People gravitate toward speakers who include them in their narrative. These magnanimous presenters have a way of debuting their idea in such a way that their listeners don’t feel threatened by the change of which they speak. A presentation that takes ownership of risk while coming from a place of generosity starts with an abundance mindset. The opposite of an abundance mindset is a scarcity mindset. With a scarcity mindset, one believes there will never be enough, so they choose fear and competition as strategies to make their presentation stand out. The problem with a scarcity mindset is that it may be effective in the short-term, but it more often can be a recipe for failure long-term.
Here’s a table from Aaron Endre highlighting the differences between scarcity thinking and abundance thinking:
I want to highlight a few of these that are especially applicable to the presentation space.
Collaborates to Stay on Top
Understanding that competition is just part of the game is paramount to your success. You never know who may be in your audience and what they may be able to offer you in the way of growth. If you give a presentation that is polarizing to the competition, you may never know who you may rub the wrong way. With an abundance mindset, you are consistently communicating from a posture of collaboration. This way, your audience will more likely gravitate toward you as an ally vs. working against you as the competition.
Trusts and Builds Rapport
As we know, building rapport with our listeners is always a main goal. The skeptic in us can sometimes cause us to be wary of others. When you operate from a step back, you can seem guarded to those in the audience. You then run the risk of your listeners seeing you as suspicious instead of trustworthy. Let your audience in and give them a reason to trust what you are saying by being vulnerable. Trust goes both ways, and the only way to build rapport is to be on the giving end of trust with an abundance mindset.
Takes Ownership of Change
Likely the reason you are giving a presentation at all is because you have something new to say. Change is inevitable. Having an abundance mindset is the ability to take ownership of that change and leverage it to make your product or idea exciting. Someone who fears change runs the risk of being seen as insincere or, quite frankly, bogus. Getting ahead of the fear that change incites by embracing it and easing your audience into that change is the only way forward.
Being cognizant of your tendencies when it comes to a scarcity mindset vs. an abundance mindset will help you hone your narrative. Knowing what you are generally afraid of and where you tend to become resentful, suspicious, or stubborn in your perspective will help widen your narrative to include more of your audience.
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