Bring curiosity questions into your next presentation

And watch your engagement skyrocket šŸš€

Author

Alex Merry
May 02, 2023

Bring ā€˜curiosity questionsā€™ into your next presentation

What on earth are curiosity questions?! šŸ¤”
Questions that make your audience think.

Best delivered rhetorically, right at the beginning of a presentation. The goal is for your audienceā€™s response to be 'Oooo, Iā€™m not sure' or ā€˜I wonder where this is going!ā€™

Examples, pleaseā€¦ šŸŽ

Why is Apple so innovative?' Simon Sinek, TED

'What is so special about the human brain?' Suzana Herculano Houzel, TED

ā€˜What makes a presentation memorable?ā€™ Me, at the beginning of almost every workshop I run!Ā 

Sharing examples that happen at TED is all very well, but what about my next team meeting?
Ok, how about thisā€¦

ā

For the past 3 months, we have been trying to find an answer to a very important questionā€¦

How can we incentivise our customers to stay?'

As featured in my book, Make It Count*

Gotcha! So why do they work?
Three reasons:

  1. While your audience might not have a clear answer, the implication is that you do. This creates a knowledge gap and in turn, builds your credibility. šŸ¦‰

  2. They turn your audience from listeners to active participants. When you ask a question they want to know the answer to, they canā€™t help but become the detectives of your presentation! šŸ•µļø

  3. It makes them far more empathetic to your point of view. Particularly useful if you find yourself needing to share why you've had to make a difficult decision. šŸ«¶

Found this newsletter useful? Share this link with others!

Alex

Whenever you're ready, here are some ways I can help:

  1. Looking to increase your speaking fees? Take part in The MicDrop Open Speaker Fee ProjectĀ šŸ’ø.

  2. Struggling to communicate your value at work? Grab a copy of my book, Make It CountĀ šŸ“˜.*

  3. Delivering talks at conferences and companies? Join my community for thought leaders that speak, MicDropĀ šŸŽ¤.

  4. Want me to equip your team with the ability to communicate their ideas with impact? Book a call here ā˜Žļø.

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