Youโre familiar with the phrase โcuriosity killed the catโ.ย Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it definitely is a benefit to human beings.ย This emotion can be an effective tool to creating [and keeping] your audienceโs interest.
In their classic business book Made to Stick, authors Chip and Dan Heath discuss the power of curiosity, stating โThe human brain, once it is faced with a question, does not rest easy until the question is answered.โย They further add โitโs like having an itch that needs to be scratched.โ
How can this help you as a presenter? Use curiosity to create questions that keep your audienceโs attention.ย Think about a standard business presentation. Typically it follows a basic format, a โdata dumpโ of information that leaves nothing to the imagination and does not challenge the listener. It is merely a rehash of ideas that could easily be handed out on an 8-1/2โ x 11โ sheet orย emailed to the audience.
Or, consider the speaker who wants to prevent accidents at a dangerous intersection.ย She could cite a long list of statistics, examples of ineffective state laws, and make a plea to install traffic lights to reduce accidents.ย The information is correct, but does not create curiosity and desire to hear more.
On the other hand, what if she started with a story about Josh and Maria, driving home from a party, and sideswiped at the intersection by an inattentive driver. What questions could this scene raise?ย Do Josh and Maria survive?ย What about the other driver?ย What could have been done to prevent the accident?ย How many other families have been affected by accidents in this intersection?ย Why hasnโt something been done before?ย What will happen as a result of this latest accident?
By raising these questions, the speaker gains the audiencesโ attention, emotionally pulls them into her speech, and is more likely to gain their support to take action to solve the problem.
As you write your next presentation, take the advice of the Heath brothersโฆrather than ask โWhat information do I need to convey?โ ask โWhat questions do I need to ask my audience to raise their curiosity?โย Those questions will draw the audience into your world as you keep them on the edge of their seats, waiting to have their curiosity satisfied.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
The first 5 chapters of the soon-to-be-released book,ย ‘THE Book on Storytelling.’ ย This book offers you a template to discover, develop and deliverย stories that positively impact others. The first 5 chapters serve as a foundation to help you uncover the stories that will connect with your audience. This is your preview for the book that World Champion of Public Speaking Ed Tate, CSP calls “Outstanding! This book will be my new #1 storytelling resource!”
To download these chapter, click here
Michaelโs mission is to help leaders, managers and sales professionals communicate with more confidence, impact, and influence. This passion is born from his own communication difficulties early in his career.
Fortunately, he discovered that public speaking is like riding a bike, swimming or driving a car - itโs a learnable skill. Once he discovered this โsecretโ he became a voracious student of the craft. He took courses, studied some of the worldโs best speakers and storytellers and continues to study presentation and business storytelling skills.
He is hired by companies and organizations, leaders, managers and sales professionals, and TEDx speakers to help them become more confident, impactful and influential communicators.
Address:
Phone: 
