Inspiration is a key component of every presentation. If your audience does not feel inspired by what you are sharing, the likely outcome is less excitement which, in turn, means less long-term engagement with you, your idea, or your product.
But the question is how? How do you inspire your audience to action and keep them coming back for more? At Ethos3, we believe the answer lies in the ability of a presenter to connect the head with the heart of their audience.
In his book The Sacred Enneagram, Chris Heuertz discusses the three different centers from which we make decisions. He unpacks how certain people make decisions based on logic – or, from their head – while others make decisions based on feelings – or, from their heart – and still others make decisions from instinct – or, from their gut. What he is proposing is that we each make decisions based on our personality and identity differently; however, the unique aspect of the enneagram is that we flow between those different spaces based on circumstances and our overall well being.
It is the free flow of our decision making that makes a presenter’s ability to connect the head and the heart so important. As a presenter, if all you do is draw on the logic of a person, then parts of your audience that make decisions with their heart will be left out. However, if your presentation is full of feelings and emotion but lacks logic, then the part of your audience that makes decisions with their head will disengage.
Connecting the head and heart is a tall order as your content and presentation style will lean one way of the other. By implementing these 3 techniques, you can unlock a new level to your presentation skill that leaves your entire audience inspired and ready to engage with you.
Use stories to illustrate statistics.
Data and statistics are important in every presentation. They give validity to the presenter and help the audience understand the gravity of what you are discussing. They also help all of the “head” people feel connected to you through the logic and data. On the flip side, statistics and data can be innately boring to listen to. You can only list so many facts and figures before your audience has either lost track of what you are sharing or disengaged completely.
That’s why we recommend wrapping your statistics up in story. Story is a way to draw feeling and emotion into your data. It can bring it to life and for all the “heart” decision makers, it can help them feel connected to what you are sharing. Your story should put a name on the statistics you share and make them feel personal, so be specific as you share.
Use pictures to bring your content to life.
Visual imagery is a powerful tool that can speak to both the “head” and “heart” people in the audience. Images take your content and make it real and complement any stories or information you are sharing beautifully. When using photos, there are a few things that are important to note. Be sure to get permission from anyone pictured in the photo – you don’t want to risk sharing a photo that causes frustration later from the participants.
Make sure the photo is clear and easy to see on a large screen. If the photo is too small or too pixelated, it will look unprofessional and hinder the overall effect.
Give away something tangible.
We were recently working with a client that had a powerful story they were going to be sharing. As they shared this story, we decided a great way to leave the audience inspired would be to send them home with something tangible. So a gift was created that each member of the audience could leave with. This gift carried a specific meaning to the content that was shared and left the audience forever connected both emotionally and logically to the presenters.
Consider doing the same in your next presentation. It does not need to be big or expensive – just something small and tangible that will elicit both an emotional and logical response each time it is viewed.
Connecting with both the head and the heart of a person can be challenging. But if done correctly, a presenter can connect with not just part of the audience but the whole group. You will see not only an increase in engagement but watch as your sales begin to increase, your invites soar, and your audience remembers your presentation long after presentation day.
Looking to learn more about how to deliver with excellence? Check out the Presentation Mentor online course today!
