You can gather the best facts and information in your presentation – they are of no use to you if you do not convince your audience with them. But only if your argumentation is clear and comprehensible, the audience will trust you and accept your facts. We would like to share with you the seven best strategies that will give your arguments the persuasive power they need.
Perhaps you have also experienced that in a lively discussion one of the opponents suddenly pulls the decisive trump card and thus wins the discussion. It is then usually a proof beyond any doubt. These can be specialist publications that enjoy an excellent reputation or proven experts who have spoken clearly on a subject. Sometimes, however, it is just an argument that convinces everyone by its logic and ends the discussion. Bad arguments like “but I once heard that …” or “I am sure that I am right”, do not lead to success. Good argumentation is therefore the be-all and end-all if you want to convince people.
Present the contents of your presentation convincingly
When you give a presentation, you want to convince with your content. You want your audience to believe you. However, if you don’t make a really good case, you will generate skepticism or even rejection from your audience. This is all the more tragic if you are actually right with your message. To avoid your argument failing to convince your target audience, here are the seven best ways to get your audience’s buy-in.
1. convince through induction
In inductive reasoning, individual arguments are listed to justify the overarching statement. Often, a topic has a variety of arguments, each of which speaks for or against a thesis. Take, for example, the relocation or closure of a plant site. Management and the works council will probably argue passionately about this issue, as it has many facets. If you were tasked with a presentation for the executive suite or for the works council, you should collect all the arguments and then pick out the strongest ones that confirm your camp’s point of view. It is better to use three absolutely valid arguments than twelve mediocre ones.
2. convince by deduction
Here follows the justification of a superior statement in the form of a logical conclusion. One starts from a generally valid consideration and derives this generality for one’s own particular case. This approach has a powerful effect, but must be well prepared so as not to achieve the opposite effect. For example, if you want to become for the purchase of alarm systems, then you could show police statistics that show an increase in burglary crime. As a result, if the police confirm a high risk of burglary, then the same applies to the homes of the audience. After you have proven a hazard in this way, you can present your solution.
3. convince through indirect address
Often it is not the smartest way to put yourself in the spotlight and claim that you or your product are unbeatable. More elegant is the indirect address. For example, if a doctor wants to present his services in a presentation, he is prohibited from direct advertising. However, he can indirectly highlight his qualification. For example, when he tells us that he has to treat torn ligaments again and again because he looks after the athletes of the German Athletics Association, he indirectly conveys that he must be good. If competitive athletes rely on him, then he must really know his job.
4. convince through witnesses
When you stand in front of your audience and promote yourself or your offer, many viewers may become inwardly defensive. “He talks a lot, but he’s just trying to sell his stuff,” some will think. However, if you can back up your arguments with a number of satisfied buyers, things look very different. If your customers then include people who are generally trusted (for example, the mayor, the head of the guild or the chairman of an association), the trust grows even more.
5. convince through practical examples
Often theoretical explanations are difficult to understand. Especially with abstract numbers, many people do not follow well. Therefore, in such cases, it is better to make one’s message more vivid and understandable. For example, if you are talking about the concentration of a chemical in our drinking water, you could bring a bucket for comparison. They point to the bucket and explain that there is one drop of the chemical for every 1000 such buckets.
6. convince through facts and evidence
Tangible evidence can be, for example, certificates, seals of approval, certificates or awards. This is official proof, so to speak, of your high quality. You can summarize all your quality seals, awards, etc. on one slide.
7. convince through studies
Scientific studies enjoy a high degree of credibility in our society. Studies have a number of advantages: They come from third parties and are therefore considered independent, they come from scientists who are considered experts in their field, they are public and therefore transparent, they can be researched and read up on.
For a deeper insight into the topic, more persuasion methods and many additional presentation ideas, please refer to my book “ The Magic Box for Presentations: 77 Ideas and More for Presenting, Inspiring and Persuading. “
If these 7 tips were not enough for you, then why not attend the seminar Best of Concept Excellence.
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