We all know that body language is important in business. But how important?
And does is really make a big difference when selling something complex like an investment in a hedge fund, private equity or venture capital?
And can you really improve how you are precieved just by changing some superficial behaviours?
The answer is definitely yes.
Professor Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School has been studying the importance of body language and power poses on decision making.
In this 10 minute video she reviews some research into power poses and give some quick tips on how to be more successful in interviews and when pitching for investment.
In particular, note the importance of
1) Preparing in advance
2) Being enthusiastic, and not awkward
3) Using expansive body language, (without being dominant)
Call us to discuss how we can help …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, Hedge Funds / Private Equity, HR, Learning and Development, Pitching Success
Are there some underlying ideas that distinguish a great presentation?
Are there things that you can learn to improve your presentations?
We have found that drawing upon research into cognitive psychology and by studying great design we can help our clients create better and more effective presentations.
Even investor pitches and annual results presentations are improved by applying some simple rules.
If you are interested in some of what inspires us, these two presentations, and one video, will give you some useful tips on how to create and deliver more effective presentations.
Brain Rules for Presenters
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Chris Atherton at TCUK09
View more presentations from Chris Atherton
…
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, Hedge Funds / Private Equity, Investor Presentations
There are approximately 3500 private equity funds in China. Of these a large proportion are fund raising. At the SuperReturn private equity conference in Beijing we ran a series of panels looking into best practice for private equity fund raising.
As a result, we have put together a short white paper with tips from some of the leading GPs and LPs in the region. This advice is relevant for private equity funds globally.
Download the paper here:
What …
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Filed under: Featured, Hedge Funds / Private Equity, Investor Presentations
Why should anyone decide to select you when you are pitching for new business? It’s an important question that we help answer in our pitch training programmes.
Win More Business When You Pitch
Would you like to increase the number of pitches you win, and improve the pitching skills of your team? From our tailored training you will take away pitching tips that you can apply immediately. One global law firm told us that the partner training we developed was directly responsible for winning a new FTSE100 client. See Case Study
A quick return on your investment is one of the many benefits of working with us. Read what our clients have been saying.
Make the Right First Impression
People buy people. Humans make instant decisions and only later use facts to justify those decisions. …
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Filed under: Featured, Pitching Success
We have just published new case studies highlighting some of the recent work we have done.
Blue Sky – preparing the ceo and team for important new business pitches
Olswang – building business development skills in this distinctive international law firm
Impetus – Clarifying messages and Building fundraising skills
…
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, Pitching Success
“Communication and transparency is absolutely key” states Mark O’Hare, CEO of private equity experts Preqin. Throughout the day funds, investors and IR experts repeated the message that times had changed.
“Make your story as clear and simple as possible. Complex stories are not selling in this market” said Gordon Hargreaves of Private Advisors. “You Never Stop Fundraising. You should always remind your investors what makes you special”
GPs need to re-think how they handle investor meetings according …
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Filed under: Featured, Hedge Funds / Private Equity, Investor Presentations
Imagine I came to ask you for some help.
What would you think if I did not look you in the eye?
Or if I avoided your gaze?
Or if I looked down every time I said something?
What impression do you get?
We like people who can make eye contact (remember the last time you were flirting with someone?).
We trust people who can ”look you in the eye”.
We want to see people “eye-to-eye”.
When presenting or speaking in public you …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, Pitching Success
If you want really effective presentations, you need to re-think how you prepare them. If you, like most people, switch to PowerPoint as soon as you hear the word ‘presentation’, then we have something to show you.
We suggest you completely re-engineer how you approach your presentations. Forget PowerPoint.
The best presentations start with a lot of thinking and a blank sheet of paper. Before you write anything, you need to:
Work out exactly who your audience is …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, HR, Learning and Development
While we all want to be liked, did you realise how important being liked is for winning new business?
The Importance of Being Liked
Professor Amy Cuddy, of Harvard Business School was featured in a Harvard Magazine article. She concludes that 80% of our evaluation of people is based on both warmth AND competence. Many professionals mistakenly focus just on demonstrating competence – but this is not enough and you will lose business. Part of our pitch …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, HR, Learning and Development, Investor Presentations, Pitching Success
How do you know if your next conference talk or presentation is going to impress?
To check if you are ready, use this free 10 point check list.
You can test if your talk has covered the essential planning steps needed for a great talk, and you can test if you are ready to give it. You can also use it to test your colleagues’ talks.
We can’t guarantee that using this check list will give you an …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations
How do you handle an Investor Speed Networking event? Here are a few tips to increase the success of your encounter.
In this case, Imagine you are a fund looking for investors
FIRST – WHAT NOT TO DO
- Don’t rush
- Don’t just pack the encounter with facts
- Don’t do all the talking
- Don’t aim to run through a scripted pitch
INSTEAD – PREPARE USING THESE 10 STEPS:
Start each encounter with an introduction and a swap of cards – learn the other person’s name
Ask some questions first – for example, to an investor, ‘What type of investments are you looking for now’
Listen to the answer for clues that tie their needs with what you offer
If there is clearly no fit, say so – but ask if they would be interested in hearing more – in case they …
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Filed under: Featured, Hedge Funds / Private Equity, Investor Presentations, Pitching Success
With an investor pitch, the right preparation is critical.
A set of carefully developed stages to get the pitch and the team ready will make your life easier and will make it more likely that the right impression is made.
In one page we have summarised one practical and simple approach you can use in preparing for a pitch. This process will also have the benefit of saving you time.
1. Do not even think …
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Filed under: Featured, Investor Presentations
Just finished this book by Lars Kroijer. Highly recommended.
I particularly liked his quote about being at a hedge-fund manager conference.
“The managers all have charts and graphs with bubbles and arrows going everywhere with long lists of their special edge in the market, all called something from a business-school textbook like ‘our alpha machine’ or ‘our sustainable competitive advantage’. You usually find many of the hedge-fund managers self-absorbed and arrogant, clearly having been told a few too many times how smart and special they are….By the ninth meeting you are exhausted and can’t remember who said what.”
If your hedge fund pitches are also having this problem, then you need some assistance. At Benjamin Ball Associates we can help you put together an impressive investor pitch …
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Filed under: Featured, Hedge Funds / Private Equity, Investor Presentations
Just got this email, following a CEO workshop the other day. It makes it all worthwhile to work with great people like this.
Subject: thanks soooo much
HI Ben
Just a quick note to say everyone has been talking about how unbelievably wonderful you were at our workshop on Wednesday! Notes have been coming in from the CEOs as to how useful they found your advice, and I know everyone appreciated the handout at the end.
Thank you, thank you! Brilliant, as always!
xx
Amy
…
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, Investor Presentations, Pitching Success
This slideshow describes beautifully the dilemma so many presenters set themselves. It’s the same thing I tell CEOs when working with them to spice up their investor presentations.
Annual meeting and slideumentation v1
…
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Filed under: Featured, Investor Presentations
Over the years of coaching senior people with their presentations to staff, to clients, to conferences and to shareholders, we have seen the same mistakes being made again and again. (By the way, when I talk about PowerPoint here, I mean any similar software programme)
These are the mistakes that others make:
Planning with PowerPoint – When people hear the word ‘Presentation’ they often rush for their PC. Instead, they should sit and think for a bit and start planning on a blank sheet of paper.
Not being clear on what you want to say – A good presentation has a clear purpose. Make sure you can articulate your purpose clearly.
Thinking that “the Presentation” is a set of slides – As we always remind people, YOU are the presentation. …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, HR, Learning and Development
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