It was awesome to see Gilles Tchianga's pitch on Dragon's Den. Talk about a feel-good moment!
It was also a great presentation - for so many reasons.
Let's zoom in on one particular aspect that can help you CONNECT with and INFLUENCE your audience:
Passion
You could see it in Gilles' body language, hear it in his voice, his words. And that energy rubbed off on his audience. You could also see it in their body language: wide eyed, smiling, leaning forward; and hear it in their voice, their words: "I'm excited!", "I'm hungry!" and "Ready to taste it!" They were completely engaged in his presentation. Asma, you may be thinking, 'that's great, but this is NOT the type of presentation that I do'. And you're right. You're likely not presenting on national TV or serving up a delicious meal...to a bunch of dragons. HOWEVER, you are selling something to an audience - whether that be an idea, your work, yourself...And chances are, you're passionate about your topic too. So if you want your audience to buy into your message, let people know you're excited about it. Because enthusiasm is contagious.
It's ok if you're not as charismatic as Gilles. You don't have to be as expressive. And you don't need a cool orange shirt.
It all helps!
But there are plenty of other ways to project - and create - enthusiasm. All while remaining professional and true to your own style.
In fact, my biggest advice is to be authentic: Let your passion shine through.
Don't be afraid to say things like "I'm really excited about this..." or "I love what we're doing here".
Feel free to use words like "cool", "amazing", "incredible".
Allow your voice, your face, and your body to express how you feel.
Just imagine you were speaking to a friend. What would you say and how would you say it? Now bring that extra 'oomph' to your presentation. Not only will you be more convincing, you'll be more engaging too. Energy and enthusiasm tends to catch people off guard, especially in corporate boardrooms.
Hook them in, get them excited, and move them by the end. I can't wait for you to try this and see the difference that it makes!
(How's that for passion?!)
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