While any presentation requires preparation and practice, delivering a persuasive presentation can be one of the most challenging skillsets to master. Swaying audience opinion and motivating action can require a deft combination of presentation delivery and compelling content. The good news? With practice, these skills can be honed. Consider using this guide the next time you’re thinking through how to persuade an audience, whether you're preparing for a crucial sales pitch, addressing potential investors, or calling your team to action.
1. Show Listeners You’ve Done Your Homework
The cornerstone of persuasive speech is understanding the audience: their motivations, their concerns, and their preexisting knowledge of your topic. Andrew Luttrell, a professor of social psychology at Ball State University, explains that “persuasion is personal,” citing research that links persuasion with communications that are tailored to the unique values of the audience, activating the brain areas that are self-focused.
Your audience may be well known to you – maybe even your own colleagues – or strangers. If the latter, try to get to know them through interviews and polls, or review existing market research, customer feedback, and social media discussions. Aim to tailor your word choices to fit their everyday language. For example, you might want to avoid using technical language with nontechnical listeners, or you may want to leverage vernacular specific to the targeted industry or line of work. But try to be careful – while this type of “inside baseball” lingo may resonate with a niche audience, it can backfire if your audience, as a whole, reflects multiple interests.
2. Leverage an Ancient Framework for Powerful Persuasion
The principles of persuasive speaking haven’t changed since Aristotle first defined the essence of rhetoric as consisting of three fundamental elements: ethos, logos, and pathos. When thinking about what makes an effective persuasive presentation, these three elements can be an effective organizing tool.
Ethos refers to the presenter’s character and credibility. It encompasses not just their authority for the topic at hand, but their values and integrity. Does the speaker have the best interests of the audience at heart? Do they speak from a place of direct knowledge and experience? Imagine an investor pitching a product that allows owners to locate lost pets via tracking collars. To establish credibility the presenter might describe how their experience working at an animal shelter informed their insights into lost pet behavior, or how they’ve used their engineering degree to perfect lightweight, waterproof battery enclosures for the collars.
Logos entails the logical structure of the argument. This is a methodical articulation of evidence that supports the argument and should determine most of the content. In our hypothetical pet-locator product pitch, this may be embodied in a sound business plan that demonstrates the market potential for the product.
Pathos is what Aristotle defined as awakening people’s emotions. This element conveys feeling and can influence your delivery style. Creating an emotional connection with the investor audience, our imaginary entrepreneur might relate the story of losing their own dog as a child, and the relief and joy they felt when the dog was found.
Storytelling is a powerful tool in the arsenal of persuasive presentation techniques.
3. Structure Content for an Effective Persuasive Presentation
The most common structure for a persuasive presentation is the “Problem-Solution-Benefit” framework. This structure is effective for guiding your audience through a logical sequence that captures their attention, presents a compelling case, and motivates them to take action. Here’s how the structure is typically organized:
First, try to hook your audience with an anecdote, startling fact, or thought-provoking question to capture their attention.
Next, try to clearly and succinctly explain the problem you’ll be addressing, and its impact. It’s critical that you consider refining your messaging to its purest form and align it to your solution, using data and examples to support your argument. For example, stating that “70% of lost dogs stray within a mile of their home, but only 20% of lost dogs return home on their own” is a stronger approach than simply saying, “A lost dog is one of the most stressful things a pet owner faces.”
Then, consider introducing your proposed solution to the problem, citing facts and data and even more facts. This can be an opportunity to leverage the persuasive power of social proof (and its cousin, “FOMO,” or the Fear of Missing Out). First identified by Robert Cialdini in his book “Influence: Science and Practice,” social proof is the psychological phenomenon where people’s opinions are shaped by the beliefs or actions of a group. There are several ways to incorporate social proof in your persuasive presentations. For example, you can tell your listeners how many of your clients have already adopted your solution or idea, or mention case studies supporting your views.
Before concluding, it’s also helpful to acknowledge potential objections or counterarguments that your audience might have, addressing each of them with evidence to overcome doubts or concerns. Finally, consider summarizing the main points of your presentation, including the problem, solution, benefits, and call to action. The conclusion may feel redundant, but redundancy is an important tactic behind effective persuasive presentations – reiteration can make your content more memorable and digestible.
4. Create an Emotional Connection Between You and Your Listeners
Scientific evidence shows we can’t make decisions based on facts alone. Emotions and feelings also play a role in human reason, says noted neuroscientist Antonio Damasio.
Storytelling is a powerful tool in the arsenal of persuasive presentation techniques. Stories can evoke a range of emotions, from joy and surprise to empathy and sadness. They can make your audience laugh, cry, or feel inspired – and these emotional responses can be incredibly persuasive. When people are emotionally engaged, they’re more likely not only to remember your message, but to act on it.
To use storytelling in your presentations, start by trying to identify the key message or point you want to convey. Then, try to think of a story that illustrates this point. It could be a personal anecdote, a case study, or a hypothetical scenario. Try to make sure the story is relevant to your audience and that it evokes the emotions you want to elicit. Consider using vivid language and details to make the story come alive. And, most important, try to make sure the story supports your overall argument and leads your audience toward the action you want them to take.
Another way to establish an emotional connection can be through our passion and conviction. Are you able to convey to the audience your genuine enthusiasm for what you’re selling? Do you truly believe in your story? As body language expert Amy Cuddy says, “When we believe our story, we’re able to share what we know.” Cuddy explains that our presence – literally, how we show up in the moment – is a formidable component of delivering powerful, persuasive presentations.
In short, while speaking with conviction is important for any presentation, it’s imperative for a persuasive presentation.
5. Use Proven Confidence Hacks to Boost Persuasive Powers
How do audiences discern conviction? When learning how to persuade an audience, one cue can be the alignment you create between verbal and nonverbal language. Persuasive presenters may use eye contact, an open posture, and meaningful gestures to reinforce their spoken words. But what happens in a world where virtual presentations have become so common?
For remote presentations, Carol Kinsey Goman, who coaches executives to use body language that conveys leadership, encourages presenters to use smaller gestures, look directly into the camera, and increase the use of pauses. Another technique to develop is to leverage the power of vocal patterns – namely, tempo and pitch. Wharton researcher Jonah Berger explains that speakers who modulate their voices appear more confident, which makes it more likely for their presentation to persuade listeners.
Whether you’re presenting in person or virtually, try to avoid reading your presentation. Instead, consider practicing enough to know your material so well that you’re essentially on autopilot. This can increase your ability to be in the moment by decreasing your need to actively think about how to put your thoughts together. Being present can also help you react to what’s going on in the room, sharpening your capacity to field questions and address objections. And since you won’t be looking down to read, you may notice the listeners’ body language and maintain stronger eye contact, equipping you to make adjustments on the fly.
The Bottom Line
A persuasive presentation is like a well-crafted story. It’s effortless to listen to and draws in the audience with a compelling narrative. It can be easy to connect to, resonating with the audience’s interests, fears, and motivations. And, most importantly, it can guide the audience from understanding to acceptance to action. When logic and emotion unite in a presentation, it can transform a run-of-the-mill speech into a catalyst for change. That’s the power of a truly persuasive presentation.
A version of this article was originally published on July 12, 2016.
Photo: Getty Images
