Our new book Look Out Above! examines the critical soft skills required for professional success: Contribute, Write, Present, Pitch, Lead, and Advocate. We also explore the transformation process as you develop confidence and learn to trust your own judgment.
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Please see below tailored material in the area where the assessment shows you could use the most improvement.
It looks like you could use some help learning how to pitch your ideas more effectively in the workplace. As you progress and better understand your job, you’ll see opportunities for improvement that translate into ideas you want to propose: first, perhaps, to your manager and then, if your idea gains traction, to others. For those ideas to become reality, you must sell them. The ability to move others to action through non-sales selling is an essential business skill. The sooner you accept that generating and pitching ideas is an important part of your job, the better for your future success.
Pitching starts with an idea – one that if implemented would make a meaningful difference at your company. Perhaps by:
Always be looking for ideas about new products or services, and for ways to do things better, faster, and cheaper. Try to think differently from others – perhaps more steps ahead, or more deeply. When it comes, the idea may take the form of a word, a phrase, a sentence, an image. While ideas come to people in different ways, here are a few ways to get the process going:
We can’t control how or when a great idea pops into our consciousness. What we can control, to some extent, is the ability to create circumstances conducive to triggering ideas. To learn how to effectively master the art of the business pitch, pick up your copy of Look Out Above! and skip straight to Chapter Four. And while you have the book, check out the other chapters, too. We promise they’re worth your while.