Using Language Designed to Inspire and Motivate Your Audience

00:01 In this lecture, you're going to learn techniques designed to motivate and inspire your audience. You'll learn three different ways to emotionally hook your audience, as well as a five step process to convince them that what you're saying is correct.

00:13 And we'll finish up talking about some powerful storytelling techniques designed to speak to both sides of the brain at the same time.

00:21 Let's start out talking about three different ways that you can emotionally hook your audience. Number one, simply use the phrase imagine or picture.

00:33 Here's what I mean. Don't picture 12 pink elephants walking through the lobby of your organization right now.

00:41 Don't picture them. Don't do not picture 12 pink elephants.

00:45 Okay. What did you picture right now? 12 pink elephants. Right? When you use the phrase or the word, imagine or picture whatever comes after that, people can't help but imagine it or picture it.

00:58 If I were to say to you, for example, right now, imagine yourself sitting on the Caribbean beach, white sand underneath you, the sun on top of you, and the turquoise water in front of you.

01:10 When someone says Imagine, yadda, yadda, yadda, picture, yadda, yadda, yadda.

01:16 The brain can't help but visually picture whatever it is that you're telling them to imagine.

01:23 Use those words and you get people more involved in whatever it is that you're saying. And it also gives us a good opportunity to speak more feeling or right brained or creative language.

01:33 Number two, analogies.

01:35 Analogies are going to be things that sound like it's as if while you're painting a picture, for example, I was so embarrassed, I felt as if I was carrying around a big scarlet letter on my chest or.

01:53 I was so humiliated, it was as if I was spiraling down a vortex of shame.

01:58 When you use as if and then you paint a picture that involves some type of movement or color or something that's visually stimulating under normal circumstances. For example, just now I said it's as if I was wearing a big scarlet letter on my chest. It was as if I'm spiraling down a vortex of shame.

02:17 If you use analogies that describe visual pictures and some interesting color or movement, again, people can't help but get hooked into your story.

02:26 And if you haven't noticed, these techniques are great in a public form if you're giving a formal presentation or if you just want to spice up your everyday conversations, because if you're more of a left brained communicator, if you're more of an analytical type, especially analytical types tend to struggle more, making whatever they're saying, more colorful, more interesting, more creative.

02:48 And many times, if you're more of a left brained communicator, you watch right brain communicators speak and you think, gosh, there's something about the way you speak that is more interesting.

02:59 Engaging right brainers tend to paint pictures as they talk, and a way that you can paint a picture is by using analogies.

03:06 And number three, intensifiers, intensifiers are going to be words that provoke a memory of one of your senses, a sense of smell, a sense of touch, a sense of sound.

03:18 For example, if I were to talk about a product that I'm selling and I were to say, this will get your monitor really clean, super clean, very, very, very clean.

03:28 When you find yourself wanting to say words like very, really super. First of all, remember that words such as very really super words that we generally consider to be intensifiers and many of us use them in this sense.

03:45 They'll say things such as, I really think this is the right plan for you.

03:50 The word really tends to distract from our message.

03:54 It would be more powerful if I simply said, I believe this is the plan for you.

03:58 So under normal circumstances, we want to take intensifiers out of our speech patterns because they distract from the message and actually make them less powerful.

04:06 But if you want to intensify your message, remember, evoke a sense, for example, instead of, as I was saying, this product will get your monitor really clean. Try something that is talking about a sense this product will get your monitor squeaky clean.

04:23 Or for example, if you use this additive, your car will go really fast on the street. How is that different from with this additive? Your car will fly down the street.

04:33 Your car will zip down the street better, right? When you use intensifiers instead of really your vary.

04:39 And you paint a picture, you will zip down the street.

04:42 It will be squeaky clean.

04:44 Or you could say something such as Woof.

04:47 Boy, I'm telling you, that lady just reeked of class.

04:51 She was dripping with class.

04:53 When you talk about words that evoke a sense and it makes you imagine things such as smells like this, sounds like this, feels like this does this. Those are called intensifiers.

05:05 And if you add them to your everyday speech patterns, then when it comes time for you to speak in public, or it comes time for one of those high risk communication situations, and you think, I really want you to pay attention, whether it's you as a group or you as one person.

05:20 If you are comfortable with using intensifiers when you use them, you will be hooking your audience more, especially on a right brain emotional basis.

