goals

Would You Rather Watch Paint Dry or Watch a Slug?

Why do some videos go viral on Youtube and others die an anonymous death? When you forward someone a video, have you ever thought about what made you want to send it? I bet it’s the story, or the emotional pullthat drew you in. You want your friends to see it so you can talk about how it made you feel, right?

Can you even describe what the person looked like in the last video you saw that got a million views? Probably not. But…can you describe how it made you feel when you were watching? I bet you can.

Think about that in relation to a presentation or proposal you made recently. Did you make the “buyer” feel anything, or did you just spill out your information and hit the road?

Engaging your audience or “buyer” is a technique, like any other skill you have learned. Once you practice and master the skill, it will come naturally to you.

I can think of 2 ways to engage almost everyone, regardless of the situation:

1) know as much about them in advance as you possibly can

2) think of a brief and politically correct story that they will relate to emotionally, and let that emotion out (humor, pathos, excitement, etc.) when you tell the story

Remember, it’s the connection that you make with your audience, not the product or spreadsheet or brochure that will engage them.

It’s you.

Is anyone old enough to remember those commercials for EF Hutton, where the tag line was “When EF Hutton talks, people listen”? Each one has a guy who says the tag line to his buddy, and immediately everyone in earshot freezes, and leans in to hear what he has to say? They’re a little cheesy now, but take a look, because that can be you, the person everyone leans in to listen to.

How does it work? Believe it or not, it’s the silence that everyone hears, not the words. People who pause between their statements give their audience time to process the words. Kind of like the period at the end of a sentence, it’s a verbal period. It gives the audience the opportunity to pause, think, or laugh, or agree, or smile, or whatever you want them to do. They will begin to pay more attention to your words, eager to hear the next thing you have to say.

Practice your verbal punctuation – pause! – and see what it does for you. People will begin to lean in, just like EF Hutton.

Tag: goals

Would Wet Paint Drying or a Slug Walking Make a Better Presentation?

Leaning In