🦍 How to ensure your message lands every single time

I was reminded of a critical lesson in communication and influence while hosting our MicDrop debate earlier this week…

The topic? Whether or not classical music was elitist 🎻.

It was all going swimmingly until halfway through, a member made reference to 'The Cold Song' by Henry Perso…. I'd never heard of it; nor had anyone else.

Then there was also a reference to Jacob Balinsky… I'd never heard of him either. Nor had anyone else.

The result?

The speaker’s point lost all its impact because we couldn't connect with the example that was shared.

Such a shame… the point being made was brilliant.

Had they made the same point with a different example, it would have changed the course of the whole debate.

Your choice of example really matters.

Case and point? Pamela Meyer.

Her talk ‘How to Spot a Liar’ has been seen over 33 million times and in this 90-second clip, she delivers a masterclass on how to use examples to ensure your message lands...

Pamela used the PREP technique. It is one of the most effective ways to bring examples into your presentations seamlessly.

Here’s how it works:

Position 📌: What do you think?
‘Lying has evolutionary value to us as a species.’

Reason 💡: Why do you think that way?
'Researchers have long known that the more intelligent the species… the more likely it is to be deceptive.'

Example 🦍: What evidence do you have to support this?
Cue the story of ‘Koko the Gorilla and her pet kitten.’

Proposition 🔮: What is the point?
‘We enter a world that… one author calls a post-truth society.’

Killer right?

Now, here’s the secret…

The more unusual the examples, the more interesting and engaging you will be. So use them to:

1. Give your message more credibility 🛡️

2. Make your more complex ideas easy to understand 💡

3. Spark post-presentation conversation ✨

Watch the whole of Pamela’s talk and you’ll notice she has an example for every single point in her talk. If you can do the same, it will transform your ability to engage, persuade and dare I say, entertain!