How
Persuasive Are Your Presentations?
by Mary Jane
Mapes
The job of most business communicators is to persuade their audiences to take action.
Until people take action, nothing much happens.
For a message to be persuasive, several elements need to be present. With knowledge and
proper preparation, your business presentations can contain the kind of material that will
cause people to tune-in, turn-on, and take action. The next time you are asked to give a
presentation, ask yourself a simple question: Does my message contain any/all of the
following persuasive communication characteristics?
Credibility. Most people buy from someone they trust. Someone once said, "All things
being equal, people will do business with people they like (trust). All things not being
equal, they still will." In other words, most people need to like you before they
will "buy" what you're selling.
Aristotle, master of the art of persuasion, said it a bit differently when he said that to
persuade anybody of anything, you must employ three factors, the first of which is ethos -
credibility or likeability (trustworthiness). It's the same reason advertisers spend
millions of dollars on celebrity speakers. Michael Jordan could sell just about anything.
The celebrity serves as a conduit for information the advertiser wants people to believe.
The credible celebrity is more trusted than a company spokesperson (Lee Iaccoca may be an
exception).
WIIFM. What's in it for me? Why should I listen? People want to know how a message will
personally effect them. If there is nothing in it for them, people will soon tune out. The
more closely a message identifies with the hopes and aspirations of the audience, the
greater the chance of persuasion.
Example: When appealing to senior citizens, instead of arguing for better education for
our youth or a stronger defense budget as a reason not to cut taxes, how much more of a
direct hit to argue the loss of their social security benefits or cuts in medicare.
Straight talk. The easier understood a message, the greater the chance of persuasion.
Anything less than "straight talk" leaves people questioning the authenticity of
the speaker. President Bill Clinton may have remained in office after he was impeached,
but most of the American people do not trust him to tell the truth. His famous, "It
all depends on what the definition of "IS" is," will probably go down in
history as the quintessential example of someone attempting to obscure meaning. People
want to connect with the speaker, and being clear about the message is critical.
Actions, Not Intentions. People want action, not lip service. We judge others by their
actions, not by their intentions. People don't want some vague promise from you that
you'll "look into it." They want to know specifically what you will do and by
when you will do it. Instead of telling a customer that you will find out why their
product wasn't delivered when promised, tell them specifically what action you will take
and when you will get back to them with a response. Anything less falls short of
persuasion.
When asking others to take action, it's also important to be specific. Milo Frank, in his
book, How to Get Your Point Across is 30 Seconds or Less, reminds us that the more
specific the action and the more immediate the time frame, the greater the chance of
getting others to do what we want them to do.
Example: If you are looking for ways to help your sales force improve service to their
clients, you don't want to ask them to think about it and bring their ideas to the next
meeting. You'd stand a better change of getting them to take the desired action you're
looking for by saying something like, "I have some ideas as to how we can improve our
level of service to our customers, and I'm sure you do, too. Between now and next week,
jot down three specific ways you think our sales reps could improve their level of service
with their clients, and bring those ideas with you to our meeting next Wednesday at 2:30
p.m., and we'll discuss them.
Persuasive speaking is a skill that can be developed. With knowledge, preparation,
practice, and desire, anyone can achieve more positive results.
©Copyright 1999-2006 Mary Jane Mapes All rights reserved.
Top
of page
You may reprint or repost this article providing that the following
conditions are met:
- The article remains essentially unaltered.
- Mary Jane Mapes is shown as the author.
- The notice Copyright 1999-2006 by Mary Jane Mapes or similar appears on the article
- Contact information for Mary Jane is included with the article. You may refer readers to
this Web site as a way to meet this requirement, or use the information on our contact
page.
- Any other reprinting or reposting requires specific permission which is almost always
granted.
Core Attitudes for Success || Understanding Others || Creating Customer Loyalty
Developing Influence ||
What Clients Say || Bio/Credentials || Main Page
Learning Resources ||
Shopping
Cart || Ask Mary Jane
Copyright 1999-2006 by Mary Jane Mapes, CSP.
Email us at MaryJane@MaryJaneMapes.com or Click for Contact Information |
