If you prefer video content over text, I explain this material with fun, musical examples in my YouTube video.
When you speak on a big stage in front of a large audience, do you act like…yourself? Or do you act like the formal, professional “expert” you want to be seen as?
In this article, I break down why taking a natural, conversational approach creates an environment more conducive for connection and engagement.
What Not To Do
When people attend a presentation, they don’t want to be talked “at”. If you don’t normally talk with a sophisticated affectation, words like these can be perceived as condescending:
“If the time has been allocated on the calendar, there should be no objection to utilizing that time accordingly, irrespective of whether the activity involves video games or football”
People also don’t want to be talked “down” to, like the sentence below. Speaking with excessive informality can be perceived as disrespectful:
“Chill out. Just do the thing you put in your calendar, it’s all good. I know it’s probably video games or football or some BS”
What To Do
Check out how Nir Eyal, bestselling author of “Indistractable,” balances both extremes to deliver the same message. You only need to watch about one minute from the video below to get a sense of Nir’s technique.
Consider this sentence:
“If you’ve made time on your schedule to enjoy these things, great. Do them. Right? We need to stop moralizing and medicalizing and somehow saying, oh, playing video games, that’s morally reprehensible, but watching football on TV, that’s ok. Why?”
It’s natural and conversational, but respectful and competent. Notice how Nir is making the audience a part of the “conversation” by verbalizing their thoughts:
- [First, Nir makes his point] “If you’ve made time on your schedule to enjoy these things, great. Do them. Right?”
- [Next, Nir anticipates what the audience is thinking, and says it out loud] “We need to stop moralizing and medicalizing and somehow saying, oh, playing video games, that’s morally reprehensible, but watching football on TV, that’s ok.”
- [Lastly, Nir responds to the audience’s counter-arguments by pointing out their internal inconsistency. Why are some activities ok to do, and some are not?] “Why?”
Instead of talking “at” his audience like spectators or talking “down” at them like chums, Nir talks “with” them: he lets them feel like peers. They’re all at a table having a conversation together.
Summary
Your audience will connect with you much more readily if you treat them as part of your social group. Don’t put on airs, talk how you normally do, and let them feel included and understood. That’s how you make your material click.
If you’re looking for further guidance on how to differentiate your communication skills and stand out in the workplace, take my free self-assessment.
I’m writing a book on thinking quickly, speaking clearly, presenting convincingly, and supercharging your executive presence. My current focus: a section on editing and revising a presentation. This will be a deep-dive into knowing what to keep and cut: how to fine-tune a presentation for a smooth, impactful delivery.
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