Persuasive Presentations

MBA Class

SHIERI 2003

Persuasive Presentation

To inform is to increase the number of a person’s options or choices (the more you know, the more choices you have).

To persuade is to limit the options that are perceived as acceptable.

(Brembeck & Howell, 1975)

Persuasion depends on four main factors:

evidence, logic, & reasoning of the message

credibility of the persuader

psychological needs of the listeners

opinions held by key people in the audience

Evidence, logic, & reasoning of the message

Logical-sounding phrases (such as “therefore,” “as a result,” “it is only logical that,” and “it is possible to conclude”) may cause listeners to judge a presentation as more logical than a presentation without such words.

(Bettinghaus & Cody, 1997)

Evidence, logic, & reasoning of the message

“Self-reference” speakers are rated higher in trustworthiness & are more persuasive than speakers who refer only to high-prestige sources.

Personal examples and experiences also tend to be more persuasive than statistical or numerical data and to have a longer-lasting persuasive effect.

Speaker’s credibility

trustworthiness

competency

dynamism

objectivity

organizational rank

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Self-actualization

needs

Esteem needs

Social needs

Safety needs

Physiological needs

Highest-Level Needs

Lowest-Level Needs (most basic or compelling)

Task 1

Write your exact purpose as a position statement.

Analyze your expected listeners and their needs.

Determine your initial credibility and plan to increase it if necessary.

Research your topic and determine the best method for presenting evidence to this audience.

Task 1

Decide how to organize your presentation for the best effect.

Prepare an outline or storyboards to check verbal and visual supports, introduction, and conclusion.

Review your presentation to ensure it is ethical.

Rehearse your presentation using your visual aids.

Purpose statement

What do I want the audience to do as a result of this presentation?

What do I want to accomplish by giving this presentation?

What reaction do I want from my audience?

Purpose statement

A presenter may wish to:

set the stage for further action inform

gather ideas and explore them arouse interest

make recommendations instruct

evaluate, interpret or clarify sell

Purpose statement - examples

After hearing my presentation, the audience will _________________.

By the conclusion of this presentation, people will ____________.

My objective/purpose is to ________________.

I want to talk about _______________ so that _______________ will take place.

Know your audience

The more you know about your audience, the more likely you will succeed with your ideas and the way you present them.

Know your audience

Gather information by:

requesting a list of attendees and their titles

studying background information on the organization (annual report, publicity material, organizational chart, position descriptions)

talking with some attendees in advance of your presentation.

interviewing others who have spoken to the audience

Structuring the presentation

Introductionintroduce yourself, outline the structure of the

presentation, and tell the audience your objectives.

Bodywhere you make a logical case to support your

objectives

Conclusionsummarise the main points and remind your

audience about your objectives

Strong Openers

The purpose of an opener or introduction is to capture your audience’s attention – and keep it. You have three objectives to accomplish:

Sell your audience on listening to your presentation

Introduce the subject of your presentation

Establish your credibility with the audience

Strong Openers

The five deadly sins of openers:

Apologies

Long or slow-moving statements

Obvious observations

Unoriginal questions

Stories not related to your topic

Task 4

Question C. Are you going to have enough money to do the things you want to when you retire?

Quotation D. According to Tower Perrin, the profits of Fortune 100 companies would be 25% lower if their earning statements listed the future costs that companies are obligated to pay for retirees’ health care.

Task 4

Startling statement A. Twelve of our customers have cancelled orders in the last 12 months.

Narration or anecdote B. A mother was having difficult getting her son up for school. He pulled the covers over his head.

Basic structures for organizing the body

Comparison/ Contrast present the alternative solution to a problem

and compare and contrast them.

Problem / Solutionidentify the problem and explain its background,

causes, seriousness. Discuss the factors that affect the decision. Analyse the possible solutions. (The comparison/ contrast pattern can be used within this structure).

Basic structures for organizing the body

Elimination Of AlternativesAfter discussing the problem and its causes,

discuss the impractical solutions first, showing why they will not work. End with the most practical solution.

General To Particular / Particular To GeneralGeneral to particular starts with the problem itself

and then moves to the parts of the problem and the solution to each of these parts. Particular to general starts with the problem as the reader defines it and moves to the larger issues of which the problem is a part.

Basic structures for organizing the body

Geographical / Spatialdiscuss the problems and solutions of different

units according to their physical arrangement for example move from office to office, building to building or region to region.

Chronologicalrecord events in the order in which they

happened or are planned to happen. Many progress reports are organized chronologically.

Strong Closers

The conclusion is the strongest part of your presentation and should

provide a summary of main ideas and objectives

review the purpose of the entire presentation

appeal directly for audience action

Strong closers - Types

Restate your main point

Refer to the opener to create a frame for your presentation

End with a positive and vivid picture

Tell the audience exactly what you want them to do

Strong closers - Example

We need money to run the foundation, just like you need money to develop new products. We need money to make this work. We need money from you. Pick up the pledge card. Fill it out. Hand it in at the door as you leave. Make it a statement about your commitment … make it a big statement.

Three-step method

Tell them what you’re going to do.

Do It.

Then tell them what you've done!

Delivery Methods

Speaking from Memory

Speaking from Outlined Note

Speaking from a Manuscript

Impromptu Speaking

Speaking from Memory

Not popular with business and professional speakers

Time-consuming to prepare

Not conducive to reacting to listener feedback

Easy to lose concentration

Easy to forget memorized material

Speaking from Outlined Notes

Preferred method for most business speakers

More organized – outlined points on note cards

Sound conversational

Able to maintain eye contact

Able to improvise if feedback indicates confusion

Speaking from a Manuscript

Most challenging to do it well!

Reading ‘a script’, but sound conversational, use good vocal variety, and maintain fairly direct eye contact

Useful for cases with time constraint

Allow protection to speakers

Impromptu Speaking

Living dangerously!

But you do it all the time!

Need to project intelligence, authority and confidence instantaneously.

Pronunciation Practice

http://lc.ust.hk/~learn/pl