Presentations: Why People Fail at Persuasion

Canadian Venture Communications CEO and Dragons’ Den co-star Arlene Dickinson has released her book Persuasion: A New Approach to Changing Minds. In an interview, Arlene speaks about one reason people fail to persuade — the feeling that their opinion isn’t valued or valuable.

People have a thought in their heads but they don’t say it because they aren’t confident about how it will be received. In her interview she says, “If you don’t say how you really feel, then you are guilty of letting other people make choices for you, which is just a shame.”

This struggle has to do with our mindsets – our assumptions, our beliefs, our values and our confidence.  Clearly, how we think has a direct impact on our ability to be persuasive.

Shifting how we think is one of the most powerful ways to tackle the art of persuasion and presentation effectiveness. But as important as it is, our mindset is only one aspect of what it takes.

We all know people who are incredibly persuasive in their presentations. With effortless charm they manage to gain our trust, give our support and get us to take action! Their ability is artful, but also a skill which can be learned. And you can learn it too!

For the next few weeks I’m sharing with you different aspects of persuasion and presentation effectiveness. I don’t think anyone is born with these skills. I know I wasn’t, and I had to learn them too. Over the years, I’ve defined and refined several important tips.

Along with my colleagues who specialize in persuasive presentations, I’m exploring the key ingredients needed to master the power of persuasion.  I hope to be gathering your opinions and reactions.

I will share practical tips that I have learned in all my years as a presentations coach and trainer such as the ones you will find in my article, “10 Tips That Work For Truly Persuasive Presentations.” You can download the article here for free.

And, if you dare to become more persuasive, if you are ready to take your presentation skills to the next level, I invite you to join me and Judie Knoerle, in our UPFRONT Persuasion, Webinar Series starting November 15^th. Click here to learn more.

What about you? Have you got a favourite tip or story that has made a difference in your ability to be more persuasive? I’d love to hear from you.