You've Lost That Loving Feeling

So the crowd gave you a standing ovation after a great keynote
... or that hot prospect gave you a verbal agreement at that crucial sales meeting
... or your newest coaching client finally committed to taking clear, specific actions
... or a reader told you that your book changed her life.

Feels great, doesn't it? But ... Have you ever had that feeling, and then discovered the audience walked out and didn't change anything? Or that hot prospect never got back to you - or chose somebody else? Or that coaching client never did end up doing what they said they would do? Or that reader forgot what she'd read within a few days?

How could this be??? They loved you! You knew it, and they knew it!

So what made them fall out of love with you?

Today's audiences, clients, prospects and consumers fall in and out of love with stuff a hundred times a day. They haven't got time to go on a date - the best you can hope for is speed dating.

Sure, your idea was gorgeous, witty, brilliant, ruggedly handsome, Down To Earth and had a Good Sense Of Humour. But, as far as they're concerned, so is every other idea they see, hear or touch in the day.

So when something better - or maybe even worse - comes along, that gets their attention - and yours goes to the back of the line.

What can you do to fix this?

Simple: Attach your idea to their future.

You know your idea is good - after all, that's what they fell in love with at the start. The problem is, you made it too easy to forget, because you didn't connect it to their future.

You see, a new idea is - by definition - new, different, unfamiliar, maybe even a little bit uncomfortable to them. So it's not surprising they have a natural tendency to go back to their old, same-same, familiar, comfortable way of life.

As John Lennon famously sang:

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

OK, so how do you do this?

Use these four simple phrases:

"When you ..."
"Whenever you ..."
"The next time ..."
"Every time ..."

Here are some examples:

"Give yourself a big mental hug when you pass by the ice-cream freezer at Coles and head for the fresh vegies instead."
"Whenever you turn the key in your ignition, hook up your phone to the hands-free kit."
"The next time your network crashes, call us - we'll be waiting."
"Every time you turn on the tap in your kitchen, remember that half the world's women have to walk an hour a day to get fresh water."

Get the idea? These simple phrases take your idea from the present (now) and attach them into your audience's future.

Is that all it takes to be memorable? Of course not. You still need the brilliant idea, the receptive audience and the elegant presentation. But you know you've got those things already - that's what made them fall in love with your idea in the first place. These phrases help them remain in love with it.

So use these phrases - they do work.

Err ... I mean: The next time you're preparing a presentation, remember to use these phrases - they do work.

Key words: Clear Communication, presentation skills, message momentum

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Gihan Perera is the author of "Get Active: Web Sites for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches and Consultants" and "Fast, Flat and Free: What You Need to Know to Stay Ahead in a Connected World". Visit http://GihanPerera.com and get your complimentary copies now.

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