Want the audience to listen? Make 'em care.

Let's face it; sometimes we've been in our business too long. We're so well-versed, so immersed, so totally completely "in it" we can't remotely remember what it was like pre-obsession/thought leader/expert. While it's great to be super knowledgeable and enthusiastic about our message, it's not so great to dive right in and begin speaking about it without first ensuring it has meaning - real, significant meaning - for our audience. 

If we're being honest with ourselves, we often assume, especially when we're asked to pitch or present our product or service, that our audience already knows the importance of it. We think it is our job to simply describe what makes us different, better, of more value than our competitor. We jump right into "all about us, our product, our service, our mission" before making sure it matters to them. No wonder we're getting blank stares, yawns, discreet (and not so discreet) phone surfing. Your audience is thinking, "Who cares?"

At bespeak, we begin our presentations by drawing a "picture" for the audience, metaphorically speaking. A picture of their world, their goals and/or problems. Possibly a picture of their industry, their competitors, the economic environment  they're facing. Rather than beginning with the "All about us and how great our stuff is" show, we begin with their world, what they're worried about or aspiring to. This gets their attention. Why? Because it's about them. And that's what they (and all of us, really) care most about. Ourselves.

Occasionally, we must create relevance. Our audience may not be aware of a very real threat or a very real opportunity ( solved or attained by our product or service, mission, etc). We must shine a big bright light on this threat or opportunity, explain it clearly and compellingly before we ever begin talking about our solution. We must create the interest, the relevance to them and their world.  We must make them care.

Before your next presentation, whether it be a formal pitch or an informal informational one. Ask yourself as an audience member; why would I care about this? Why does it matter to me? How will it positively affect my life/work/success? If you can't answer these questions, STOP, and determine the answers. These will form the beginning of your presentation. The all important part of making them care about your message. Do that and you'll be heard.

The Magic Rule of Threes: Put it to work in your next presentation.

I am such a fan of the rule of threes I refer to it as ‘magic’.  What is it?  The rule of threes is simply the idea that human beings naturally group things in threes.  We think in threes.  Examples? Stop, yield and go, here there and everywhere, past, present and future, the genie grants three wishes, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Little Pigs, three strikes and you’re out, beginning, middle and end….I could go on and on. 

If people think of things in threes, then it would make sense to structure presentations using this magic rule. (Remember, it is up to you to do the "heavy lifting" - to organize your presentation for your audience so that they can easily absorb and retain your message.) How to organize your presentation in threes? Here are examples:

1)      In any persuasive presentation your structure should be: Problem, Solution, Result. (three)

2)      Within a persuasive presentation, you can have three problems for which you are supplying one solution.

3)      Again within a persuasive presentation, you can have three great results that come from adopting your solution.

4)      Lastly, in a persuasive presentation, give three reasons why your solution will work.

5)      In an informative presentation – for example, a report on the status of a project – you can begin with ‘where you were’ go on to part two ‘where you are now’ and then to part three ‘where you are going’ (a riff on past-present-future).

When you sit down to create your next presentation, keep the magic rule of threes in mind. Imagine three buckets which you are going to label for your audience.  Perhaps the labels will be the three problems they're facing, or maybe the three great results they'll experience from adopting your proposed solution, or "here's where we started", "here's where we are today" "here's where we're going". How ever you label them, the content of your presentation will fill each one of these buckets.  Your audience will stay right along with you, mentally depositing the information you share into these three buckets you've created and labeled for them.  They'll be grateful to you for organizing your message in threes.  You will have made it a cinch for them to absorb and retain your message. And you'll be heard.

give 'em the "why"

How many people reading this floss their teeth on a regular basis? Most people don’t. They know a generic “they” “should”, but they really don’t understand the benefit of flossing, so they skip it. I floss every single day. You know why? A million years ago, when I was about 24 my dentist said to me, “Debbie, you need to take care of your gums. We can always replace a tooth, but if your gums go, there’s nothing protecting your teeth, no way to anchor a bridge, you’re sunk.” I like my teeth, I need my teeth, and if one or two has to go, I want to know they can put in a reasonable facsimile, so I floss.

Sometimes in a persuasive presentation, we must provide the audience with the "why". Your product or service absolutely solves a problem for them, but it's a problem they don't know they have. If you explain to them first what their problem is, or could be, you've got them eating out of your hand when you get to proposing your solution. Not only that, they're grateful to you for seeing the oncoming train which would have nailed them if not for your alerting them. Now they not only see the value in your product or service, they see the value in their relationship with YOU.

Think about that the next time you're preparing a pitch. Oh, and floss everyday too, will ya?

Audience Abuse: Step away from the audience until you have a well conceived presentation, and no one will get hurt

Maybe I've been at this whole presentations thing too long, (very doubtful) but last week I lost it. As Popeye said, "I had all I can stands, and I can't stands no more." I told a presenter that her presentation as it stood (not her delivery; the content) was a clear example of Audience Abuse. Strong language, yes. But as a service to poor unsuspecting audiences everywhere, I felt I had to be as blunt and straightforward as possible.

What constitutes audience abuse? For starters, telling an audience you're going to speak for 20 minutes and then speaking for four times that. Not having a clear cut point, path, beginning, middle or end. Not having 3-5 (ONLY) important points and then making them clearly and compellingly. Not discerning the difference between "need to know" and "nice to know". Not reading the looks on the audiences faces to see that they have indeed had all they can stand.

Please, please, please; I beg of you. DO NOT get in front of anyone, even your kids, your dog, or your kids' stuffed animals, before you have figured these things out. Audiences are trusting us to value their time and attention. In fact, that's the least we can do as presenters. Ideally we want to give them HUGE HUGE value in the time they've given us. We need to honor them and their time and attention by planning and preparing with only one thing in mind; THEM. Neglecting them, failing to prepare, regurgitating old, boring, ill-conceived, irrelevant to them information is nothing short of abusive.