Ready, Set, Pitch!

The team opened up the night previewing the upcoming Pitch Night, which is a celebratory event for the cohort that also helps prepare them for the business world and serves as the culmination of this program. Some rules were given, information about the night was discussed and then we transitioned into the topic of the week, which was Pitch Night Practice!.

For this topic, the team started off by having the cohort rate themselves as public speakers and also identify and share some of their past experiences of public speaking. Advice and examples were then given from the team covering things like confidence, body language and the importance of practice. They also spoke about the benefits and effectiveness of delivering a concise pitch and that managing your nerves can be key in doing this. Additional information was then shared regarding the wide-spread usage and versatile nature of public speaking, and also how a pitch can be repurposed and used in a variety of manners.

After that, a video was shown that explained the fight or flight response that our bodies may experience during public speaking and then provided some solutions to said response. The cohort and team took some time to identify some ways in which some of them have personally experienced the fight or flight response. The team then went over some strategies for managing your nerves and allowed the cohort to practice a few. They also touched on the importance of practice and gave some interview advice.

Another video was then played, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering the I Have a Dream speech and the cohort shared some things that stood out to them in the video. The team then took some time to go over the attributes of a great public speaker; touching on things like stage presence, audience awareness, not talking down to your audience and also being able to find common ground

An exercise was given in which the cohort had to read a piece of literature and then several volunteers took turns reading in front of the class. After each turn, the rest of the class would take time contrasting between the styles of each youth that volunteered and also themselves. The team took some time to assess problems that each volunteer faced when reading the literature and then gave some advice. They spoke about non-verbal communication and took some time to answer several questions that were asked; covering the aforementioned subject, personal problems faced when public speaking and also additional business information. 

An example was given, in relation to these things; additional information was shared concerning Pitch Night; and then worksheets were handed out to help the cohort put together their pitches. Information was given about the worksheets, the cohort took some time to work on them and then several youths volunteered to present their pitches to everyone. They went up and presented their pitches, receiving advice and feedback from the team. Discussion was had, expectations were given and the cohort were dismissed.

The team then wanted the cohort to think about the messages they were trying to share, the content of each message and what response they were looking for. Some of the questions posed were:

• Who is your audience?
• What is the purpose of your pitch?
• How will you be communicating?

“Why were the pitches left out?” you may be wondering. Because Pitch Night is in about two weeks, which is fast approaching. And in order to give these youths a proper spotlight, I believe it would be best to save their pitches for the official pitch night. So to all who are interested, stay tuned for the official Pitch Night, which will be held on June 4, 2024, with the story to follow thereafter.

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This publication was made possible by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family (GOYFF) through grant number 24AC265250. The views, opinions, or policies expressed belong solely to the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the GOYFF.