For some, giving a creative presentation can feel like second nature. These people are naturally gifted at talking to others, whether the masses or a select few. These creative pitching naturals can encapsulate people.

However, this is not the case for everyone.

For others, nerves can get the better of us. We struggle to present creative ideas to large numbers of people. But for those of us who find the concept of creative pitching more daunting than exciting, there is help at hand. Whatever the issue is, you can overcome it. Building presentation skills is something that you can learn.

So with that in mind, here are a few tips on how to become a master of creative pitching.

Dive Into Creative Masterclasses

With so many presentation courses enlightening us about presenting creatively during the new normal, there is a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips to utilise.

Whether you are a skilled presenter or a beginner with a desire to learn the tricks of the trade, as a result of the pandemic and lockdowns, we've all had to adapt to a new way of presenting to screens rather than people. So now is better than ever to start learning about giving and refining your creative pitch and finding out the best ways to engage with audiences, whether virtual or in person.

Presentation courses give you actionable insights, tips, and practices to implement during your own creative pitches. You'll learn from industry-leading professionals with a wealth of experience delivering stunning pitches to audiences of all sizes.

If you're able, attending a presentation course is one of the best ways to take your creative pitching skills to the next level.

Confident Speaking

If you want people to be interested in what you are saying, you have to make sure you sound interested in it. It is one thing many professionals search for in someone's presentation and is a well-respected trait industry-wide.

Over the past year, this has become difficult even for the best of us. An effective way to know whether people are positively reacting to your presentation, and an excellent way to gauge whether you are coming across as confident, is through your audience's facial reactions.

However, that is not as simple anymore. Sometimes all you are presenting to now is a blank screen, and that can be pretty daunting.

To overcome this issue, practise. A lot. Practise on your friends, your family, even your pets. Practise until you know the ins and outs of your presentation, you know when to wait for a reaction, and you know when to continue hitting those persuasive points and driving them home.

Having confidence in your presentation and knowing it in and out will help you naturally project this confidence in your speaking. You won't be there second-guessing yourself; you know what you are presenting is strong, confident and effective.

Adapt To Your Audience Size

Knowing your audience size and adapting your creative presentation to fit that audience size will create a more effective audience engagement.

Trying to build audience engagement with your presentation is essential for any successful pitch. However, we have to understand that an audience of 10 will react very differently compared to an audience of 100.

So when working with a smaller audience, it can be challenging to build an atmosphere, but you also have some advantages. You have the opportunity to develop stronger relationships with your audience and allow them to share experiences as peers.

You will create a longer-lasting community and relationship with each other, as well as using them to propel the ideas in your creative pitch.

However, a larger audience will build a greater atmosphere and is less likely to engage in the same way a smaller audience will.

If trying to get them involved and participating, you should do this on a much shorter basis; try to stick to simple yes or no responses but more frequent engagement to keep the audience focused and engaged in what you are saying.

Stay On Topic

One thing that is essential for any type of presentation...stay on topic!

It is a lot easier than you think to go off on a tangent and start discussing topics far from the presentation's original focus.

Especially in a professional setting, your audience will disengage. Then no matter how much you try to bring it back on topic, you have lost their attention, and your presentation will suffer significantly for it.

To avoid going off-topic, preparation is key. Prepare your whole presentation way before you need to present it. Focus on the flow. Does it feel natural? Does it connect well rather than stagnating?

Not only should you prepare for the presentation but, if applicable, consider the possible questions that the audience could ask during or after the presentation.

Prepare concise and straightforward answers to these questions so as not to fully interrupt the flow of the presentation. This way, you can ensure each is discussed in enough detail.

Overall, there is no how-to guide on presenting a creative pitch effectively. We are all different people and have unique strengths and weaknesses. By understanding these, we know exactly what skills we need to improve and how we can better ourselves.

There are many resources available that will help you get there, so do utilise them as we adapt to this new way of presenting to people.