New Persuasive Presentations Blog
Thank you for following me on The Grab
My blog has now been incorporated into my website, you can view it here www.persuasivepresentations.com.au
I look forward to seeing you there!
Regards
Sharon Ferrier
Stand up, Speak up & Persuade. New Public Workshop – August 19th, 2015
Does the thought of delivering a presentation scare you?
Do you want to learn how to be confident in front of a group, think on your feet and deliver a persuasive and engaging presentation?
Then this course is for you!
I only do a few public workshops per year – my next one is at the end of July – Stand Up Speak Up and Persuade works and the lessons learnt stay with you for life.
“I was fortunate enough to attend the “Stand Up, Speak Up and Persuade” course at Scholle. Have attended many courses during my career, but this one has been a clear stand out, and has really stood the test of time. It has continued to resonate with me, and I continue to use the principles when preparing any presentation I do. I couldn’t recommend this course more highly to organisations and people who want really want to make an impact.” Randall Pearce – strategic Sales and Marketing Professional
Now is your time to shine – and I can help.
For more information or to discuss your in-house training needs, flick me an email:
Authority vs Credibility – Which one will work for you?
Robert Cialdini in his book Influence – The psychology of persuasion, credits authority as one of the pillars of influence. He cites the 1963 Milgram experiment where volunteers were more likely to be influenced by an individual who they perceived had authority.
The challenge for us is that authority in business is in decline. The days of control and command are long gone and many organisations are doing away with corporate hierarchy altogether. Today, in order to get our job done, we need to be able to influence those we have no authority over.
So if we have less authority, what tools do we have to help us be more influential?
The answer is credibility.
The Oxford dictionary defines authority as the power or right to give orders, to make decisions and enforce obedience. Unless you work in the military or a para military organisation, you may have a little trouble trying to ‘enforce obedience’. Credibility is defined as the quality of being trusted, convincing or believable, which is something that we can earn rather than wait until it is bestowed upon us.
Here are 5 ways you can boost your credibility in your next presentation.
1. Establish trust
Do your homework on your audience. Understand their jobs and the burning issues that they are facing. Work on building rapport as soon as you meet them. Smile, shake hands, ask questions and listen intently.
Share a personal story that relates to your message. A West Virginia University study by Myers and Brann in 2009 demonstrated the benefits of self disclosure in building credibility.
2. Weave in credibility
Demonstrate that you know what you are talking about. Give us examples of your expertise. Tell us the projects you have worked on and the results you have achieved.
If you use examples that are relevant to your message and your audience you will enhance your credibility rather than come across as boastful.
3. Ensure your non verbal signs match your message
Now is the time to stand tall, raise your head and look people in the eye. In western culture we instinctively don’t trust people that don’t look at us. We perceive your clasped hands as a lack of confidence and an upward intonation at the end of a sentence makes it sound like you don’t know what you are talking about.
4. Be authentic
Keep it real and accept your humanity and the limitations of your product or idea. Nothing kills credibility faster than if you bluff or promise things that you can’t deliver. If you don’t know the answer, reply with: “I don’t have that information available on me now, but I can email it to you as soon as I get back to my office” This will help maintain your credibility rather than shatter it.
5. Look the part
Yes, you will be judged on how you look. Fair? No. Reality? Yes. Dress appropriately for your position and consider your audience’s perception. So if you’re speaking on personal fitness, you better look better than me in lycra. When presenting to the board, spend a little extra time making sure that you are professionally attired in clothes that match the company culture.
I once asked an Elders employee what would happen if he arrived on a farm wearing his Italian wool suit and silk tie and he replied, “Well, you gotta remember that farmers own guns…”
So… now it’s your turn. What are you going to do to enhance your credibility?
Are you passive, pushy or persuasive?
A few years ago I knew a guy who sold Kirby vacuum cleaners door to door. Now Kirby vacuums are not cheap – back then the top of the range Kirby was over $2,000. This guy, let’s call him Bob, was very good at his job. He saw ‘No’ as an opportunity. People had to call the police to get rid of him.
Guess what? Pushy works… as long as you are willing to kill the relationship.
