How to gain confidence and improve your pitching skills
Working in advertising and design requires the ability to sell your ideas. If you’re naturally more reserved or in a junior role, how do you manage the expectation to be a confident pitcher, presenter and networker? CR asks those in the industry for some advice
In the worlds of advertising and design, a big part of the job is to sell, which requires a certain amount of self-assurance to convince people you’re the one that can do the job. The ability to convey your ideas, thoughts and suggestions requires a certain level of confidence, and while this may come with experience there are some people who find it comes more naturally than others.
So what if you’re someone who is more reserved or would class themselves as an ‘introvert’? Is the industry as welcoming to someone with those qualities? For some, it’s not about whether you’re outgoing or not, but instead if you have enough conviction in what you want to say. “As a creative selling an idea, an abstract concept is harder than pure facts and figures, so I think a lot of the time confidence in the idea and enthusiasm for it is needed,” says Sim Sidhu, creative and art director at BBH. “However, for me having confidence and being extroverted are two slightly different things, and I think confidence in the idea is the most important.
“I think you can pretend to be an extrovert, but it stems from confidence in the work,” she adds. “If you yourself are convinced and have a POV then you’ll be able to sell it. Having a point of view doesn’t mean you need to be extroverted. It means your idea will be bulletproof and clients (and others) will smell that a mile away.”
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