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As part of the Sector Support programme at Community Foundation North East, Paul Weedon led an engaging workshop on delivering a powerful presentation with purpose.
Colette Harrison, Sector Support Manager, invited Paul to create a practical session to equip charities with the confidence to tell a compelling story about their organisation and crucially, to remember that the aim of every pitch is to ask for something. Paul provided guidance on making this request memorably and with confidence.
We discussed the power of emotive stories, that storytelling doesn’t need to be chronological and explored the idea that pauses in presentations to enhance the authority of the speaker rather than creating discomfort for audiences.
Paul said “Charities don’t lose pitches because the work isn’t good enough. They lose because nobody’s taught them how to ask. This room was ready to listen.”
Attendees left the session feeling excited about their next pitches and reenergised to celebrate the impact of their organisations’ work rather than feeling the need to justify it when resources are scarce for all charities. One participant said, “Hearing about building successful pitches from someone with so much experience was very valuable. I will implement Paul’s recommendations into my networking techniques, emails and meetings”.
Reflecting on the session, Colette commended,
“It was a privilege to connect charity professionals with Paul’s straightforward guidance. It’s so easy to overcomplicate a charity’s message when in fact a potential supporter simply wants to know why your work is important and how they can help”.
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