Pitch meetings are not what they used to be. In the world of video chat, there are new opportunities and new challenges.
Geography be damned
No driving, no flying. We can now have 12 meetings in a day around the world. We don’t need a conference room or a fancy venue.
The rules have reset
We don’t need the same people to be there. Not every meeting needs to be the same length. We can ask the big questions, hangup and return for round #2. Things can be more casual. Things can be more succinct. Following up digitally isn’t as abrupt as it would be with an IRL pitch.
The stakes are lower
If we cut the crap out of our meetings, they don’t need to be so long. We don’t need to fill up our schedules with all the side-effects of IRL meetings. It makes our time less rare and each meeting less important. Personable people benefit strongly from being collaborative under these conditions. Rigid people might have some issues with it.
Solutions get more creative, and problems get solved with more flow when the stakes are low.
Overcome the downsides and we’re the heros
There are a bunch of problems with doing pitches online, but when we make those problems disappear, we become magicians that folks actually want to be around.
- Newness – Since this technology and way of doing biz is new, we gotta practice a lot. Let’s practice the way a ventriloquist practices, not to make our adeptness more obvious, but to make all the normal stuff less obvious.
- Lag – The slowness of video & audio, mixed with the fact that my speakers will mute while I’m talking, can lead to a very stilted conversation. It can also lead to a feeling of brashness. The best way to combat this is with extra tongue biting and extremely deliberate talking. When we start on a statement, follow it all the way thru to the end, clearly and quickly. Slowing down or pausing could be seen as a cue for another party to speak, which leads to a verbal pile-up.
- Apathy – Because of the casual nature, it’s easy to take someone’s behavior as aloof at best or, more likely, lifeless. There is no over-doing it with attention to detail, preparation, and intention. We can try to deliver double the courtesy we would share IRL and it will probably still come across as half.
- Slug-likeness – Being in front of the camera takes the wind out of our sails. Our audience can feel that wind, so let’s amp it up. Enthusiasm is generous.
- Tech Support – Watching someone try to figure out how zoom works can feel like doing tech support for an 80 year old. Watching a musician run their own mix on stage is the worst. I’m doing several zoom calls per day and I still have moments where I’m squinting at the camera, trying to poke at my screen. This is horrible body language. The biggest thing we can do is get physical. Can we change our powerpoint to an easel presentation that we do in front of the camera? Can we use physical props and our body to demonstrate things? Can we send materials later instead of trying to bring them up on screen?
- Soullessness – Because so many micro expressions and subtle cues are removed from the interaction, the human connection fades away. Being more physical, more candid, and more positive all contribute to a deeper connection.
- Loneliness – Again the disconnection. The feeling that we’re talking to a camera and not a person. Get our faces close to the screen for more intimacy. Look directly at the camera when talking if possible. Soften our expression and nod silently when someone’s talking. Take notes on paper instead of on a keyboard. Listen a little bit longer than they talk.
- ADHD Paradise – There is very little reason for us to pay full attention to the screen and it’s exhausting to do so. If we pour ourselves into these meetings, it will initiate reciprocity. If we focus on empathy and generosity, it will give our co-meeters something worth their attention.
These other quickies I wrote might help too…