Managing director, pitch trainer and pitch coach at Best 3 Minutes
David Beckett is a pitch coach and TEDx speech coach. He has trained over 450 startups to win more than 110 million euros in investment and over 3500 professionals in companies such as Google, ING, Unilever and PwC.
GENERAL
Q: What do you love about your job the most?
I love that you can see a result. Many people find it difficult to pitch and regularly I get to see people at the beginning and the end of the process – where they go from being nervous and uncertain to sure and confident.
Q: Where do you see the biggest opportunity in marketing and MICE industry?
Technology with a purpose. There are many new ways to engage with audiences, and that is helping in some ways. But the future is to use technology to make events a truly immersive experience that people can take back with them afterwards, share and excite others.
Q: How do you deal with marketing jungle on daily basis?
My job is to help people have their voice heard. I believe it’s not about quantity of the content, but quality and targeting of the content. Understanding who your audience is, what they care about and how you can connect with them on that level helps a lot.
Q: How did the best events you attended so far make you feel?
They made me feel involved, appreciated, inspired.
PERSONAL – BACKGROUND
Q: Looking at your bucket list, what is the one thing that you really wish to cross off until the end of 2017?
Finish a book that I am writing called ‘Tales of Childhood and Beyond.’ It’s a set of personal stories from years gone by and it keeps popping into my mind as something I just have to do.
Q: If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead), who would you have dinner with and why?
My grandmother and grandfather. They were amazing people who supported Amnesty, took in foster children, kept bees, grew their own vegetables and built houses – and that was only after they retired.
CROSSOVER CONFERENCE
Q: What would you share with our participants if you would have only one minute
How to manage their pitching nerves. I think it’s the biggest challenge for many people and yet they have too do it so often – and I have a tool which can be explained in 60 seconds which will solve the nerves of most people.
Q: What are you bringing to Conventa Crossover?
I focus on sharing practical tools only – things people can do immediately to help them improve their pitch and become more confident about being in front of their audience.
