6 key tips on how to present to investors with confidence

Imagine walking into a room of investors feeling confident, calm and certain that you’ll put your best pitch forward.

When the stakes are high – and one meeting could make or break what happens to your business next – it can be challenging to feel this way.

The key to feeling confident is preparation, and understanding and managing how you perform under pressure.

Drawing upon NIDA Corporate Training’s 30 years of experience coaching business founders, leaders, C-level execs and professionals in effective and persuasive communication skills, presenting and public speaking, here are 6 key tips to help you nail that next investor meeting:

Before the Meeting

Prep with a Game Plan.

You know your content, but equally important is setting a clear objective about what you want to achieve in the meeting – beyond securing investment. That is, how do you want your audience to feel? This will impact how you should deliver your presentation in terms of energy, voice, gesture and presence.

For example, do you want them to feel excited about the opportunity? Then you need to bring energy to the room. Assured? Talking calming, extending the vowel sounds, and speaking steadily can evoke trust.

Know your audience – well.

Do your research – It’s important to know exactly who is in the room, beyond their title and professional ventures. What are their likes and dislikes, and what can you connect over? Building rapport and an emotional connection with your audience gives you a competitive advantage. Take Melanie Perkins, Co-Founder of Canva for example. When she met venture capitalist Bill Tai, she soon took up kite surfing so she could connect with him over his passion. He later became her lead seed investor.

Understand yourself.

As well as knowing your audience, you need to really know yourself. A level of self-awareness will help you understand the power of visual and vocal signals, and help you make choices that will best serve the pitch.

In our coaching sessions, a tutor provides feedback on how you present. Find an objective person to watch you rehearse, as honest feedback will help you hone your presentation – try this exercise with them:

At the end make a written note of how you think you performed
Rate your own volume and pace, each out of 10
Reflect on what you did with your body – how did you stand? What were your gestures? How was your eye contact?
Now ask your observer to do the same and compare and contrast notes – you might be surprised!

Alternatively, when rehearsing your pitch, film yourself. Watch back twice – first without the sound on to isolate and note what you are doing physically, and then again with sound on.

On the Day

Control the nerves

Our bodies often deceive us. When it comes to presenting, nerves can show up in ways we wish they didn’t: from butterflies in the stomach, to the red neck rash, to slight shakes, to a raspy voice.

To communicate persuasively, we want to achieve what we call a state of release – feeling relaxed and energised.

Warming up for just 10 minutes can be a highly effective tool to get there.

For example, find somewhere private ahead of the meeting and do some breath and body exercises on the day.

Try these:

Spinal roll – from a standing position slowly roll down as you breath out, vertebra by vertebra. Relax your neck, and your arms and let your head hang down. As you begin to breathe in, slowly stack the spine back up, rolling upwards vertebra by vertebra back to standing.

Centre the breath – place your hands on your navel and feel your belly as you slowly breathe in and out at least 10 times. The in-breath moves your belly out into your hands; the out-breath allows the belly to move back towards the spine. Your shoulders and chest should remain relaxed to prevent top of chest breathing.

Shoulder circles – imaging you have pencils extending from your shoulders. Slowly draw small circles with your shoulders, in each direction.

The first time I was asked to present to senior marketing executives at a famous biscuit company, I had learnt what I was going to say, but not how I was going to say it. I was a junior agency exec, and very nervous and went straight in to present. No rehearsal, no vocal warm ups. Unfortunately my voice totally gave way and regardless of what I was presenting, all that anyone could focus on was my wavering voice. I could see it in their faces. How I wished I’d had these techniques to help me before I presented to help me manage my nerves and get my voice warmed up.

Create an impactful first impression

Studies suggest that people make an impression of us within 7 seconds of first meeting us.

Your energy and the way you connect with your audience has to start from the moment you step into the room. This is where your gama plan prep comes into play.

Once the formalities are out of the way, use the first 30 seconds of your pitch wisely with a hook or a grab, such as a story, a question or a statistic to grab attention and reel the audience in. TEDx talks provide a great example of speakers doing this.

Mirror, mirror

You’ve planned, prepared, warmed up and created a great first impression.

With the meeting now in full flow, it’s important to keep the energy in the room in check. Be mindful of what your audience is doing with their bodies and how they are physically responding – Are they engaged? Do they look bored? Are they losing interest?

Be mindful of the energy of your audience, and whether you need to mirror and adapt yours accordingly. This may mean bringing your energy up to get theirs to increase, or calming down.

Mirroring is an important way for us to connect with our audience and build rapport, which is imperative when pitching for funding when trust is paramount.

Conclusion

Whether you’re seeking seed funding or looking to secure a major investment round, these strategies will help you approach your next investor meeting with the poise and persuasiveness needed to turn your business vision into reality.

Ultimately, the key to nailing your investor pitch lies in the perfect blend of preparation, self-awareness, and adaptability. One-on-one coaching can also help.

So, take note of the above, practice diligently, and step into that room ready to make your mark. Good luck!