Mark Twain once explained to a friend that he did not have time to write a short letter, so he wrote a long one instead. On the surface, this may sound amusing, but there is a deeper truth — it takes time to be brief.
Or more precisely, it takes preparation. In the “busyness of business”, it is easy for our message to be lost on potential customers or investors. Sometimes, all you have is just 10 minutes to make an impression.
So, how do you summarize your business in 10 minutes?
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Get your key message in 12 words… or less.
Your key message can only be 12 words or less. That’s right — 12 words. You may have written business cases and pitch decks, but if you can’t explain what you do in those 12 words then you will have lost your audience before you get to the details.
Malcolm Gladwell, author of best-selling business book, Blink suggests that first impressions not only count, they are vital. What happens in those first 2 seconds is the difference between success and failure to grab their attention. Craft your key message so that your first 12 seconds — and those first 12 words — pave the way for the next 10 minutes.
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Practise beyond perfect.
When I worked in community theatre, we used to discuss the difference between amateurs and professionals. Amateurs would rehearse until they got it right, while professionals would rehearse until they could NOT get it wrong.
This has to be the same for you. Take your story — your key themes and messages, and polish it. Memorise it. Learn it word by word. And then when you know it and you feel it, practice telling that story as much as you can. Practice until you cannot stand the sound of your own voice. Remember, this is the story of your business — practise it beyond perfection.
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Record and review your performance.
Record your pitch on your phone, and play it back into your headphones. Listen to the way you sound, where you breathe and what you say. Are there words that you can’t get your mouth around? If so, ditch them. Listening back to yourself will help you improve.
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Get your passion on.
Simon Sinek says that “people don’t get WHAT you do, they get WHY you do it.” So from the very first moment that you open your mouth, you need to be sharing your passion. Let people hear your commitment and energy to your business in your voice. Tap into your sense of purpose and tell that story that you have rehearsed for so long. You’ll find that those 10 minutes fly by in the blink of an eye.
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Why YOU?
Many of us make the mistake of ONLY talking about ourselves. When we are summarizing our company — sharing our story and our passion — we can easily tell just one side of the story. But equally important is the “Why YOU” story — what difference have you made to the lives of others? How have you made your customers successful, happy or even delighted? What is the reason that people choose you over your competitors? Make sure that you tell this story in the words of your customers.
Summarizing your company in 10 minutes requires a great deal of preparation. Even simply getting past those first 2 seconds can be challenging. Take the time and put in the effort to refine and revisit your story and the way that you tell it, and you WILL see results.
