Knowing how to influence others through your presentation skills is a skill in itself.
Whether you’re presenting your answer to a media question.
Like a member of the consumer group Which?, in our performance of the week recently.
Or aiming to influence public opinion by rallying your followers to action.
Like those seeking a public vote on the Brexit deal.
You need the right tools to master the skill and achieve that goal of influencing others to action.
“The future of all life now depends on us”.
– David Attenborough’s rallying cry in the final episode of the BBC’s Blue Planet II.
Rarely have so many of been us shocked into action.
Images of miles and miles of congealed plastic waste.
Albatrosses mistakenly feeding toxic plastic to their babies.
Mother dolphins unwittingly polluting their new-borns due to their contaminated milk.
They all rallied people and businesses alike into action.
At Pink Elephant, we’ve now switched to reusable glass bottles.
The BBC has committed to banning single-use plastics.
The UK government cited the programme in its commitment to a deposit-return scheme.
Hidden in Attenborough’s beautifully-crafted documentary are a number of simple rules.
Rules used to influence people every day.
Influencing us to buy a certain cereal.
To vote for a particular party.
To watch a video online.
Here are three simple rules to follow in your next presentation.
So you too can learn how to influence others towards action.
There are three clear barriers to overcome before you influence others towards action.
People will only feel compelled to act if they understand and agree with your point.
To create understanding among your audience, you must communicate at their level.
As a journalist, Attenborough would have learned this on Day One.
He’ll explain global warming through examples of polar bears and ice caps melting.
He’ll speak so that 7 year-olds will understand the message.
And he’ll use analogies explain complex migratory patterns.
And all over Blue Planet II, you’ll find striking image after striking image.
Another great communicator was Einstein.
He once told us that you can only explain something simply if you understand it fully.
So ask yourself:
“Does every single person in the audience understand every single thing in my presentation?”
If the answer is ‘no’, find a different way to describe it.
Use the phrase “by that I mean…”
As a presenter, the burden is on you to create understanding through clear communication.
Now your audience understands what you’re saying, you have to seek agreement.
First, find the connection between the subject matter and what’s in it for the audience.
Lead with that.
The next time you pass by children’s cereal in the supermarket have a look at the packaging.
It appeals to a number of different audiences.
Firstly, the consumer:
Images of animals, cartoon characters, bright colours and images of milk splashing into the bowl to capture the child’s imagination.
Secondly, the customer:
The nutritional information in the subtext to satisfy the parent that the food’s healthy and wholesome.
Thirdly, the regulators:
The small print, highlighting the levels of sugar, salt and fat.
A cereal box prioritises its audiences and tailors its messages to them.
You need to do the same.
Attenborough’s is simple:
“the future of all life depends on us”.
Facts are emotive, so make them memorable; ‘1 in 3’ is more memorable than 33%.
Remove language such as ‘hoping’ and ‘trying’.
Now you need to compel people towards a particular action.
First, decide what that action is.
‘Calls to action’ (by that I mean: what I want my audience to do next) are notoriously overcomplicated.
If we want someone to sign a form, we say:
“There’s a form at the back, it would be great if you could sign it, but I understand if you don’t have time”.
Or we throw multiple calls to action at people:
“Just call us, text us or pop in and see us!”
If you give people multiple options, they’ll likely refuse them all.
So pick one and make it crystal clear.
“I’d like you to take your phones out and save this number…0800-800-800.
Once again, that’s 0800-800-800. And save that under the name ‘Fraudline’”.
Be bold – and perfect your Call to Action.
Now you want to work on your language.
We’re great at watering things down in the UK.
Using terms such as “it would be great if you wouldn’t mind” or “hopefully together we can achieve ABC”.
To compel someone to act, you have to do better than that.
Using phrases such as “together, we can achieve” and “we have a clear goal” focuses people’s minds.
Read more on our positive communication tips here.
Attenborough has changed the way we think about plastics.
Businesses, public sector organisations, even lawmakers.
Who will you seek to influence now?
Andrew McFarlan is Managing Director of Glasgow and Edinburgh media training and presentation skills firm, Pink Elephant Communications.
His full profile can be found here.
Photos in How to influence others credits// BBC Blue Planet 2 // biography.com //skyoceanrescue.com //
19th April 2018 Featured in: Blog, Presentation skills training blogs, Public speaking training blogs By: Pink Elephant
Some media trainers knock you down…and leave you down. Our media coaches show you how to deal with each knock…and still win through. So you have the presentation skills to perform – with confidence.