Turning Anxiety into Advantage: How Reframing Can Improve Business Pitches

Journalists often have to sell themselves and be cognizant of their brand if they want to make the best impression with the right editor or publication. In this respect, crafting an effective elevator pitch is a critical skill that can open doors and pave the way for career opportunities.

An elevator pitch is a concise and compelling summary of a journalist's skills, experience, and story ideas—a good one is anywhere between 30 seconds to two minutes. That’s not a lot of time to make an impression, so it’s crucial to understand what it is you’re selling and how a business might benefit.

But business pitches are notoriously difficult for many people, especially if they dread public speaking. Consider the findings of a Washington State University-led study, which posits that “It may be possible to turn anxiety into a superpower in some scenarios.”

The research team found that entrepreneurs who channeled their pitch anxiety into a reflection of their passion for their projects received higher ratings from judges. More crucially, these judges were also more inclined to recommend them for funding.

This approach, known as emotion reframing, helped entrepreneurs understand that their anxiety stemmed from their deep investment in the project. Those who used other methods to manage their pre-pitch nerves, like suppressing or distracting themselves, did not fare as well. These insights were detailed in the Journal of Business Venturing.

"Emotions are not your enemies. They can be your friends. I would encourage people to understand the cause of their emotions and see if they can harness that energy for more positive outcomes," said lead author Lily Zhu, a researcher with WSU's Carson College of Business.

Zhu and her colleagues built on existing psychological research in designing a three-part study to gain a better understanding about anxiety’s impact on people making funding pitches for new businesses.

First, researchers surveyed entrepreneurs about how they handled anxiety before pitching. They discovered that most used distraction techniques (49%) or physical methods like deep breathing (40.8%). Another 14.3% tried to distance themselves from the emotion, while only 12.2% attempted to reframe their anxiety positively.

In the second phase of the study, researchers examined participants and judges before and after pitches at new venture competitions held at two business schools in Southern California over three years. They found that judges rated student entrepreneurs more favorably when they reframed their anxiety as a sign of their passion for their projects.

For the final part of the study, researchers tested this reframing strategy with about 100 college students in a business communications class. Students chose a charitable cause they were passionate about and pitched it to judges for funding. They were randomly assigned to either distract themselves from their anxiety or connect their anxiety to their strong feelings for the charity.

The judges rated the pitches from students who used the reframing strategy as more persuasive and were more likely to recommend funding their cause. The researchers noted that while anxiety was evident in all pitches, connecting it to passion was the key factor that turned it into an advantage.