05:30 And now you're going to learn five simple things you can do to be more convincing when giving a presentation.

05:37 These are five things that you can do as if it were a system.

05:41 This could, for example, be the five steps, or they could simply be five things that you can do. You might just do one of them or three of them or four of them.

05:48 When you're speaking to a group or to an individual and you want to convince them that what you're saying is correct.

05:56 Number one, cite an expert other than yourself.

05:59 What that means is, if I were to say to you right now, I have been researching this for the past ten years, and what I have found in my studies is that is not as powerful or as convincing as if I were to say, according to Johns Hopkins University, 63% of yada, yada, yada.

06:17 When you cite an expert other than yourself, even if you are the expert and you have done the studies, if you cite someone else, studies have shown that people will believe it more. Number two, use specific numbers.

06:31 For example, if I were to say, over half of the kids in America use cell phones when they order a pizza.

06:39 That's not as convincing.

06:41 People will not believe that.

06:42 I've really researched this and know what I'm talking about as much as if I were to say. 53% of children in this country order a pizza between the hours of six and 11:00 pm.

06:53 So when I use specific numbers, not over half, not 50%, but 50.32%, when you say things like that, people are much more likely to believe that what you're saying is correct.

07:07 Argue against your own argument.

07:11 Here's what I mean by that.

07:13 If you're delivering a presentation, for example, to a group and I were to say something such as this product is wonderful for the environment, it does not harm the environment like old gasoline.

07:24 This is new gasoline.

07:25 It's good for the environment.

07:27 Let's say that that were one of the main features of my product and I knew that people in the audience, they are concerned with the environment or they wouldn't be here listening to me to begin with.

07:37 That would be a great opportunity for me to argue against my own argument and say something such as.

07:44 But of course, if the environment is not something that you're concerned about, then this might not be of interest to you.

07:49 Or, for example, if you're talking to your boss and you're saying, I believe that if we do this, if we color code the files and the accounting department, it would save this organisation a lot of money.

07:59 If you were to simply add, of course, if saving money isn't something that you're concerned with at this point, then you might not be interested.

08:06 When you do that, when you argue against your own argument.

08:09 Of course, if XYZ is not something you're concerned with, or of course if you believe that XYZ is not a priority, when you do that, people tend to be hooked more in with you and believe whatever it is that you're saying because you're saying, Hey, this might not be for you and most people don't do that.

08:25 Don't be too perfect.

08:28 The fourth thing I'd like to talk about is not being too perfect.

08:30 You will see presenters sometimes and again, this can be a presenter in a one on one situation or in a group.

08:36 You will see them be perfect.

08:38 They'll have perfect hair, they'll be wearing the perfect clothes.

08:41 They've obviously rehearsed their speech many times.

08:45 Perfect visuals, perfect words.

08:47 Everything seems very scripted and perfect, and we're not connected with them because especially in this new age that we're in, the age of wisdom, the right brain directed age.

08:58 We do not want perfection.

09:00 We do not want something that we've seen before.

09:03 If we recognise something as being perfect, it's because we've seen examples up until this point and now we know, Oh, that's perfect.

09:08 What we want to see is authenticity.

09:10 And so if you find that you are a perfectionist by nature, which number would that be? On the Enneagram scale, that would be the one.

09:19 If you find that you're too perfect, that you're too scripted, that you could say it in your sleep, whatever your presentation is, find a way to improvise something during the presentation.

09:31 Something because when you are too scripted, again, it's one of those subconscious things where the people who are listening to you are going to know you've practiced this a lot. You're not just speaking to me, but you are saying your lines and you've probably seen that you've been to some presentation or you've seen it on television where you know that the person speaking has said this many, many, many times and they're simply delivering their lines.

09:56 They might be really good at it, but they're delivering their lines.

09:59 You can always tell there's something subconscious that enables us to tell when somebody is speaking to us.

10:06 And if you want to make that emotional connection with the audience, don't be too perfect or too scripted.

10:11 Leave areas where you can be unscripted and speak off the cuff.

10:15 And number five, use tag questions.

