Body language expert, Vanessa Van Edwards and her team analyzed hundreds of hours of footage of the show Shark Tank to see what made winning pitches stand out and get offers from the sharks. The things she and her team found can be used by you to build influence with your co-workers too.
Be Open
Winning pitches showed openness. Openness is both verbal and non-verbal. Non-verbal cues of openness include keeping arms to the sides, not blocking the torso, strong tall posture, wide stance (feet not together, legs not crossed). You can cue openness by taking an open posture when presenting to people both in person and on video. Openness is also demonstrated with spoken language. Winning pitches included phrases like, “we would be open to your ideas”, “we would welcome your thoughts”, “what do you think?”’. When you are genuinely open to ideas of others they are more apt to be more open to your ideas. Next time you want to convince someone of your ideas at work, be sure to use an open posture and an open mindset as you start your presentation. Invite others to be open to your ideas by demonstrating openness in your verbal and non-verbal presentation.
Get off Autopilot
The second thing winning pitches did was to get off autopilot. This means that the people pitching dropped generic or predictable social scripts and sparked interest to get attention. You can do this too by changing up your “canned” phrases, like ‘let’s do lunch’ and instead say something like ‘let’s go for a hike’ or instead of “how are you” use “what’s the highlight of your day?” When you are asking people to pay attention to an idea – tell them you have a fascinating story to tell them. You want people to listen to your ideas, so spark some interest with them so they can’t wait to hear what you have to say next. Think of ways that you can keep people’s interest in meetings by using surprising or exciting phrases rather than sticking to standard social scripts.
Get Specific
The third thing that got investors was a very specific ask. When you want to be more influential, get very specific about what you want. The more specific you can be about your idea, pitch, or ask, the easier it is for others to understand and either accept or ask questions about and negotiate around. Many times, people go into a presentation without a clear idea of what they want, so the people in the room aren’t sure how to support the idea either. When you have and idea or a request, present with clarity to make it easy for others to understand and take action.
So if you want to influence like a successful shark tank pitch, be specific about your ask, spark interest by getting people off of autopilot and show openness with your body language and your curiosity.
Connect with me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ridgelinenikkievans and maybe we can meet for a virtual hot chocolate and swap fun facts.
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