Bob knew that once he sold them a Kirby the interaction was over – he would never see them again. If he didn’t make a sale, well, no problem, there were plenty more houses to call on.
How well would pushy work in your organisation? In 95% of the organisations I see, pushy = problems. The days of command and control are over. If you are pushy the consequences can include:
- High staff turnover
- Staff on stress leave
- Passive resistance
- Resentment
- Reduced productivity and loss of customers
The challenge is that if we are 100% passive, we can’t get our job done. Most of us need to work with others, we need their help, support, advice and expertise.
Which is where persuasion comes in.
One of the models I spoke about in my last workshop was Heron’s Six Categories of Intervention. This model provides a framework to help you learn and improve how you interact when helping employees, team members, clients and customers.
The six categories are defined as either authoritative or facilitative. The trick here is to find the balance as the authoritative may be perceived as too pushy and the facilitative as too passive.
Authoritative
1. Prescriptive – Tell them what they need to do
2. Informative – Explain and inform, help them understand
3. Confronting – Give advice and challenge their thinking
Facilitative
4. Cathartic – Empathise and encourage expression of feelings
5. Encouraging – people to generate new ideas and solutions
6. Supportive – Praise and demonstrate your support and commitment
There are some times that you need to be authoritative, such as where personal safety and protecting people’s rights are concerned. The facilitative style is more conducive to building relationships and developing teamwork and although it may take more time and effort, it is more likely to produce the results that you are after in the long run.
Rules of Engagement
The first step in selling is to get people’s attention – you can’t sell anything until you get people to look and listen to you. As trainers, we are not selling products or services, but we are selling ideas. Hence the rules of engagement apply.
Rule 1 – First impressions count
Put yourself in your participant’s shoes. This maybe the first time they have attended a workshop in a while. They are going to a strange venue, to be taught by someone they have never met and to sit and interact with people they don’t know. Emotions, anxiety and nerves are flying high. Make it easy for them to connect. Send a welcoming video, make a pre workshop phone call and then welcome them into the room as you would welcome them into your home.
Rule 2 – It’s all about rapport
One word that is overlooked by many trainers is ‘trust’. Trust can be earned by building a rapport bridge. Rapport = positive interaction + frequency. Try and create as many positive experiences with your participants as you can.
Rule 3 -Make it about them
It has been said that in today’s world we process more information in a day than our ancestors did in a year. This leaves us feeling like our brain is a bomb ready to detonate and that just one more bit of information will do it!
Be ruthless with your information. Tailor it to suit their learning style, get rid of the boring slides, reduce cognitive load and relate everything to their world.
Rule 4 – Facts tell stories sell
There is no such thing as a boring topic – only boring delivery. We have all experienced great teachers who have made their subject sing. It’s our job to convince the audience that what we are talking about matters. Good story telling is about the emotional connection. If you need an example have a look at Tyler DeWitt’s talk on http://www.ted.com
Rule 5 – And a little persuasion doesn’t hurt
In his book ‘Influence, the psychology of persuasion’ Robert Cialdini outlines the six pillars of influence.
They are:
So… increase engagement, increase uptake and increase outcomes.
Ahhhh Charisma!
So, what is your CQ? (Charisma Quotient)
Here are five skills that charismatic people display and how you can develop them.
1. Charismatic people have a high EQ
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ‘ability to identify, assess and control the emotions of oneself, of others and of groups.’
In other words, charismatic people realise that we are all emotional beings and that they are able to recognise their own and others emotions and react accordingly. This is important for building rapport and creating a connection with others.
So… Get in touch with your emotions. Smile and demonstrate warmth and friendliness when working with people.
One other thing….
Charismatic people come in all sizes, shapes and colours. Don’t think you need to be an extrovert to be charismatic. There have been many introverts who are high in the CQ rating. Think Steve Jobs, Mother Theresa, Tenzin Gyatso and Dianna, Princess of Wales. It’s all about being true to yourself and letting yourself shine…
I admire Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Winston Churchill (and I don’t think I would be upset to be stuck in an elevator with George Clooney…) But we can also look locally.
The answer is NO!
I had a valuable client ask me once for a big favour. I had to say no as it was not economically viable for me, but I wanted to retain our good relationship.
