22A – Elevator Pitch No. 3

Reflection: What stood out to me as important from the feedback I received from my last pitch was building and developing stage presence. Stage presence is the sum total of all the qualities that keep the audience engaged while delivering a speech. It plays a crucial role in a speech and consist of everything ranging from body posture to the tone of the speech. I included hand and body movements in order to keep the audience engaged and listening. Stage presence also encompasses connecting with the audience in a way or method that captivates their attention, making them want to watch and listen to the speech being given. Confidence is key when embodying stage presence, and one needs to present with an attitude or personality that is larger than his or her everyday demeanor. People with great stage presence, such as comedians, are not the same when they are presenting compared to when they are not, because they are making an effort to entertain or inform during a presentation. Performers approach performances with an enthusiasm and energy that isn’t ordinary, which can be applied to one’s presentation. The way that a person commands his or her use of space often signals and portrays their perceptions and mindsets. One’s use of space and context is oftentimes a reflection of their inner thoughts and moods and is directly related or proportional to the audience’s perception of how well the speaker knows the content. What feedback surprised me the most was the lack of feedback compared to my first elevator pitch. This made it more difficult to find weaknesses in my elevator pitch to change and improve on the second time around. What feedback I thought was most useful and insightful was enhancing my stage presence when delivering my elevator pitch. Doing so allowed me to engage with the audience while giving my speech.

What did you change, based on the feedback?

Based on the feedback, I developed my stage presence, along with adding some hand and body movement to help keep the audience engaged and listening. Feedback provides a different perspective towards the topic and enables one to grow, change his or her style, and improve their toolbox for future speeches. I practiced incorporating hand gestures and movements until they looked natural. Utilizing one’s hands as a storytelling tool is how one can best explain himself or herself in both personal and professional settings. Hand and finger movements make a conversation or a public speech more compelling, trustworthy, and help the audience or listener connect better. They can often help accentuate certain points of the speech and strengthen the public speaking message. The audience tends to pay attention to movements and gestures during speeches, and by purposely using actions to stress or emphasize a certain idea, such as by clapping or pointing, the audience is much more likely to remember what was said. Psychologically, people are more drawn towards movements, and they make the audience remember their experiences better. Movement draws attention to what is being said and stresses the important parts and aspects of the speech. After I gave and received feedback, I recorded my elevator pitch again, and then reflected over the feedback. We often assume that feedback is used to fix something but focusing on strengths can be just as productive as focusing on weaknesses. Constructive feedback leads to significant improvements in performance, after a plan is developed to improve, the actions or feedback is applied and practiced, and the outcome is reflected on. Feedback can be perceived as opportunities to develop strengths and overcome certain weaknesses so one can grow, looking at our faults in order to make changes. This can then be applied to both professional and personal life, becoming a natural part of one’s daily life.