Decisions are a part of our daily lives – whether we want them to be or not. What time we wake up in the morning. The meals we eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Our after work past times. We are constantly choosing to take certain actions or engage in particular activities over others. But, we perceive some decisions as requiring more time and conscious deliberation. Bigger dilemmas like which expensive software to use for your business’ marketing strategy, or the value of investing in a technology start-up involve significant financial and personal impact. One researcher believes that there are two types of decision makers: satisficers and maximizers. A satisficer will search through a forest of information until he or she finds an option that meets a predetermined list of criteria. Then, the satisficer stops. A maximizer, on the other hand, won’t quit until he or she has found the best possible solution to the problem. The maximizer’s needs go beyond “will it work?” to “will it work perfectly?” So, how will you know if you are speaking to an indecisive audience member?
Signs of an Indecisive Audience Member
Although researchers have not been able to settle on a standard definition of “indecisiveness,” Germeijs and de Boeck established a list of 11 signs of the decision making roadblock in a 2002 article. Here are just a few of the descriptors you can assess in your presentation audiences:
1. Extended length of decision making
2. Avoiding and delaying decision making
3. Uncertainty during the decision making process
4. Regretting and worrying about decisions
A presenter’s primary objective when dealing with an indecisive audience member is not to ensure them of guaranteed future outcomes or results. Instead, a presenter should start by deconstructing the individual’s fear of uncertainty.
1. Focus your information
In the initial stages of decision making, a lack of information can stunt the processing capabilities of a decision maker. If people don’t feel like they have enough data and input to analyze, they will be less likely to answer “yes” or “no” to your presentation proposal. Outline your 3 main points near the beginning of your presentation and let your audience know exactly what information you will cover. Not only does the practice highlight the important notes, but it also narrows down the elements your audience needs to consider in their decision making process.
2. Differentiate your offering
You are hoping to purchase a new laptop. You are looking into two different brands, but notice that each one seems to promote the same features and maintain the same overall quality. Since you can’t determine the difference between the two products, you won’t be able to choose one over the other. Studies show that when alternatives are similar in value, decision makers stall. Valuation difficulty, as it’s referred to in research, refers to a situation where comparison is clouded by the presence of several options that may or may not be different in offerings and description. The presenter communicating to an indecisive audience member should position their service, product, or idea in a wholly different way than competitors or common influencers. It’s not a popular practice in our society to accentuate your differences, but in the case of winning over your indecisive listeners, it is crucial to success.
3. Encourage audience discussion
Insight into the decision making procedure of an indecisive audience member helps presenters, too. Ferrari and Dovidio’s 2001 study found that indecisive people start processing information differently than decisive people. While a decisive individual will begin by assessing one option and its corresponding information, an indecisive individual will look to others for recommendations about each of the options in front of them. Those who have trouble making decisions develop tunnel vision and become victim to confirmation bias. It’s somewhat of a catch-22. An indecisive audience member desires more information to peruse, but doesn’t actually review that information to the extent that a decisive person does when settling on an option. Indecisiveness encourages a “narrowed, threat-oriented decision style,” according to Eric Rassin’s A Psychological Theory of Indecisiveness. A presenter’s best recourse would be to facilitate meaningful audience discussion, which aligns with the indecisive participant’s decision making approach. The hope would be that the indecisives would mingle with the decisives – creating an evangelist environment and increasing the odds of gathering the indecisive person’s support, buy-in, or interest.
As a culture, we have become accustomed to content bombardment. But that doesn’t mean that we have evolved our decision making capabilities in any radical way. To find out more tips and tricks for engaging and persuading your audiences, review the resources below:
5 Ways to Get out of the Indecisiveness Trap
How to Use Decision Theory to Out-Present Your Competitors
Your Presentation Should Convince Yourself