10:19 Remember that a tag question is a simple closed ended confirmation at the end of a statement. That sounds like, isn't it? Don't you think? Wouldn't you agree? Aren't you? For example, if I'm giving a presentation, I could say to everybody and that really looks great, doesn't it? And that's something we're all concerned with, isn't it? And that's something every single person here has dealt with, right? If you do that as you're speaking, as you're talking to the audience, you simply use tag questions and you can use them, by the way, not just as a group and say to the entire audience, Now, this is something we're all concerned with, isn't it? That's one thing you can do, but you can also single people out.

11:00 If you have throughout your presentation, gotten to know some members of the audience.

11:04 I like to choose a few people that once they've engaged with me and I could tell you're okay with me engaging with you throughout the presentation, I might say, Isn't that right, John? And isn't that right, Mary? And people will be drawn into your presentation because again, those who you're calling on, they like that if you choose the right ones, you can tell by their personality and those who you are not calling on are a little bit on call thinking they might call on me at any moment and say, Sounds great, doesn't it, Dan? And if you do that, people will be, as you speak, more and more and more convinced because you're using tag questions to get them into a yes momentum. And remember, the more people think in their head, yes, yes, yes, or say yes, yes when they're around you, the more likely they will be to say yes when you need it.

11:56 If you're some if somebody is on the fence about saying yes to you, for example, at the end of your speech, if you have a call for action and you want people to do something, the more often during your speech, they have said yes, yes, yes.

12:08 Even if it's simply as part of their self-talk, the more likely they will be to do what it is that you're asking them to do.

12:14 And I'd like to wrap up this lecture talking about an issue that I get a lot of questions about how can I stimulate both sides of the brain during my presentation? Again, it could be a group or an individual because I speak really quickly and sometimes it's difficult for me to punctuate the emotional hooks or the big messages that I'm trying to send.

12:34 So if I talk a lot, how can I distinguish one thought from another? Punctuate those that I believe are important.

12:43 What? I'm emotionally hooking them in, logically explaining what I want them to believe. Let me give you a great tip for when you want to punctuate certain parts of your message, especially if you are a fast talker and you want to emotionally hook your audience.

12:59 The pregnant pause.

13:00 Remember, a pregnant pause is simply a pause that's longer than a regular pause.

13:09 And if you're someone who generally speaks really left brain language.

13:15 And you want to infuse any message with more emotion.

13:19 But it's difficult for you.

13:22 Start using pregnant pauses.

13:24 And it makes almost anything you say a little more dramatic.

13:29 Not only can you use them that way, you know, people use pregnant pauses in a variety of different ways. But if you're a fast talker or if you're somebody like me, I'm a fast talker. Or if you're somebody who doesn't find it easy or natural to illustrate certain things verbally, you know, to add punctuation to his or her speech patterns.

13:50 So if you find that it's difficult for you to make what you're saying more colorful, to punctuate certain things, you can use pregnant pauses that way.

13:58 But additionally, people will ask me, Dan, I tend to talk quickly and sometimes it's difficult for me to know How can I illustrate? Hey, everybody, pay attention to what I'm about to say.

14:09 These are the important words.

14:10 Many times I'm told that when I'm done saying something, people don't know exactly what it is that I wanted them to focus on.

14:18 Of course, we've already talked about the steeple.

14:20 That's one way to punctuate what you're saying, but that's not always an option you can't always visually punctuate.

14:27 Or that might be something you're already used and you want to use other techniques.

14:31 If you believe, as I do, sometimes I'm talking really fast and I want to make sure that what I'm about to say or at this point or this word gets illustrated. That's a great time to use.

14:46 The pregnant pause.

14:48 Any time you pause right before you say something or right after you say something, it adds more power and strength to whatever it is that you're saying.

14:55 So you can use it before or after something important.

15:00 And what it does is not just grabs people's attention and illustrates vocally, by the way, not verbally but vocally, that what you're saying is important.

15:09 It also emotionally hooks people because they start to use the right hand side of their brain thinking.

15:17 What's different here? What? What? Why are you stopping? Why are you pausing? And when people again get thrown off the regular pattern, when you start to do things a little bit differently from how you did it a minute ago or from what they're used to. People tend to pay attention because it's different and they want to know why. And that starts to stimulate right brain activity.

15:35 So if you combine the things we talked about in this lecture, you use techniques such as analogies, you use techniques that paint pictures with the brain.

15:44 You use techniques that convince people.

15:46 You use techniques that make people ask, what's going on here? You can punctuate your message, make it more credible, and get your audience to take action.