Engage Your Audience’s Heart and Emotions (Part 1) – Persuasive Speaking

No matter the context, people first connect with others emotionally, not through logic or reason.  Give your audience a reason to like or trust you by first engaging their hearts (emotional level).  If you do, you will have more people embrace your product/service or listen more intently to your message.

If you don’t lead your audience to emotionally invest in you it is unlikely they will take action:  Think back - who was your favorite high school teacher, college professor, public speaker, or pastor?  Why was that person beloved?  It was more about your connection with the person than the subject matter.  That person engaged your heart and kept you coming back for more.  The subject matter could be bland but it didn't matter because it the person already won your heart. 

Ultimately your audience buys into you first and then listens to your presentation – give them reasons to believe in you.

Men and women decide to work with, or invest in, a person they like or have a good feeling about. I was a real estate public speaker.  At the end of each talk, I pitched a program that investors purchase about buying or selling raw land (www.vacantlandguide.com).  Sounds like a bland topic, doesn't it? 

I learned early on when I spoke; I had to first create a positive feeling about or toward me (not the topic).  If not, they would not be interested in buying my expensive program. One day, I was speaking at an event of 150 real estate investors.  I was there to sell my program and land parcels I owned. 

A young lady at the event in her early 30’s (originally from SE Asia) approached me to go together to look at land parcels.  She initiated this excursion because she had a “good feeling” about me.  After we were done viewing land for sale, she said “My family has $600K and we want you help us invest that money in real estate.” 

Why did she choose me?  I created a way for her to become “emotionally invested” in me.  Once she bought in to me (felt comfortable or reassured), she was ready to “take action.”  Even though we were from different cultures and backgrounds, she wanted to work together. (Oddly, I never stated that I would help someone invest their money as I was focused on selling a program and land tracts).

It’s about your emotional connection with the audience, not the topic that important – Then have prepared a pertinent talk once you bond with your audience. 

I was at another venue and after I was done, a retiring real estate investor asked if I would help him sell over $2M in real estate.  Remember, people’s money is a very precious to them.  So asking a complete stranger to help with their property says something about how I presented myself as a person. 

If you interviewed both investors, they would point out the real reason they decided to work with me was because of my qualifications and experience.  But I know better.

Research has consistently shown that people make decisions on emotion and then justify them with fact.  Although most of us think that we are first and foremost, rational, cognitive human beings, research data says otherwise. Yes, non-emotional factors such as experience, qualifications, or financial projections are relevant to the ultimate decision-making process. But they are secondary.

Your goal: trigger emotional responses in your audience.  Then continue with a strong business talk, justified by hard data and numbers (or a strong, pertinent message).

Speakers are agents of change - through their vision, content, passion, and their emotion. To change hearts and lives, one must develop the skills to create commitment to new courses of action. Such commitment can be obtained only if an individual’s feelings and emotions are engaged.  

Bottom Line: Your Audience Must FIRST Be Emotionally Invested In YOU