Get Connected – putting feeling into business presentations
This is the third in a short series looking at what makes an effective presentation. It is specifically focused on professionals presenting to their clients, new and old.
We are well prepared, we are in the best possible state to present. Next step: Connecting with our audience.
It’s not what you say….
Whilst we start to think about how to connect with our audience, here are a few points to consider first:
- You cannot give to others what you have not got yourself
- Feelings, not facts, move people into action
- People buy with emotion, and justify with logic
- The emotional state you are in whilst talking to your audience will influence them more than anything you say!
Get Connected!
We all know of great presentations that we really identified with. We enjoyed the content and the presenter really connected with us. Steve Jobs is very good at this.
Or, think perhaps of one of the raft of excellent stand up comedians touring the country right now. I saw Dara O’Briain recently in Reading and his connection with the audience was exceptional. He spoke just to me (and the hundred or so others there too), but it felt like it could have been just me.
So what do they do to make you feel like that? It is certainly no trick, it is a well practiced skills and its easy….
1. Be yourself
Sounds easy doesn’t it? And, it really is. There are just a few simple things to think about:
- Play to your strengths
- Use a conversational style of speaking
- Keep yourself accessible to your audience
- Having a conversation is easier than doing a presentation
2. Influence using both sides of the brain
- Left Brain – Language, Logic, Facts
- Right Brain – Creativity, Imagination, Rhythm, Rhyme
You must appeal to both sides of the brain and your presentation must include a metaphor.
3. Use multisensory communication
This is where the language you use will require some real thought to get right. We learn through our senses and especially through the senses of seeing, feeling and hearing. When you deliver a presentation that uses all of these, it will be far more powerful and effective.
Here are some examples:
Words and phrases that people use in VISUAL mode
- I see what you mean
- I can picture that
- Vision
- We see eye to eye
- Show me what you mean
- I am looking closely at the idea
Words and phrases that people use in HEARING mode
- I like the sound of that
- In a manner of speaking
- Lets discuss
- Calling the tune
- Listen to
- Loud and clear
- Rings a bell
- On the same wavelength
Words and phrases that people use when in FEELING mode
- I can’t grasp that
- I feel good about that
- That’s rough
- I don’t like the feel of that
- I’ll keep in touch
- That’s a concrete idea
Charismatic speakers move through these modes from feeling to auditory to visual. Think about the whole range of people in the audience. If you want to get rapport with them all, you need to be sure to accommodate each personal preference.
I hope that you have found this useful, and if you would like to get in touch to discuss this area please do.
In the 4th and final part in this series we will be talking about making and impact……
Until then, all the best,
James
Contact me
For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathanxp, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.
I would be delighted to chat with you.
