cathdaley-logo-440pxcathdaley-logo-440pxcathdaley-logo-440pxcathdaley-logo-440px
  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
    • Lead Like a Woman
    • Speak Like a Woman
    • ICF Coach Mentoring
    • Harnessing The Women’s PowerTypes
  • Success Stories
  • Blog
  • Contact
✕

The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting:Part 6

Let me begin this post with  a few questions for you

What if..

  • your potential client just wants to do business with you?
  • your audience, whoever they are,  gives you  resounding applause every time you speak?
  • your teenage children tidy their rooms without an argument?

Sounds like bliss?

Believe it or not all of the above are easy to do when you use the principles of persuasion that we’ve been talking about in this series of posts.

And now it’s time for the final one….

Principle No. 6 – Consensus

This principle is sometimes referred to as social proof and it works because we all have a tendency to assume that an action is more correct if others are doing it too.

If you are a parent of teenagers then you will already have experienced this many times I’m sure.   It goes something like this….

“Why can’t I go to the late night party. Everyone else in my class is going. Their parents say it’s ok!”- the implication being that if everyone else says it’s ok then it must be.

And I’m sure you’ ll have many other examples too!

There are lots of examples from psychological research that demonstrate the power of consensus to influence other people’s actions.

One of my favourites is that done by Stanley Milgram and his colleagues that demonstrate just how easy it is to do.

A research assistant stopped on a very busy street in New York and gazed up into the sky for about a minute.

Most people just walked around him without bothering to look up.

But when 4 more researchers joined the first, so there were now 5 people looking up, the number of passers-by who joined them increased by 400%!

And if you don’t believe this works give it a go…it’s great fun!!

So how can you apply this in your presentations?

1. Use testimonials

The right sort of testimonials from previous clients can be really powerful at providing the social proof that people require to make the decision to buy from you- whether that’s buying into your ideas, your products or your services.

When you use them in your presentation make sure that they are relevant to that particular audience and that they are in your client’s own words. If you can use a video clip that’s even better.

Many people tell me that one of the most powerful things on my website is the video testimonials I have from my clients.

They have to be from people similar to them to have the desired persuasive effect.

2. Use statistics

You can use statistics of how other people have benefited from what you have to offer

e.g 100% of the bid teams I have worked with have a 100% win rate in their interview presentations

Be careful that you don’t overwhelm your audience with too many numbers but this can be really powerful when done well.

3. Focus on the positive behaviour you want to promote

To give you an example of what I mean….

You are a CEO/ Director and the attendance at your monthly SMT meetings has gone down by 30%

The usual way to deal with this is to call attention to the fact that so many people are absent but this actually reinforces that exact behaviour through the principle of consensus.

Instead focus on highlighting  just how many do turn up every time  70% – this is the majority and so then  Principle No. 6 comes into play to reinforce the behaviour you want to promote i.e. attendance

Everyday, whatever our roles, we face the challenge of persuading others to do what we want.

Whether you’re a CEO, a Director, an Entrepreneur, a Senior Executive, a manager, a parent, a teacher- whatever-   you can get significantly different results when you apply The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting .

I hope you have enjoyed this series of posts and I’d love to hear about the results you get so do please use the comment box below to let me know how you get on!

Until next time,

With best wishes for your success,

Cath

If you like this post please share using the social media buttons at the top of the post.

Thanks.

Cath Daley Ltd.

Cath is a Find the Edge Expert Panellist Find The Edge Badge

You can find details of the previous 5 Principles by clicking on the following links

  • The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting:Part 1
  • The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting:Part 2
  • The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting:Part 3
  • The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting:Part 4
  • The 6 Principles of Persuasive Presenting:Part 5

Subscribe to my blog

We respect your email privacy

Powered by AWeber Email Marketing

Search

✕

Recent posts

  • 0
    6 Steps to Choosing the Right Coach for You
    January 27, 2023
  • Are You Heading for Christmas Overwhelm?
    December 13, 2022
  • How I helped a Coach to save time and £7,000
    October 4, 2022
  • 0
    To Get or Not To Get? The ICF Credential…..
    May 17, 2022
  • 0
    Are You Ready for Your Success?
    January 19, 2021

Quick Links

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact me

Cath Daley Ltd.
42 Crosby Road North, Crosby,
Liverpool L22 4QQ

© Cath Daley. All rights reserved.
Website designed by Peppis Designworks
      By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies more information Accept
      Privacy & Cookies Policy

      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
      Non-necessary
      Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
      SAVE & ACCEPT