Helping technologists communicate - pyramid principle and personal impact

Helping technologists communicate with investors August 2015

Joinef.com @alicebentinck

Communication is important* *even more important than you think

If you want to get your startup funded, you need to nail comms.

Growth mindset* – with some hard work and practice, you can nail this easily *read Carole Dweck

1) What you say to investors 2) How you say it

We will work on this bit with you in the run up to demo day

1) What you say to investors 2) How you say it

Structure

Personal Impact

1. You need structure

How you currently communicate

How you currently communicate

“Here’s a tonne of detail about something that happened and it made us think this thing that was actually wrong, but it turned out to be right and so we then changed our minds, but actually the interesting this is what happened next….”

“So once we had been through that process we felt slightly more confident about a couple of things.”

“Which means that X is true”

What’s wrong with this?

“Here’s a tonne of detail about something that happened and it made us think X, but that was actually wrong, but it turned out to be right and so we then changed our minds, but actually the interesting thing is what happened next….”

“So once we had been through that process we felt slightly more confident about a couple of things.”

“Which means that X is true.”

“Why is this relevant? Is it because of X? Nope, seems like it’s because of Y….Oh nope, wrong again. What are they trying to tell me? Get to the point!....SO WHAT?”

“So what???!?”

“Ah I see, why did they bombard me with all that detail. What a waste of time!”

What the listener is thinking…. You say….

Some principles

The listener wants to understand… …as quickly as possible... …and direct the conversation as they see fit

Some principles

The listener wants to understand… + What you are doing + Why you are worth talking to

+ What you want from them …as quickly as possible... + “Is this startup worth my time?” + “Should I be concentrating, or can I think about lunch?”

…and direct the conversation as they see fit +”Once I know what you’re doing, then I know what questions to ask”

The best way to do this is using the Pyramid Principle

Top down, structured communication Quickly delivers the answer Allows the listener to direct the conversation

Start here!

Data Data Data Data Data Data Data Data Support

An argument Your key arguments

A clear statement

The point of the conversation

An argument An argument

Start here!

Build a pyramid before every conversation

Start here!

An investor asks “so tell me about what you’re doing?”

We are building EF - the top pre-seed investor in Europe

An investor asks “so tell me about what you’re doing?”

We are building EF - the top pre-seed investor in Europe

We can attract the very best technical talent

We build some of the most exciting startups in

Europe

We have the best LPs of any early stage fund

An investor asks “so tell me about what you’re doing?”

We are building EF - the top pre-seed investor in Europe

We can attract the very best technical talent

We build some of the most exciting startups in

Europe

We have the best LPs of any early stage fund

1 in 3 Cambridge Computer Scientists

applied last year

We get 1000 technical

applicants each year from

top ranking unis and

companies

We focus on investing in deep tech startups

Our Alumni have done

some of the biggest seed

rounds in Europe

Our LPs include

Europe’s top entrepreneurs

e.g., Alex Chesterman

We are working with some of the

most forward thinking

institutional investors

Start here!

An investor asks “so tell me about what you’re doing?”

We are building EF - the top pre-seed investor in Europe

“So tell me about what you’re building?”

An investor asks “so tell me about what you’re doing?”

We are building EF - the top pre-seed investor in Europe

We build some of the most exciting startups in

Europe

“That’s a big claim, how are you the top pre-seed investor?”

Start here!

An investor asks “so tell me about what you’re doing?”

We are building EF - the top pre-seed investor in Europe

We build some of the most exciting startups in

Europe

We focus on investing in deep tech startups

Our Alumni have done

some of the biggest seed

rounds in Europe

“Why are those startups so exciting?”

Support

Your key arguments

The point of the conversation

You set up the conversation – you already know ALL the answers

“How/What/Why?”

“What’s your proof for that?”

Start here!

Your go! Here is another example for a startup

We are set to be the world’s most lucrative and effective recruitment

platform

We use AI to find the best candidates wherever they

maybe

As no humans are involved in the process, we have 95% margins

We are already the recruiter of choice for

major retailers

Our patent pending

algorithms effectively

identify talent

We have 99% selection accuracy

compared to experienced

recruiters

Typical recruitment

costs $15k per a person and takes 15 man

hours

We have 5 major retailers signed up to the platform

We have already had

2,000 candidates

selected through the

platform

It takes 15 minutes with our platform and involves no human

labour

You can use this in all parts of your life

In emails, in phone calls, in checkins, pitching on stage, pitching in a meeting, to help you remember what to say, to synthesise meaning from data…

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler Einstein

Relevance – change the message depending on who you’re speaking to Understanding – you want them to understand you Simplicity – only share details when asked

2. Personal impact

Listeners will trust your personal impact over your content

I’M GOING TO BUILD THE NEXT FACEBOOK!!!!!

I have consistently

out performed my peers????

I am in the top 10 developers in

the world

I am a cat

Listeners will trust your personal impact over your content

I’m going to build the next

Facebook

I have consistently

out performed my peers

I am in the top 10 developers in

the world

I am a cat

What constitutes personal impact?

What constitutes personal impact?

a) Body language b) Voice

Body language: be the bear

Increases testosterone and lowers cortisol (the

stress hormone)

Body language: be the bear

Arms out in a U

Legs in a V

Be the bear

“Researchers have even found you can make someone feel power just by posing them in a

dominant, expansive body position.

Like athletes, for example: Arms outstretch, back arched.

Even blind athletes have been known, upon victory,

to strike the same pose. They didn't learn it by seeing anyone do it. There's something

fundamental.”

Read more here

Be the bear

Let’s watch

Joe Root 1 min 50

Be the bear

Adjusting your gestures to the size of your audience, read here

Voice

What makes up a voice with high personal impact?

Voice

What makes up a voice with high personal impact? + Pitch + Rhythm + Pace + Volume + Silence

Voice

Contrast is a powerful way to make people listen e.g., Use speed followed by pauses and slow Use high pitch to emphasise something and to contrast against your normal voice

vs

Voice

When there is inconsistency between your words and your tone, listeners will trust your tone e.g.,

I AM NOT STRESSED!

!!!

Practice makes perfect

Practice, practice, practice Every time you speak you can practice this.

Helping technologists communicate with investors August 2015

Joinef.com @alicebentinck