🥊 How to give your message the gravitas it deserves

It's rare any presentation stops me in my tracks these days; let alone an hour-long keynote. But Tristan Harris’ did.

All because he understands that...

Let me explain…

In 2023, some of the world's leading technologists came together for a private gathering chaired by Steve Wozniak (Apple's Co-Founder).

The subject matter? A.I.

Now what most speakers will do is tell their audience why they think their message is so important.

What Tristan Harris did was use a significant historical event to do the hard work for him.

The event? The Manhatten Project.

Particularly topical given the film Oppenheimer came out that year.

Smart strategy 🧠.

The first 5 minutes of his talk is a masterclass on how to get your audience to give your message instant gravitas. But it was this 21-second clip that made me stop what I was doing and watch (yep, the whole thing)… 🍿

You will have seen this technique used before…

Perhaps most famously with Simon Sinek, who referenced Martin Luther King, The Wright Brothers and Apple in his TEDx talk.

Here’s why it worked…

1. Make it personal 🫶
   Framing the anecdote with “The feeling I’ve had personally…” helps us to connect on a deeper level with the speaker. It gives us an insight into how they’re feeling and what they’re thinking.
   

2. Find a recognisable historical event to draw comparison with 📜
   Tristan used Oppenheimer and The Manhattan Project to elevate the status of his keynote. It gave everything that he said from that moment on a greater sense of importance. It’s an incredibly powerful technique.
   

3. Then highlight the contrast between the two events ⚖️
   This creates tension. Making the narrative more compelling and thought-provoking in turn.

   
   “It’s not being deployed in a safe and responsible way, it’s being deployed in a very dangerous way.”

So the next time you want your audience to take your topic seriously, I wonder…

What example could you use to raise the stakes and drive it home?

Here are some ideas to get you started…

1. Maybe it’s a natural phenomenon 🔥
   One that symbolises resilience - like wildfires.

2. Perhaps it’s a political and social movement ⚡️
   One that has reshaped societies - The Civil Rights movement.

3. An untold story from a famous business
   One that reveals the power of a pivotal decision. E.g. Nike’s decision to stop selling shoes and start selling a movement.

The example you choose could be the difference between getting noticed and getting ignored.

Alex

p.s. If you think I might be a suitable guest for your podcast, reply to this email and let’s talk :-).