Hope. It’s the message former President Barack Obama constructed his first presidential campaign around. And when he clinched the 2008 Presidential Election from John McCain, he echoed the same hopeful theme.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.” – Barack Obama, first presidential election victory speech
On inauguration day, 1.8 million people gathered to see the nation’s first African American president take the oath of office. Hope is a product of many inspirational speeches. When presenters create hope through their message, they manufacture light in what would have otherwise been complete darkness. They make the impossible seem almost too possible. And they depict obstacles as feathers they can blow away instead of bricks too impenetrable to defeat.
The Psychology of Hope
Unlike your typical emotion, hope throws an individual into a long-lasting positive mood. While sadness, anger, or even happiness are momentary feelings, hope is pervasive – affecting our moods as well as changing our behaviors. In “The Anatomy of Hope,” Jerome Groopman documented hope’s ability to alter chemicals in the brain.
“Belief and expectation – the key elements of hope — can block pain by releasing the brain’s endorphins and enkephalins, mimicking the effects of morphine.” – Jerome Groopman
Hope is closely related to optimism. When we are hopeful, we emphasize the positive events, even in light of the negative instances. But, hope can also work in the reverse. While it can encourage continuation towards a specific goal, it can also discourage unhealthy or counterproductive measures. Giving up hope in a product, idea, or strategy is sometimes the only option a business or individual has available. In moments where we recognize failure, loss of hope generates an opportunity to emphasize other themes. For example, the alternative iteration of hope sparks thoughts of innovation and evolution.
Either way, hope in both of its forms serves as a guide for yourself and others to imagine a brighter future.
Conditions for Creating a Hopeful Message
For a presenter, the ability to conjure hope through a message is a powerful skill. Its cognitive and behavioral advantages make it an appropriate element to include in several types of presentations. Try using hope in the following 3 ways in your next presentation:
1. To Inspire
In the midst of testing times, successful people fuel on hope rather than drain in despair. Whether you are a football coach delivering the confidence boost your players need to pull off a major comeback or you are a leader rallying your employees after a lackluster sales month, hope inspires your audience to persevere.
Former president, George W. Bush, used hope to address a crowd in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the Twin Towers. Read a selection from the beginning of his speech’s transcript below:
Rescue Worker: I can’t hear you!
President Bush: I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people – and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!
By addressing the audience’s concerns, Bush showed empathy and developed a connection with listeners. His repetition of the line “I can hear you” incited the inspirational use of hope.
Presentation Tips:
If your audience members are searching for a dose of encouragement or a unifying message, putting yourself in their shoes is the first step to building followers through hope. Illustrate how the tides are changing. The trend is turning. Maybe your football team executed a new play that didn’t work in the first half, but could work with one minor tweak. Inspire the team with an explanation of the positive actions they took. Even in business presentations, inserting examples as evidence to support the call for hope you are making is a certified best practice.
2. To Persuade
While persuasion can be achieved in a wide range of formats, hope is an especially effective mode. But you don’t always have to incite hope. For example, if a speaker’s objective is to persuade congressional members against voting in favor of a bill, it’s not necessary to instill a sense of hope. Instead, the speaker would focus on the harmful aspects of the legislation, thereby diminishing hope.
Presentation Tips:
Diminishing hope by demonstrating the negative effects the piece of legislation or a particular company decision would have on a situation is extremely persuasive to audiences. Paint a picture of the very possible future where the bill is active or the company has enforced the decision. The key here is to reveal how having hope in a losing battle or an insufficient solution is detrimental to the success and wellbeing of all involved parties.
3. To Announce
The last way you can use hope to build your platform as a speaker is through making an announcement. Let’s say you are a CEO who is introducing a new product into the market at a major industry conference. You would want your audience to get excited about the possibilities and opportunities with the product. Using hope to address the daily benefits of the product, as well as the larger life-changing features will help generate interest among consumers.
Presentation Tips:
When delivering an important announcement, weave in quotes from relevant crusaders for your message or community. If your product is a new piece of technology that was inspired by the thoughts of Steve Jobs, use a quote from him to introduce your product. Or consider concluding your speech on his quote so your audience will remember it more clearly.
Some researchers claim that hope is contagious. Presenters who are hopeful and create messages that reflect their hopefulness will create audiences who are also hopeful. Most people want to believe that each day will be better than the next. There’s many people who want to know if an event or decision will be more of a pain than a gain. A creative use of hope allows presenters to connect with the inner desires of their audiences and gather widespread recognition along the way.
From the Ethos3 Archives:
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