Al Gore's visit to Saturday Night Live last week was a standout. The former presidential candidate was there to mark NBC’s “Green Week” and to promote his book “Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis.”
In “Weekend Update” with Seth Meyers, when asked to comment on how Obama was doing on the environment so far, Gore suggested that the president could use his mandate to do even more. “He won the popular vote, Seth, and we all know that’s the one that counts,” joked Gore.
He went on to say that “we are at a critical moment when it comes to the climate crisis” and so to draw attention to the problem “I’m gonna start acting crazy.” He talked about the pranks he plans to pull on people in power to do that. “Instead of science, I’m going with crazy,” he said. One idea he has is to tape toy guns to trees so politicians know that the forest is coming to get them.
What made it brilliant was the deadpan delivery. The juxtaposition of opposites (dry delivery juxtaposed to going-rogue context) broke through our expectations. It got our attention. It was the funniest piece in the entire show.
1. You 2. Money 3. Fame 4. New 5. Results 6. Health 7. Easy 8. Safety 9. Love 10. Discovery 11. Proven 12. Guarantee.
These twelve words are said to be the most persuasive words in the English language.
Frances Cole Jones writes, “The more you use all of these words (focusing on a few, obviously), the better. Understand what hooks people.”
"You" is number one on the list. It's an important one. Effective speakers use the word "You" so that people feel included in the conversation or presentation.
"You" is a better word than "we" or "everyone." For example, if you want to persuade people to workout, it is more effective to say,"You know it's important to exercise every day as a way to manage stress" rather than "Everyone knows it's important. . ." or "We all know it's important. . ." When you use "You," the members of the audience feel that you are talking directly to them, rather than to a generalized group.
Challenge yourself to find ways to use the word "You" when speaking with audiences.
"Today, I wanted to speak with you about . . ." "One of the things I thought you would be particularly interested in . . ." "How often have you wondered . . ."
The other eleven words can be useful to you when trying to refine your message. When dealing with audiences, always ask "What is in it for them?" Can your product or service or proposal provide your audience with at least one of the eleven items on the list?
Next week, I'm going to be giving a presentation about how speakers can convince skeptical audiences. One of the things I will be talking about is the power of visual proof.
Visual proof is a standard persuasion strategy in advertising, especially in infomercials. We watch as wrinkles disappear, shammies soak up spilled soda, people lose weight, and dogs sit still for pedicures. Advertisers know that when we see it with our own eyes, we're more likely to believe the product's promises.
Have you ever needed convincing that daily exercise can make you look sexier? Some of my favorite YouTube videos are the 365 day transformation videos that show us the effects of daily exercise. This one is great:
Here is another good one. Fewer days, even more dramatic results:
The visual proof is convincing. A daily exercise routine results in a much healthier appearance.
Visual proof is especially important when speakers are talking about problems that are not immediately apparent but grow worse over time. Check out this video about the long term effects of second hand smoke. We've all heard that second hand smoke leads to breathing problems in children, such as asthma. As the video shows, proof is in the MRI's.
Over the past ten years, Al Gore has become a master of visual proof. Facing resistance from people who do not believe that global warming is a serious problem, Gore now opens all of his global warming presentations with video clips and still photos that show the seriousness of the problem. Here is his presentation at a TED conference in 2009:
The melting ice cap, the methane gas bubbling up from the lake, the negative ice balance in Antarctica, the growth of "dead zones" where there is a radical depletion of oxygen in the oceans . . . it is all clear evidence of a very serious problem. Gore's visual proof is persuasive.
How can ordinary speakers who may not have Gore's resources achieve something similar? In an earlier blog post, I mentioned how Bill Gates used a series of PowerPoint slides to show how malaria had disappeared from the temperate zones. That's one example of cost effective visual proof.
Another example, is "The World of 100," a series of poster-infographics designed by Tony Ng. If the world were a village of 100 people, how many of the 100 would be Asian? How many white? How many would speak Spanish? How many would have access to clean water? To a college education? Ng's visuals show how much easier it is to process info on the scale of 100 than on the scale of 6 billion. The graphics help the audience see facts much more clearly. Visuals like these can be used to prove a point that runs counter to our own experience (such as the fact that most people in the world still do not have access to computers or the Internet).
When creating persuasive presentations, especially for skeptical audiences, it's critical to think about how facts and evidence can be communicated through visual proof. We need to go beyond bar charts and bulleted PowerPoints. The effort you put into making your presentation visually persuasive will help strengthen your case by helping people to literally see the problem, and the solution.
