But first prize was secured by John Cheuk of Ant Capital.  Using the whole 90 seconds he clearly laid out why there was value to be found in Japan and how Ant Cap was well placed to capture this value. …
Read entire article »

“Communication and transparency is absolutely key” states Mark O’Hare, CEO of private equity experts Preqin.  Throughout the day funds, investors and IR experts repeated the message that times had changed. “Make your story as clear and simple as possible. Complex stories are not selling in this market” said Gordon Hargreaves of Private Advisors.  “You Never Stop Fundraising. You should always remind …
Read entire article »

Imagine I came to ask you for some help. What would you think if  I did not look you in the eye? Or if I avoided your gaze? Or if I looked down every time I said something? What impression do you get? We like people who can make eye contact (remember the last time you were flirting with someone?). We trust people who can  ”look …
Read entire article »

If you are a growing SME (2-250 employees) you can get Goverment money to help pay for your training. The Skills Funding Agency has a scheme where they will match training contributions up to £1000 per company. Details are available at:  Business Link Training Subsidy While the process does involve a bit of paperwork – the local representatives listed at BusinessLink will help  fill in  the forms for you. Contact us to discuss the presentation training to help with your leadership development and we can direct you to a suitable contact to access this subsidy. …
Read entire article »

If you want really effective presentations, you need to re-think how you prepare them.  If you, like most people, switch to PowerPoint as soon as you hear the word ‘presentation’, then we have something to show you. We suggest you completely re-engineer how you approach your presentations.  Forget PowerPoint. The best presentations start with a lot of thinking and a blank sheet …
Read entire article »