Use Emotion in Persuasive Speeches
A couple of years ago, my wife and I were shopping for a new car. I remember clearly my response to the salesman who showed us the model we were interested in. It wasn’t, “Gee, that is a fine car!”(for I already knew that before I visited the lot). What I said was, “He’s a really nice guy”… just before I asked my wife, “Did you bring the checkbook?”
And Mrs. Merchant, the 4th grade teacher that I remember so fondly? I can say with certainty that I’ve never mused to myself: “Gosh, I loved the way she folded culture into that unit on South American geography. And her grasp of pre-algebra? Outstanding!”
No, my memories prompt me to think: “That woman changed my life – because she believed in me and showed me what I was capable of.”
In both these situations, my emotional response was what mattered.
It’s the same with the audiences for your speeches and presentations.
Human beings make important decisions because those choices feel right for them. They will justify their decisions with data and logic. But it’s EMOTION that turns people on, and drives the choices in their lives.
Persuasion begins with trust, not with information. Every time you talk to a customer, prospect, colleague, or stakeholder, an unvoiced understanding takes place: you (the speaker) are seeking to influence your listeners. You’re trying to change them in some way–positively and ethically, we hope. Change isn’t easy for anyone. It only occurs when the person to be changed trusts that you are worth listening to and believing in.
