Beat the Bouncer: How to get full-brain engagement with your pitch

Here’s the good news: if your pitch, proposal, or presentation is going to fail, it’ll probably fail immediately. Within 10 seconds, tops. The bad news? That means you have a tiny window to get it right.

This is due to a few factors: firstly the undue weighting we give to first impressions - something we’ll go into more detail about in a further blog.

However, there’s another, more nuanced reason at play here too - your ideas need to make it past a real bastard of a bouncer to make any impression at all.

Imagine you’re an aspiring rapper, armed with the mixtape of the century. You know if you can get it into Jay-Z’s hands, he’ll crown you the future of hip-hop. And give you all the money. But standing between you and Hova is a burly bodyguard. A man-mountain who hasn’t had his coffee and is laser-focused on keeping Jay-Z blissfully unaware of your existence.

Except, in your pitch, the bodyguard isn’t a person. He’s a crocodile. And he’s wired into your audience’s brain.

Confused? Yeah, that’s my fault for mixing metaphors. Let’s break it down.

Meet the Brain’s Bouncer

You don’t need a PhD in brain stuff to know about the “lizard brain.” Coined by neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean in the 1960s, this term refers to the basal ganglia - the primal structures of your brain responsible for aggression, fear, and instinctive behaviour.

Here’s where it gets tricky: layered on top of the lizard brain is the limbic system, which deals with emotions (not limbs, confusingly). And above that? The neocortex - the cerebral HQ for abstract thought, creativity, and logic.

Sounds great. Except your ideas don’t waltz into someone’s neocortex uninvited. They first have to convince the lizard brain to open the gate. And that lizard brain? It’s lazy, paranoid, and stingy with its energy.

Brains are spongy grey wet energy hogs. Your brain burns through about 320 calories a day, which is roughly 20% of your body’s total energy. The lizard part of your brain exists to protect resources, keeping the neocortex from wasting effort on ideas that don’t feel immediately relevant or safe.

So, your job isn’t to sell your brilliant, creative idea straight to someone’s neocortex. It’s to charm the lazy lizard into letting you past the velvet rope first.

How to outsmart the bouncer

The reptilian brain has a short list of things it actively hates:

  1. Complexity: Too much information triggers shutdown mode. EssentiallytThe lizard brain takes one look at your shoes and says, “Not tonight mate.”

  2. Boredom: If the idea feels overly familiar, the lizard brain ignores it. No novelty? No entry.

  3. Irrelevance: If your pitch doesn’t seem urgent or meaningful, you’re getting blanked.

So, how do you get the bouncer to unclip the velvet rope?

5 Ways to Make the Lizard Brain Say Yes

  1. Grab Attention Immediately

    Open with something irresistible: a shocking stat, a provocative question, or a vivid story. This wakes up the reptilian brain and forces it to engage. Example: “Did you know a cloud weighs around a million tonnes”. This has blown my mind, but the internet says it’s true. You can probably find a better one.

  2. Frame for Safety

    Show your audience how your idea reduces risk or protects against a potential loss. The lizard brain loves feeling safe and secure.

  3. Tell Stories

    Stories sneak ideas past the bouncer while it’s distracted by a drunk dude dancing with a bin. Personal anecdotes, surprising analogies, and relatable narratives work wonders because they engage emotions and bypass logic. Just make sure they’re interesting.

  4. Keep It Simple

    Complexity triggers alarms. Stick to one clear idea at a time and strip out jargon. Use short, sharp sentences and leave the thesaurus at home.

  5. Use Contrast

    The lizard brain loves stark differences. Highlight contrasts—before vs. after, problem vs. solution, risk vs. reward—to make your message stand out.

Winning Over the Neocortex

Nice. You’ve made it past the bouncer! Now you’re in front of the neocortex. Here’s where you appeal to logic and reasoning with structure and evidence.

Try this framework:
Problem → Solution → Evidence → Action

  • Problem: What’s the pain point? Be specific.

  • Solution: How does your idea solve it? Show the outcome.

  • Evidence: Support your claims with data or case studies.

  • Action: Make the next steps crystal clear.

You’re In!

Your audience’s brain might seem like an exclusive nightclub, but with the right approach, you can charm your way in. Start by engaging the lizard brain with simplicity, relevance, and novelty. Once inside, win over the neocortex with logic and evidence.

By tailoring your pitch to the brain’s natural decision-making process, you’ll not only get your ideas heard: you’ll make them stick.

Toby Brown