The Keys for Giving a Persuasive Talk
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 6.18.2017
One of the most common faults by researchers and engineers giving a presentation is their inability to evoke emotional responses from the audience. Too often, the presenters are eager to show tons of slides with massive amounts of graphs, data, and words. They are more concerned about the sharing of their work and the successful delivery of all the meticulously prepared material. Yet they forget that the purpose of the presentation is to persuade the audience to approve something or take action for something.
What will move the audience to take action? They need to be touched by your mission and altruism, or scared by future threats and the consequence of inaction. They also need to be tempted by the vast potential for rewards and returns.
To put it in layperson’s terms, your presentation needs to make them cry, make them sweat, and/or make them drool.
Let me illustrate this with some automotive examples:
- If you see people suffering and choking from a delivery trucks’ filthy diesel emission in a farm without good ventilation, would you be touched by the work to bring clean electric vehicles to such use?
- If you know developing countries are building cheaper motorcycles to wipe out our motorcycle industry, would you be sweating to develop new niche products and develop new markets?
- If you identify a patented technology which can be used in millions of future connected mobility applications, would you be drooling at the potential economic returns?
There are many examples like these. Your work, your research, and your presentation must touch upon one of the above to arouse interest and action. Focus on the story, not just the data and charts, and you will have a much better chance of getting the approval or funding you so desire.
I look forward to listening to your touching and persuasive stories.
有說服力演講者的秘密
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
許多研究人員及工程師在演講時最常犯的錯誤，就是讓台下聽眾無感。許多時候，演講者都會想要用很多頁數的簡報，來呈現大量的圖片、數據、或者是詞彙。他們只在意是否有將精心準備的簡報材料，都分享給他們的聽眾。但他們卻忘記了演講最要紧的是要說服聽眾認同某些理念、或願意對某些事情採取行動。
什麼樣的事是會聽眾有反應呢？他們需要被你所談的使命、或無私為他人謀福利所感動；亦或者是被未來可能發生的事情、或不採取行动的後果所驚嚇到。此外，他們還需要被潛在巨大的獎勵或回報有所吸引。
講白話一點就是說，你的簡報要不就讓聽眾感動到流眼淚、要不就讓他們驚嚇到流冷汗、或者讓他們感興趣到想流口水。
我用車輛產業當作一個例子來說明：
- 如果你看到在果菜市場工作的人們，因為市場沒有良好通風，而讓他們長期呼吸市場內柴油運送卡車所排放的廢氣而影响建康；你是否會為改用電動潔淨車輛這樣的策略而感動流眼淚？
- 如果你知道開發中國家，正在生產更便宜的摩托車、而把我們的摩托車產業打败到可能消失時；你是否會紧张的流冷汗，會更加緊努力、汗流浹背地開發具有新利基的產品以及開拓新的市場？
- 如果你確定有某一個專利能被應用在未來全球車聯網的交通載具上時，你是否會為了這樣潛在龐大的經濟報酬而想開心的要流口水？
類似這樣的例子還有很多。你的工作、你的研究、以及你的演講，必須觸碰到上述所談的任一，才能引發他人的同感和興趣、讓他們有所反应与採取行動。你需要專注去表達一个动人的故事，而不僅僅是呈现數據或圖表；如此，你將會更有機會獲得投資人和老板的認同，得到你想要的赞助。
期待聽到各位動人且深具說服力的故事与演講！
