WIIFM - why should I care?
Always remember this basic Public Speaking principle: IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, IT'S ABOUT THE AUDIENCE.
Many speakers insist on talking about themselves during a presentation. Me, myself and I, then again what I’ve done, what I know, what I’ve accomplished and what “I have to tell you”.
The typical phrase used by many people is “today I want to talk to you about…” and this is where the audience is lost. If you want your presentation to be memorable, you need to remember that it’s NOT about YOU and what you want to talk about.
You want people to connect to your message? CONNECT THEM!
Let them know from the beginning the WIIFM: What’s In It For Me.
After you’ve properly introduced yourself and expressed the main topic (your product, your service, your idea), this is your opportunity to invite the audience to experience your journey with you.
Here are some things you can do:
Tie your topic to your audience reality. Use the word “you” many times. If you know people’s names use them. If you can mention something that applies to their reality, they’ll understand it better.
“Have you ever been about to travel and found out you can only take 50 lbs in your bag, and you don't know how much is that? Raise your hand if you would like your bag to tell you when you’ve reached the 50 lbs.”
Bring or show samples of the challenge. Try to make it as personalized as possible, with the idea of helping your audience see what you see, touch what you touch, experience what you’ve experienced! This will help them GET IT!
“Here are three types of bags you can check in. They are different in size and shape, and they all can hold much more than 50 lbs. No wonder why we tend to put more weigh on them! Do you have something similar?”
Have the audience relate to your solution, to your product, service or idea. This is where you present your concept or tangible to the audience so they can understand what you are talking about.
“This bag can help you fit everything you want to pack, and when you reach the 50 lbs, it will sound a beep to let you know you’ve reached your limit. No more overpacking or having to repack at the airport!”
Provide testimonials. When you have other people talk about what they felt, thought and experienced, it gives more credibility to what you are saying. Your goal is to create empathy with your audience.
“I used to pack much more than I should and when I got to the airport it was so embarrassing and expensive! Now with my Scale-Bag I don’t have that issue anymore!” (or you can say something about what you’ve heard from others). Just remember the stories must be true!
At this point what you want is to generate DESIRE.
How do you know if you’ve done a good job so far? If you hear people saying:
“I want to have that!”“Where can I get that?!”“How can I feel that?!”“When are you having that available?!” “Can I try it?” “When do we start?”
Practice your presentation with as many interactive points as possible, play, test, have fun… and you’ll do great... because people will relate!
Watch my video and if you like it, subscribe to my YouTube Channel!
