Tag: Persuasion

  • How to Move Your Audience

    Do you believe your presentation is “information only”?

    Think again! The reason you’re presenting is to move an uninformed or dubious audience to change. In fact, 99% of all speakers want to increase their audience’s understanding, at the very least. When you want listeners to understand, believe, or act, these two strategies will help.

    1. Insert persuasive phrases.

    Choose from the following questions. After figuring out the answers yourself, insert at least two into your presentation. Answer them!

    • “What does this mean to you?”
    • “So what?” (“Here’s what!”)
    • “Why am I telling you this?”

    By answering these questions, you demonstrate your ability to view yourself, your company, your story, and your presentation through your audience’s eyes. This ability forms the bedrock of persuasion.

    2. Express “What’s in it for Them.”

    You know why you’re giving the presentation. But can you express in simple language how the information will help your listeners?

    • Know your audience. Do your homework. Find out what your audience cares about, what it wants to know, its concerns and anxieties.
    • Link every piece of information to your audience’s needs.

    Get out of your own head and try listening from your audience’s perspective. Far from being coercive, you are proving yourself to be powerfully aligned with your audience. Your message will benefit, motivate and move them.

    Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshop.

  • Five Words to Persuade Your Audience

    Even when you “just” deliver data, you want people to use it, potentially to do things differently or better. Certain words persuade people more effectively than others.

    Since 1961, expert speakers have identified several words as the most persuasive in the English language. My challenge to you: Try integrating  a couple of these into your next presentation. Be attuned to how YOU feel when you use them. Notice how your audience reacts.

    1.You
    Personalize your speech so that your listeners feel you are talking directly to them. (Example: Ask, “What does this mean to you? Here’s what it means…”)

    2.Discover
    What an exciting and enthusiastic feeling from childhood this conjures. Challenge your audience to discover something new.

    3.Easy
    Your audience wants more ease in their busy lives. What can you offer?

    4.New
    Freshness, innovation, change…people respond well to that whiff of freshness.

    5.Proven
    The opposite of ‘new,’ this word ensures us that we are not taking risks. Be sure to back this one with data.

    Remember, every effective presentation persuades the listener. Don’t be afraid to use these words, and let me know how your experiment goes.