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Markus is a tech founder based in Munich. When he came to us at Office Spiel, he was three weeks away from delivering a high-stakes investor pitch that could shape the future of his company.
His challenge? Stage fright.
“I know my business. I know my numbers. But the moment I have to stand in front of people, everything gets tight — my breath, my voice, my mind. It’s like watching myself from outside my own body.”
Markus wasn’t short on intelligence, vision, or preparation. But like many brilliant professionals, he didn’t know how to perform — not in a theatrical way, but in the present, clear, human way that builds trust and captures attention.
Our first session focused on presence.
Markus had a habit of physically shrinking when speaking — rounded shoulders, collapsed chest, weight on one foot. These unconscious patterns made him feel smaller and less grounded.
Through posture alignment, slow breathing, and stillness exercises, Markus started to reconnect with his own space.
“Just learning to stand differently made me feel 20% more confident. And it gave me more air, more time to think.”
In the second session, we turned our attention to vocal expression.
Markus spoke quickly and with a thin tone. We used vocal warm-ups — humming, resonance work, and a few “silly but effective” articulation drills — to help him find more depth and control.
We also introduced contrast: speaking softly and boldly, speeding up and pausing. This helped his delivery feel more dynamic and intentional.
“I used to feel like I was rushing to get it over with. Now I feel like I’m guiding the room through something.”
In the final session, we restructured his pitch using the Hero’s Hook, an Office Spiel storytelling model. Rather than lead with product features, Markus framed his talk around a real client transformation, positioning his startup as a guide solving a meaningful problem.
We also rehearsed how to hold tension with silence, how to look investors in the eye, and how to land the final ask with calm conviction.
Markus delivered his pitch to a room of 18 investors. He was calm, clear, and connected.
“I didn’t black out. I didn’t panic. In fact, I enjoyed it. And three people came up afterward just to say, ‘You’ve got presence.’ That’s never happened before.”
Two weeks later, he closed the round.
The difference between panic and presence isn’t magic — it’s practice. And just like actors, founders and leaders can train their ability to show up, connect, and shine when it matters most.
