I recently gave a keynote on this topic in Savannah, Georgia. It’s a subject matter that is super important as we begin 2016 so I thought I would share a few of the highlights here.
A majority of your presentations this year will be seen by millennials. It’s the reality all will face in the years ahead. In fact, they will make up 46% of the workforce by 2020. That’s just 4 years away.
So, how can a presenter make the maximum impact with this audience? Here are three suggestions.
1. Be Purposeful
The millennial generation grew up with Harry Potter where the following traits and values were learned early. There’s a great post on the site Millennial Marketing which inspired the two Harry Potter graphics below.
Source: http://www.millennialmarketing.com/2009/07/growing-up-with-harry-potter/
Let’s focus on two of the five.
Teamwork: Harry Potter was all about Houses. If you are a fan, you are familiar with House Gryffindor or House Slytherin. These Houses represented the principle of teamwork and collaboration – a principle that is super important to millennial generation.
Heroism: Harry Potter was an average wizard no special abilities. Simply, he existed to not showcase his tremendous power but to serve the greater good.
And, that’s where I want to end with this point. Everything you do with your next presentation when thinking about millennial audience members should be purposeful and serve the greater good.
2. Be Innovative
Borrowing from Simon Sinek, you need to know the “Why?” behind your message. Here’s an example from his book, Start with Why. Here is your average computer company’s positioning statement.
Now, here is Apple’s version.
Notice the difference? When Apple starting embracing it’s “Why” it saw sales increase from $65-$182 billion between 2009-2013. Amazon saw similar success with a growth of $25-$75 billion. And, Chipotle went from $1.5-$3.2 billion by embracing the “Why” behind their brands. Their innovative spirit was simply inspired by their heightened sense of awareness.
Success is the product of innovation. How innovative are you being with your presentation’s message and design?
3. Be Social
Let’s revisit the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
Source: http://www.millennialmarketing.com/2009/07/growing-up-with-harry-potter/
Harry Potter was the first truly multi-media franchise. There were the books, movies, and toys but also the Internet which included trivia games, mutgglecasts, puppet pals, and much more.
If any presenter expects to make an impact with their next presentation, it needs to live online and on multiple platforms for consumption and viewing. Why? It’s where millennials live and what they expect.
Millennials are attending your presentations. Are you ready for them?
