One of the best concepts you can use when you’re planning your presentation – or speech – is to start by thinking about the ‘boookends’ – the beginning and the end – together. So: “What are they looking for from me?” and “What do I want them to do as a result of the information I’m giving to them?”.

When you think this way you’ll be answering the question every audience asks, everytime! “What’s in this for me?”. That’s the basis on which each individual makes her/his decision as to whether or not he is going to engage with you (and each person makes that decision pretty quickly – these days within the first 15 seconds (I’ll discuss the reason for that a bit later).

So, once they see “what’s in it for me?”, then they’ll begin listening to whatever points (and data backing up those points) you then make during the presentation. If they don’t ‘buy in’, then it’s all the more difficult for you to engage them (at the end) to actually do what you want them to do. (I should say here that it’s not as ‘tyrannical’ as, perhaps, I am making it sound.  (It doesn’t say that if you miss them at the beginning, then all is lost!). Some people may be distracted during your opening remarks – thinking about something back at the office, maybe. But, they join in (‘buy in’) by seeing other obviously ‘benefitting’ from what you are saying – so they decide to ‘buy in’ also.

Then, thinking about the bookend at the end, since they’ve decided earlier that there’s something in your presentation/speech for them, at the end – give them something tangible to do (with the information you’ve delivered)! For example – “Use this info to re-plan the budget for your area, and send me an email by Friday with the new figures” or, “Take this information and pass it on to your direct reports. Monitor the results and be sure to have them with you when we meet again next month!”.

In both those examples above you’re doing two things – you’re asking every person in your audience to actually do something (with the info you given them) and then you have asked them to gain/give some monitoring feedback. That’s all-important when you’re wanting to motivate people to think and act the way you want them to!

I’d really like to hear your ideas about “bookends”.

Paul Griffiths

www.reasontospeak.com