The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting:Part 1

If you’ve seen the earlier post The 6 Principles of a Persuasive and Influential Presentation then you’ll know that there are six scientifically validated principles of persuasion ( based on the work of Robert Cialdini in ” Influence- the psychology of persuasion”) that provide small, practical, costless changes that can significantly add to your ability to persuade others in an entirely ethical way.

The video outlines plenty of examples of how these principles work in sales but how can you make use of them in your presentation?

Before I begin to outline how, first of all why would you want to be more persuasive in your business presentation ?

Every day in business we face the challenge of persuading others to take the action we want them to take.

And every presentation is a request for something from the audience. It could be a request

to listen
to accept your ideas
to work with you
to buy your products and services
to give you the new job

and the more persuasive you can be the better it is for everyone concerned, provided that it’s done with integrity.

It’s about being honest, direct and open in your dealings with people and you will gain more business because you are open about how they will benefit whilst using your communication in the best way possible to get the result you want .

So let’s start with

Principle No. 1 – Reciprocity

A very simple description of reciprocity is the obligation to give when you receive.

When someone does us a favour and we feel compelled to do something in return – that’s reciprocity in action. It is extremely powerful and can even overpower the influence of the other factors.

If you have any done any sort of business networking you”ll have come across the idea already – it’s sometimes called ” giver’s gain” and many business networking organisations work entirely on this principle.

And the really interesting thing is that it’s influenced not by what is given, but how it is given.

Here are just a few of the ways you can use it in your presentation…..

If you are presenting to your boss, your team, your colleagues…

give them something of value in your presentation that they can take away and use.

This could be some new knowledge, understanding, a new technique – something that will make a difference for them or will make their lives easier.

If you are presenting at a networking event or conference….

offer to send your audience your free report or a free download in exchange for their business card or give them free handouts but make sure these are not just copies of your slides. Give them something that will be of additional value to them.

If you are “presenting” in your first meeting with a potential client

offer them a free consultation to find out more about how you can help them solve their problem.

Whatever it is you decide to do make sure that you are the first to give and make sure that it is personalized and unexpected.

And in that way you will immediately start to become more persuasive and influential.

Next time we’ll look at how you can use Principle No. 2

Until then,

with best wishes for your success,

Cath

Cath Daley Ltd.

p.s. if you like this post please share using the social media links at the top.

Thanks.

The 6 Principles of a Persuasive and Influential Presentation