Why We Need To Be More Human To Connect, Engage & Influence

In this guest post Emma Bannister (pictured below), Founder & CEO at Presentation Studio, says there’s a lot of advantages in humanising your sales approach…

Have you ever been told your brand is unfriendly? Cold? Too ‘salesy’? Well, maybe not to your face, perhaps but therein lies the problem.

Your brand is your most valuable asset, yet many of us have no idea how we are being perceived.

Emma Bannister

We might think we are communicating one way, whereas actually we are screaming something else entirely – especially when it comes to how we present ourselves online and through presentations.

We spout facts and stats, data and research, usually overloaded or hidden amongst bullet points, reams of text and marketing jargon.

All this does is create unnatural, overcomplicated messages and solutions that turns our audience – the very people we want to connect with – completely off.

To strengthen the connection with your audience so you stand the test of time, you’ve got to be more human.

Share stories

The first step is to realise that there is no more B2B or B2C in today’s communication landscape. We can no longer hide behind jargon, blanket statements or even our screens.

What the world needs today, what your customers, clients and stakeholders are actually crying out for is H2H – from human to human, a natural connection through compelling visuals and emotional stories.

We need to share stories, to share the emotional journey, the ups and the downs, with our customers, otherwise they think we are hiding something. They perceive that there is something untoward or even nasty going on.

Presentations are a critical tool to help you bring this human touch, the story, to your reputation.

That’s why they should be treated no differently to any other marketing collateral or consumer-facing information. In fact, you should invest more care, attention, time and effort into them because shareholders, customers, clients, colleagues and the public see them time and time again.

Make them feel it

Whenever you present it is an opportunity to influence the way those in the room think and act. This is how you make your audience feel something toward you, other than suspicious.

Up to 90 per cent of the thousands of decisions we make each day are reinforced through our feelings and emotions. In fact, studies have shown that 74 per cent of participants have changed their decision after their emotion was changed.

So, think what you want your audience to feel after they watch you present. Should they feel angry and compelled to act now? Or excited about your new vision or idea?

Use images and video to create sadness, excitement, inspiration or even anger if it’s appropriate to your cause. Pair these with infographics and diagrams that sum up your main points and data.

The best presenters are those who can use a combination of facts and emotion to explain a future place that everyone wants to work towards.

When you share your vision and goals in a way that takes your audience on the journey with you, then you reduce fear and instill confidence in everyone involved. That’s when they will connect to a future they want to be a part of.

In my latest white paper I have addressed this specific challenge and outlined how we can nurture our human to human connections. Download your copy here.

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Emma Bannister Presentation Studio