3 Engaging Ways to Present and Leave People Wanting More

How do you leave a strong first impression when you only have a limited time to present yourself? (i.e., in a fifteen-minute speech given at work, or in a five-minute conversation with someone in the queue for coffee)? After all, we all want to be remembered as our best selves.

  1. Tell your story.

    Start off your speech or conversation with a story, introduce one mid-way through, or end with an anecdote.
    There’s a reason people watch TV instead of constantly streaming TED talks. We’d much rather get whisked away in fantasy than ponder the true questions of reality. So be the narrator of your own experiences. Just make sure to keep your points consistent and clear through it all.

  2. Connect your topic to something your audience will understand.

    People love to talk about themselves, learn about themselves, and find out more about themselves. We are constantly making connections between the world around us and our own experiences. The first step here is to know your audience like the back of your own hand. Then, you can cater your points to their own desires and experiences and get them much more involved in what you’re saying.

  3. Know exactly what you want to say and what you want to accomplish.

    This can be hard if you are talking about a topic you cannot personally relate to or that you are not fully invested in. But that is why we tend to talk about the things we know most about in everyday conversation – we like to stay in our comfort zone. So do your research, get comfortable with your topic and just keep reminding yourself what you want your audience to walk away with. Stay away from phrases like “I think” and use of the passive voice (i.e. “I believe it would be best” vs. “It is the best option”). Using active verbs and declarative statements to come across confident, strong and memorable.

Share your stories on the page! What are some things you do to get people to remember you (at networking events, etc.)? I always love to hear what’s working for you!

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