What I said was “My heart says ‘yes’, but my head says ‘no’.” I then explained why I could not help them with the job. Studies show that you will be more persuasive, and people will question your point of view less if you speak assertively and give an explanation.
You may find that PREP will help you structure your reply and increase your persuasion:
Point of view – “I would like to help you, but I can’t at the moment…”
Reason – “… as I have a major report due on Friday…”
Example – “…and I need to meet with the finance department today…”
Point of view. – So, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you this week”
In summary: say ‘yes’ to the person, but ‘no’ to the request.
Stand up, Speak up & Persuade – National public workshops
Hobart – August 30th 2012
Brisbane – September 4th 2012
Darwin – September 5th 2012
Canberra – September 13th 2012
Sydney- September 12th 2012
Adelaide – October 11th 2012
Melbourne – October 12th 2012
Perth – October 25th 2012
Please refer to the IBSA website for more information: www.ibsa.org.au
See you there!
SELL!
To make our communication stick, we need to sell it.
I remember years ago delivering a presentation at a corporate counsel day to a group of lawyers. I was chatting to a person about the importance of selling your message and I overheard a lawyer say:
“Sell! Humph – I went to law school so I wouldn’t have to sell!”
A couple of years after this I was coaching a graduate lawyer at a prestigious Adelaide law firm. He was a technically brilliant lawyer, but what he didn’t realise is that he is not in the law business, he is in the people business.
If people feel uncomfortable with you, if they don’t like you, if they don’t feel they can’t trust you, they will not want to do business with you. Every time you meet with a colleague or a client you are ‘selling’ three things: Your company, your product or service and most importantly, yourself.
Here are five ways to make your communication more persuasive by applying an ANELA sales strategy.
1. Attention = The Grab
First impressions count. It’s time to get back to basics: Smile! Stand confidently, meet and greet where appropriate and please, don’t bore people with a cliched speech opening. Develop a grab that will have them on the edge of their seats wanting more.
2. Need = WIIFM
When ever you talk to a person they are constantly thinking “What’s In It For Me?” Tailoring your message to suit their WIIFM is vital if you want them to remember and act on your message.
3. Emotion = Stories
Emotion plays a part in every decision we make. Does your audience trust you? Do they feel comfortable about your information? Do they feel confident they can do as you suggest? All these emotions need to be addressed for them to act on your information.
4. Logic = Facts / Credibility
Here is where you include your supporting material. Keep it simple and clear, research shows that more is less and that too much information causes an increase in cognitive load which decreases retention. Go for a ‘Persuasive Executive Summary’ instead and leave the detail in the handout.
5. Action = Conclusion
Many sales people don’t get the sale simply because they neglect to ask for it. Don’t make the same mistake with your speech. What is it that you want them to do, say, think or feel as a result of this presentation? Go back to your speech objectives and conclude with passion.
*****
The best sales people (and the best communicators) are not pushy. They know that the relationship is king and by focusing their message on the audience’s wants and needs they can be persuasive and get what they need as well.
What are your thoughts?
Tantalize the taste buds
My favourite weekend tradition is sitting in a sunny spot with a cappuccino and a crispy honey soaked crumpet to read the Weekend Australian paper cover to cover. And I never miss reading John Lethlean’s review in the Magazine.
This week he reviewed Pee Wee’s at the Point in Darwin, and he wrote:
“Dinner starts with a notice at the gate: dress code is “smart casual or at the manager’s discretion”… The tone continues with the opening page of the menu: stipulations about surcharges on certain credit cards and on public holidays and weekends and dictates on where smoking is and is not allowed.”
And as he often does, John got me thinking; a speech is a lot like a good meal – a poor first impression can leave a bad taste in your mouth that can take a while to overcome. John goes on to compliment the restaurant in several areas, but it seems his whole experience was tainted by the initial impression.
It’s the same with your speech. If you tell the audience that “this is a dry topic, but I’ll do my best” or you overwhelm them at the start with “10 learning outcomes you will know at the end of this workshop” Your audience will start to feel their stomachs churn and wish they had not booked a table at your presentation.
THE GRAB - How to grab their attention and make your message stick! 