3.1.1 PRESENTATIONS: PITCHING IDEAS
PRESENTATIONS: PITCHING IDEAS
1A. Warm-up
- Do you ever have to give presentations? If so, how often?
- Do you have to give presentations in English, Spanish or another language?
- Do you enjoy giving presentations?
1B. What does it mean to pitch an idea?
To pitch an idea means to present a concept clearly and persuasively in order to gain support, approval, or investment from an audience.
- What do you think makes a pitch effective?
- Have you ever pitched an idea? What was difficult?
- What role do visual aids play in a pitch?
- Are there differences between a presentation and a pitch?
2A. Vocabulary for Presentations and Pitching Ideas
2B. Practice
2C. Discussion
When presenting a new idea at work, what key elements do you usually highlight, and why?
How would you outline the ideal structure of a successful pitch?
What’s the most effective way to demonstrate the value of a project to sceptical stakeholders?
Have you ever had to justify a decision or proposal in a professional context? How did you do it?
How important is it to lay out a project’s timeline clearly? What happens if it’s not well explained?
What kind of evidence do you think is most convincing when backing up a project proposal?
When was the last time you had to break down a complex concept for someone? How did you manage it?
Can you think of a project that successfully built on a previous idea? What made it work?
What techniques help speakers sum up their ideas effectively at the end of a pitch?
2D. Quick pair activity
Choose 3 terms and use them in a short mini‑pitch (1 minute each).
3A. Pre-Watching
What is F.O.M.O.? Have you ever heard of it?
3B. Vocabulary from the video
- The speaker told such a compelling story about the problem that the investors immediately wanted to know more.
- Before introducing her idea, she explained the status quo so the audience could understand what wasn’t working.
- The organisation received major funding after a well‑known philanthropist became interested in their project.
- They focused their pitch on how the new process would be far more sustainable than current production methods.
- The pitch built up to a powerful confrontation between the problem and the innovative solution the team proposed.
- Instead of trying to gloss over the project’s biggest weakness, he explained it honestly and showed how he planned to fix it.
- In the story, the team is presented as the hero swooping in at the last moment to solve the crisis.
- The pitch was organised like a journey, charting the problem, the conflict, and finally the solution.
3C. Practice
3D. Video
Watch the video and answer the questions below. Click HERE to watch the video.
3E. Discussion
- Why might focusing too much on your own nerves or performance weaken a pitch?
- How does knowing your audience change the way you present exactly the same idea?
- Why do you think many presenters prefer to “gloss over” weaknesses instead of addressing them?
4A. Analyse a Real Pitch
Watch the following video and compare it to the TED speaker’s advice. Watch the video HERE.
- Does the speaker use the hero’s journey?
- Is FOMO created?
- Does he identify and address weaknesses?
- Does he know his audience?
4B. Micro‑Pitch Battles
Choose a random everyday object from your bag or a box (paperclip, mug, pen, USB stick).
You have 1 minute to pitch it as if it were an amazing innovation.
Requirements:
- Know your audience (e.g. investors)
- Introduce the status quo
- Highlight the conflict
- Present the object as the solution
5A. Useful Pitching Expressions
| Introducing | I’d like to introduce an idea that could significantly improve… |
| Our proposal aims to… | |
| Explaining / Adding details | Let me walk you through the main features… |
| To give you some context… | |
| This leads us to the next point… | |
| Persuading | What makes this especially compelling is… |
| The data strongly suggests that… | |
| This offers a clear advantage over… | |
| Emphasising | It’s important to highlight that… |
| What we must not overlook is… | |
| Closing | To sum up, this project will… |
| Thank you for your attention — I’m happy to take questions. |
5B. Slide‑Free Pitch
You have 30 seconds to pitch something without visuals. You MUST use:
- 1 expression for introducing
- 1 for persuading
- 1 for closing.
6A. Language for Slides & Visual Aids
Look at the following phrases to talk about visual aids.
| Slide signposting | As you can see on this slide… |
| This chart illustrates… | |
| Let me draw your attention to… | |
| If we look at the figures here… | |
| This brings us to the next image… | |
| Visual-aid language | This diagram breaks down the process into… |
| The bar graph compares… | |
| The image on the right shows… | |
| The layout highlights… |
6B. Activity
Look at these images/charts. Describe them using phrases in Ex 6A.
7. Main Task: Pitch a Mini‑Project (Group Work)
Instructions
Prepare a 3‑minute pitch using:
- at least one visual aid (photo, table, chart, or simple slide—teacher can provide options)
- at least 5 pitching expressions
- at least 3 items of vocabulary from the earlier list
- clear slide signposting
Possible topics:
- A sustainability initiative for the school/company
- A new app
- An event proposal
- A productivity tool
- A charity/social impact project
To download the pdf for this topic click on the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RiJip5W5z4Ksh3k03Hq98IILeK1voYRo/view?usp=sharing