Chad rehearses his speech with his girlfriend Victoria who does not find any of his jokes funny because she's heard them a million times. But, with his typical high level of self-confidence, approaches his audience with a wry smile, gives a humorous speech, tells some lame jokes, shows his hot pink socks, and entertains the audience.
Madison, hoping to create some visibility for his book, has a more serious message about not accepting failure in times of difficulty. It's painful to watch. He's clearly nervous, stumbles over his words, and doesn't make a connection with the audience. The camera shows members of the audience, people about ten or twenty years older than Madison, looking both bored and skeptical while he offers them advice about the power of positive thinking.
In a post-episode video, Madison acknowledges the missed opportunity. His goal was to try to convey the value of the message in his book. But he should have realized, he says, that the dinner audience really wanted to listen to a speech more like Chad's, not like his.
I know what it's like to be in Madison's shoes -- you are hoping to give a good speech, you know that the speech could open doors, but you fall flat. In hindsight, you realize you needed a different strategy.
It's important to think about your audience and what they expect from you. Chad lucked out because the speech he planned -- his weirldy funny speech -- fit the audience's expectations of an after dinner speech. Madison wasn't so lucky; in the video he appologizes for his bad speech.
Madison is an expert at finding out what his real estate clients are all about. But public speaking is new for him, and he is not so adept at analyzing audiences.
What I thought was really interesting was that Madison brought in an image consultant to help him choose what to wear for the event. And he looked very handsome. But wouldn't it have been great if he had brought in a speech coach who could help him shape his message for the big event?
Garr Reynolds offers these wise words of advice:
Becoming an Excellent Presenter is as tough as becoming a great baseball pitcher. THIS IS IMPORTANT … and Presentation Excellence is never accidental! (Work your buns off!) No, it ain't easy. In fact, it's hard. But careers have been advanced or derailed based on a presentation. Deals have been won or lost depending on the outcome of a presentation. Non-profits and volunteer organizations have won funding or folded up their tents depending on their performance in a presentation. Presentations matter. And it is something very worthy of our commitment and lifelong study.
I was watching Bill Gate's TED presentation on malaria on the TED website. This is the now-famous speech where he release a jar of mosquitoes into the audience. I was struck by how Gate's speaking style has changed in the past decade. He still keeps one hand in his pocket, but with the other hand he uses interesting, natural gestures. He speaks in a very comfortable, conversational style, and at times he is really funny. I enjoyed watching him speak.
I was also impressed by how he made his statistics meaningful to the audience. In one part of the speech, he talks about how the disease is now only in the poorer countries, which leads to it not getting much investment.
This is what he said:
"In 1900, it's everywhere. In 1945, it's still in most places. In 1970, the U.S and most of Europe have gotten rid of it. 1990, you've gotten most of the northern areas. And more recently . . . it's just around the equator."
The information could easily have been shared on one slide with four or five bullet points. The typical presentation of factual information.
But instead, Gates shows a series of slides demonstrating how malaria was eliminated from all of the temperate zones, which is where the rich countries are. The counties that have malaria are in red. The countries where it has been eradicated are in beige. As Gates speaks, we literally watch it disappear from the rich countries.
As a result, we better understand why the issue doesn't seem like a big problem to Americans, and therefore why it hasn't received much investment. Gates goes on to tell the audience that more money has been put into baldness drugs than malaria -- helping us better understand how little attention the issue has received. He makes the statistics meaningful, and gets us to care about the problem.
I love this book. On my website, it's featured as one of my top three books on presentations and public speaking.
Steve Jobs is one of the greatest storytellers in the world. His YouTube videos are watched by thousands of people. Carmine Gallo studied Steve Jobs and distilled his public speaking techniques into practical lessons that any public speaker can use.
The book is broken down into three acts: Create the Story, Deliver the Experience, and Refine and Rehearse.
I love how Gallo takes the reader behind the scenes to tell us how seemingly effortless moments were scripted in advance. For example, on page 152 Gallo writes:
The “showstopper” had been planned all along. Well before Jobs enacted the stunt in front of an audience, press releases had been written, images created for the website, and ads developed showing a hand pulling the notebook from a manila envelope. The “holy shit” moment had been scripted to elicit an emotional response; the presentation as theater.
We often think that some people are just naturally gifted in public speaking. Their presentations seem effortless. But as this book reveals, Steve Jobs is very mindful of every element -- from the organization of ideas to the use of visuals.
Here’s video on the Business Week website with Carmine Gallo discussing the book. This slide show gives a great overview on the tips.
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