The Power of Creating Moments

Speaking
Written By Liam Sandford
Power of Creating Moments

If you could create moments for people would you do it? Making memories for people is one of the greatest things you can do. You can and should be intentional with this. Why?

Think about your brand messaging — people tell stories about moments in their life. You generate positive word of mouth marketing by building memories for people. You also better land your key messages with them as it is ingrained in the moment you created for them.

Even better, the impact you have is greater. If you are creating moments for people you are having a positive impact on their lives. This is worth it even if it costs in the short term. Think about the long term impact you can have by delivering a defining moment for someone. They will never forget.

So how can you apply this concept to your presentations?

Be different

People sit in meetings, training, or conferences all the time. To stand out from the crowd you need to be different. This means doing something in your presentation that nobody does.

In Effortless Public Speaking, we talk about turning off the screen to draw attention to you. Who does that?! This is the feeling you want to create during your presentation. The shock that something has not followed how it usually goes sparks interest, ignites focus and will help you deliver a long lasting message.

Moments you deliver in presentations might not be life defining, but being different in order to associate the action you took with the message you are giving is a great technique.

Show the transformation

People love the idea that they can transform from where they currently are to where they want to be. They love it even more if you can provide the specific roadmap that will help them get there.

You might see this as needing to be an extraordinary story, but the reality is all you need is to create the curiosity gap. Give them the end point, and work your way to it, being intentional about the parts of the story you share. Relate everything to everyday moments and it will resonate with people — they will see themselves in the story.

A transformation, a journey, and a very clear actionable item is a way to create the impact that drives change and helps people take action.

Make your audience feel valued

It’s not about you, it’s about your audience — you will hear me say this countless times. How can you make your audience feel valued? Give them opportunities to contribute, and when they do listen and make them feel heard.

A feeling everybody wants is to be heard and for their thoughts to be considered. This should just happen automatically but the reality is that some people get overlooked. Value your audience by listening to them. If they feel heard, and action was taken on their input, or their question was carefully considered this will make them resonate with you. With resonance comes the opportunity for future moments.

Actionable takeaways

  • Stop following what other people do, or what you have always done — that is not a reason to do anything.

  • Show people the transformation, including the struggles, challenges, and pain points along the way, before giving them the actionable items they need to take.

  • Value your audience — make it all about them, and make them feel heard.

More from me

Liam Sandford
Previous

Prepare for your public speaking emergency
Next

3 common mistakes that are ruining your presentation