It doesn’t matter what age you are when you enter or re-enter the dating scene; the process is always difficult and oftentimes fruitless. The rise of people engaging in online dating has added another layer to the search for a significant other. Nearly 60% of adults in the United States believe online dating is a viable and valuable option, according to a 2016 Pew Research survey. Once the romantic communications transition from online to offline, however, the real test begins. Will there be a connection? Is there an undeniable attraction? The experience can be agonizing. I’ll never forget the date I went on with a CrossFit maniac who asked me how much I weighed and then proceeded to perform a sequence of pull-ups in front of me. Clearly, this guy could have thought through his tactics a bit more before pulling out all of his stops on me. There are multiple similarities between giving a presentation and creating conversation on a date. Here are just a few presentation techniques that could improve your dating results:
1. Find Connection Points
If the double date from the movie, When Harry Met Sally, happened to us in real life, we would all probably lose faith in relationships. But the following scene actually embodies one of the most impactful presentation techniques.
Toward the end of the clip, the magazine writer and Harry’s date find a connection point through writing. The tone of the table discussions shifts dramatically after the two individuals established the connection point. Presenters think critically about their audiences. Presenters discover at least one point of connection from which to base their arguments and ideas. Why? To increase the receptiveness of their listeners to their message.
2. Think Before You Speak
It isn’t enough to analyze your audience. A presenter must wield other presentation techniques, as evidenced by this dating scene from Baby Mama.
In the opening scene, Tina Fey’s character is selfishly monopolizing the conversation with her date – even discussing items in a stream of conscious sort of way.
“Some women got pregnant; I got promotions. And I still aspire to meet someone and fall in love and get married. But that is a very high risk scenario, and I want a baby now.” – Tina Fey, Baby Mama
During your dates, and your presentations, you want to quickly outline your objective and main points. You’ll try to provide context instead of jumping right into the meat of your presentation message.
3. Maximize Your Strengths
This is the easiest to execute of the presentation techniques. Unfortunately, it is not something that Ben Stiller’s character did on this date in Along Came Polly.
Although it should be common sense that if you can’t handle spicy foods, you should stay away from spicy foods, sometimes people just can’t help themselves. Presenters and daters can never go wrong if they maximize their strengths. When we try to maximize our weaknesses, we generally find that there is only so much we can achieve. That’s way we call it a “weakness” after all. Presenters hoping to discover their presentation strengths and learn how to leverage their weaknesses can do so by taking our proprietary Badge assessment.
4. Preview the Core Messages
Do you know one of the cardinal presentation sins? Forgoing the preview. By deciding to neglect your audience’s needs and keep them in the dark as to where the presentation narrative will be heading, you are setting yourself up for failure. In the following clip, Marge meets up with a former flame, Mike Yanagita. He had given her the impression that they were simply going to catch up, however, Marge quickly discovered that Mike had romantic intentions.
The presenter who provides a presentation preview creates a sense of trust between him or herself and the audience.
5. Repetition is a Presenter’s Friend
In 50 First Dates, Adam Sandler’s character attempts to woo Drew Barrymore’s character, who has anterograde amnesia. Since she quickly forgets moments, Adam’s character is able to repeat dates several times until he gets it right and she participates with him.
When a presenter repeats a word or phrase, they signify to their audience the importance of that particular message. In our dating lives, we hope our suitors remember key facts or details about us. So what do we tend to do? Accentuate those specific facts or details. By adhering to the same pattern in a presentation, presenters enhance their chances of delivering a memorable speech.
Recent research claims that you can calculate exactly how many people you should date before settling down. But the algorithm starts from an estimation of the amount of individuals you believe you could date in one lifetime. I think this approach is too analytical. I prefer to assess those factors I can control and let love happen organically. Try this approach in both your dating and presenting lives and let’s see your results.
Related Posts:
Why Story-Making is the New Presentation Storytelling
