5 Ways to Own the Stage as an Entrepreneur

I had been working with Startups and Entrepreneurs for several years, and one of the key areas that I had been stressing on (aside from the actual product), is properly showcasing your startup to the world. The ability to market and present your business successfully is essential. The more you expose your values, culture, thinking, character and attitude to the world, the more you increase your chances of attracting the right funding, partners, talents and also potential clients to your business. Yet, not all entrepreneurs understand the key areas to focus on when bringing their startup on stage. Showcasing your business is both an art and a science. Below are the 5 key areas to help you own the stage and captivate your audience.

Personalize Your Message

The idea that one presentation or pitch fits all is outdated. Every time you are going to showcase your startup you need to understand who is your audience (I know it is hard work to change or adjust every time). Think back to a time when you received a personalized whatsapp message versus being part of a general broadcast message. Didn’t make you feel special to receive something personalized just for you? This is exactly the feeling you want to deliver to your audience, you want them to know that you had personalized the message for them. They will understand the message faster, engage with it more and, most importantly, it will stick on their minds. For example, coming from the Middle East region, it is important to know which language to use for a pitch (default could be English) but you will be surprised that in some cases if you use the native language (Arabic) it could attract a different audience.

Project Confidence

“Of all the phobias out there, public speaking is considered the highest” (source; https://brandongaille.com/14-fear-public-speaking-statistics/) no wonder many people panic on stage. In addition to all the basic preparation for your talk, I would recommend to imagine yourself on stage holding a mic. If you can practice being on the same stage before your talk then you should do it as many times as you can. This will build on your confidence. You are the expert of your topic, the audience are there to hear from the master, no one is as passionate and knowledgeable about your startup like you. You must show complete confidence; it will have a positive impact on your overall stage presence and delivery.

Skip the eye go for forehead

One part of the presentation that makes people panic on stage is looking in the eyes of the audience. It often makes you lose focus; certain cues that you had in mind to link with your slides could be missed as a result. The tip here would be not look at their eyes, rather focus more on their forehead, it will still appear as if you are directly speaking to them, but the eye contact is less distracting.

The opening and closing

As much as I am a believer that the content of your presentation is key for the overall message, the beginning and end can either make or break your talk. If you lose your audience in the first minute of your presentation it is very hard to breakthrough to them later. Make sure you open up with something catchy and relatable. Break the ice with a fun sentence, a personal message or even a joke about yourself. The opening of your talk will set the tone for the rest of the pitch and will determine if the audience will stay engaged until the end. The closing is as much of an importance as your opening. Make sure you sum up your talk, have a sentence you want to leave them with, a line for them to reflect on, an action you want them to do, or a proposal they need to think about.

Do not take yourself too serious

There is a thin line between being professional (which I highly recommend) and projecting arrogance. Breaking a joke in your presentation, even on yourself can show that you are confident and you do not have issues showing your flaws. Audience connects with true, genuine people who are at easy with themselves.

Finally, as the saying “Practice makes perfection” try to go on stage and hold this mic in every possible situation, practice, practice, because you never know when the right time will come to speak in front of this key opinion leader that will believe in you first then your business and will take your startup to the next level.