Are you intrigued by the concept of setting the room on fire with your presentation? If so, take the first step towards sparking a fire for your audience and adopt the word ignite as the one-word mantra for your presentations.
Why ignite?
To be a great presenter, you need to ignite a fire of inspiration that will burn within audience members long after your presentation concludes. Keeping that inspiration in mind, follow the presentation tips included below to fuel a fire for your audience:
#1. Warm up the room.
The best way to ignite the spark of connection with your audience is to display warmth while you present.
According to the Harvard Business Review article, Connect, Then Lead, warmth is the conduit of influence: It facilitates trust and the communication and absorption of ideas.
To be perceived as a warm speaker, aim for a tone that suggests that you’re leveling with people—that you’re sharing the straight scoop, with no pretense or emotional adornment.
Keep that conversational tone throughout your presentation, especially when sharing personal stories to support the message of your presentation.
Stories can spark activity in up to seven areas of the brain, while facts and stats typically only spark two areas of the brain. Combined with a warm, conversational tone, sharing stories will get the flames of inspiration burning bright for your audience.
#2. Stoke the fire.
To add fuel to the fire for your audience, be selective about the words that you use during your presentation. Here are two words that will help you stoke the fire of inspiration:
Because
To inspire your audience to keep the flames of passion for your message burning hot in the days and weeks following your presentation, give them a reason to fan the flames. More specifically, express the reason by utilizing the word because.
According to a Harvard Study by Ellen Langer, because is a powerful word of persuasion. Participants of the Harvard study were asked a small favor and 60% complied. When the word because and an explanation for the request were added, compliance rates jumped to 94%, according to Magic Words: The Science and Secrets Behind Seven Words That Motivate, Engage, and Influence.
When inspiring your audience to take action based on your message, or to simply ask your audience to listen while you speak, use the word because followed with an explanation for your request.
Imagine
To ensure that your audience fans their fire for your message after your presentation ends, use the word imagine during your presentation.
As strange as it may sound, the brain literally cannot tell the difference between imagining reality, and actually experiencing reality, says Bnonn Tennant in his article How To Use These 3 Hypnotic “Power Words” To Covertly Increase Your Conversion Rates.
By engaging the imagination of your audience, you help make your message more real and meaningful for the audience. If you truly want your ideas to burn in the minds of audience members after your presentation, you need to help your audience experience your message, instead of just letting it flow in one ear and out the other. You can transform your presentation into a memorable experience by simply asking the audience to imagine something.
Conclusion
Ignite passion within your audience by delivering your presentation with warmth as well as by providing reasons for any requests you make during your talk. In addition, utilize stories to spark the imagination of audience members. By practicing these simple techniques, you will set the room on fire during your presentation, and your audience will carry a torch of wisdom and motivation with them when they leave.
