The Secret to Successfully Pitching an Idea | The Way We Work, a TED series

Do you know the secret to successfully pitching an idea?

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: suya f.

你知道成功推销想法的秘诀吗？

Well, it's something kind of unexpected.

答案出人意料。

It’s FOMO: the fear of missing out.

那就是 FOMO —— 害怕错过（Fear of Missing Out）。

[The Way We Work]

[我们工作的方式]

As someone who invests in companies early in their journeys,

我为创业早期的公司投资，

I listen to nearly 2,000 pitches a year,

每年要听近 2000 场路演，

and I work countless hours with company founders

夜以继日地帮助创始人们

to help them make their pitch even more compelling.

打磨他们的路演， 让它更有说服力。

You may equate pitching with a slick deck

你可能会认为“路演” 就是高大上的幻灯片，

based on some standard format,

套在标准模板上，

but whether you're pitching a company

但无论你是在推销你的公司，

or trying to get buy-in for a passion project at work,

还是在工作中试图说服别人 认可你为之兴奋的项目，

so much of pitching is a storytelling exercise.

这些推销都是在练习讲故事。

You need to bring people along with you.

你得把人拉上船。

You need to tell your audience a story that not only will draw them in,

你说给观众听的故事 不仅要吸引他们的注意，

but it will make them feel that if they don't say yes,

还要让他们感觉如果他们不答应，

they will be missing out on something really big.

他们就会错过一些不得了的东西。

[Step 1: Know your audience]

[第一步：了解你的观众]

When people think about pitching, they're thinking inwards,

人们想到“推销”的时候，会向内思考，

they think about their nerves,

他们会想到自己的胆量、

how smoothly they're talking or what it takes to get to a yes.

说得有多流畅、如何获得认可。

But the secret of successful pitching is to flip it outward.

但成功推销的秘诀就在于向外翻转。

Who are you pitching to?

你要向谁推销？

What do they care about?

他们在意什么？

How can you speak to what motivates them?

你该如何踩中他们振奋的点？

For example, if you're pitching your start-up idea to a venture capitalist

举个例子，如果你要 向风投推销你的创业想法，

who has lots of money to invest and needs big returns,

风投有大量资金可供投资， 同时想要高回报，

they probably care about backing the next Uber or DoorDash.

他们可能就想投下一家 优步或 DoorDash（外卖平台）。

So you should focus your story on the size of the market opportunity.

那你就该把你的故事 聚焦在市场机会有多少上。

If you're pitching to a philanthropist or a nonprofit,

如果你要向慈善家 或者非营利机构推销，

their motivation is likely about large social impact.

他们的动机就有可能是 巨大的社会影响。

So focus on showing how your product or idea will improve things

那就请聚焦在你的产品或想法 会如何持久地改善事物上。

in a lasting way.

If you're pitching a project at work,

如果你想推销一个工作中的项目，

focus on the people you're pitching the project to.

那就关注被推销这个项目的对象。

What do they care about?

他们在意什么？

More customer loyalty, more revenue,

更高的客户忠诚度，更多的收入，

or perhaps a promotion?

还是一次晋升？

Tell them how your project will help them attain the goal that they want

告诉他们，你的项目会如何 帮助他们达成他们想要的目标，

in a way that makes it almost inevitable.

而这个项目就是 这个过程中的必经之路。

Give them that feeling of: “If I don’t support this,

给他们营造一种感觉： “如果我不支持这个项目，

I'm going to miss out on something I care about deeply."

我就会错过我十分在乎的东西。”

[Step 2: Think about the hero's journey]

[第二步：想象主人公的历程]

Pitching is much like telling a story.

推销和讲故事很像。

Just like a movie tells a story.

如同电影拍了一个故事。

You're charting the hero's journey in three acts.

你要用三幕戏 记录下主人公的历程。

First, you start by telling about the hero's world, the status quo.

首先，你会在开头讲一讲 主人公所在的世界，现在的情况。

In this case, the current situation

换到这个场景，就是你的产品、 想法或服务面临的现状。

that your product, idea or service will be addressing.

Then introduce tension and conflict,

然后引入紧张和冲突点，

showing all the problems that existing products aren't yet addressing.

展示一下当前产品 还无法解决的各种问题。

This will lead you to the big confrontation.

然后就来到了关键的戏剧性情节。

You, the hero, swooping in to save the day.

你，就是主人公， 闪亮登场，拯救世界。

And from there, give the resolution.

接着你就可以给出你的解决方法。

How are things changed as a result of your actions?

你的行为如何改变了情况？

How does your product, idea or service solve the problems

你的产品、想法或服务如何解决了

you highlighted earlier?

你之前强调的问题？

One of the best pitches I've heard followed this arc perfectly.

我听过最好的一场路演 完完全全遵循了这条故事线。

The story started with a disturbing status quo.

故事开头是恼人的现状。

Depending on where and how it's produced,

基于产地和生产方式，

one gallon of milk can take roughly 1,000 gallons of water to produce

1 加仑的牛奶需要耗费 1000 加仑的水才能生产，

and can create about six kilograms of CO2 equivalent or more in the process.

在此过程中会制造 至少 6 千克的二氧化碳当量。

In this case,

在这个案例中，

the hero was the CEO and their team of scientists

主人公就是 CEO 和科学家、

and food industry experts

食品行业专家团队，

who have come up with a way to engineer plants

他们想出了一种改造植物、

to produce the animal proteins.

生产动物性蛋白质的方法。

They showed how a small crop of soybeans could create lots of delicious cheese

他们展示了一小株大豆 如何生产出大量美味的奶酪，

and how this could feed the global population

如何以一种可持续又美味的方式

in a sustainable and yummy way.

为全球人口提供食物。

To anyone who cares about both the environment and good food,

对于任何关心环境和优质食物的人来说，

it was an irresistible story.

这都是一个让人无法抗拒的故事。

It made me feel like I needed to be part of it

它让我感觉我必须参与其中，

or I would be missing out on a big opportunity.

不然我就错过了 一个千载难逢的机会。

[Step 3: Shore up your weakest point]

[第三步：弥补你最大的弱点]

When people are done charting their hero's journey,

人们写下主人公之旅之后，

I make them identify their biggest weakness.

我会让他们想一想他们最大的弱点。

Is it that they're missing somebody on their team

是团队中缺了什么人吗？

or that it's very competitive

还是竞争非常激烈，

or that they're trying to do something that has never been done before?

或是他们想做一些前无古人的事情？

Most people's instinct is to gloss over it or even skip it altogether.

很多人的第一反应就是 藏着掖着，或者干脆不谈了。

But that's exactly the wrong thing to do

但这正是错误的操作，

because the audience will notice it and will ask you about it.

因为观众是会发现的， 还会就此提问。

Instead, face it directly.

所以，请直面它吧。

Tell your audience, "Hey, you may think this is a problem,

告诉你的观众： “嘿，你可能会觉得这是个问题，

but here's exactly what I'm going to do about it."

但我会这么处理它。”

And by showing the strengths and weaknesses of your story

通过展示故事的优势和劣势，

and not hiding anything,

毫不避讳，

you inspire confidence not only in you but also in your story.

能激发出对你、对你的故事的信赖。

The best storytellers, they live in the future,

最会讲故事的人来自未来，

and they come here not to just tell us about it,

他们来这儿的目的 不仅仅是告诉我们这个故事，

but to show us the steps to get there.

还会告诉我们如何抵达彼方。

And this makes the audience lean forward.

这就能勾起观众的兴趣。

And all they need to do to be part of this amazing story is say yes.

他们要参与这段佳话， 只需要说“我愿意”。