The Emotional Presentation
How often are you presenting to your team or staff? Maybe it’s what you’re posting online to convey a point? How about an email or a slide deck you’re sending to a client?
When you think about it, you are presenting every single day by the way you dress, verbally communicate, non-verbally communicate and position yourself in the conversation. Most recently, I read The Art of the Pitch by Peter Coughter, and it captured the essence of what we may not always think about, which is confidence and knowing our audience.
You see, when you talk to your family, you know your audience. You understand what they like, how they think and what they will favorably understand or dislike. That being said, when you present in a presentation at work, think like that about the people you are presenting to throughout the room. Coughter explains how we have to capture our audience’s attention confidently. He says, “ if you want to get what you want, you must make your audience respond emotionally.”
So how do you capture your audience visually? Professor Albert Mehrabian positioned the point in the 1960s when he was a professor at UCLA, that 55 percent is visual, 38 percent is tone of voice, and only 7 percent of what we present is remembered by the words we use. Think about that. Your attitude and voice mean so much in addition to the beautiful deck you worked tirelessly to prepare.
Furthermore, Dr. Joel Whalen in I See What You Mean, says “ Your attitude is the power that drives the most important and powerful symbols you communicate. To be a great oral communicator, you must first manage your attitude. It’s the way you say your words that make you persuasive. The words you use in oral communication are only minor parts of the message your listeners receive.”
Finally, Coughter reminds us to connect with our audience. If you’re not establishing a connection in front of a client with your team or if you don’t connect with the client, you’re not allowing the audience to believe in you or trust you with your ideas.
