3 Ps to Plan to Persuade

What do you do when you’re asked to speak?

 

Sit and let your mind wander?

 

Ask specific questions to guide your talk?

 

Develop a plan?

 

**Did you answer “Yes,” to all three questions?

 

Hopefully, you’re not like some speakers and show up and present their speech without any planning or preparation. (*Please don’t do this.)

 

No matter what walk of life you’re in professionally, you communicate with others.

 

Dale Carnegie said, “A talk is a voyage with purpose, and it must be charted. The man who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there.” 

 

**Craft your main points to align with your presentation’s purpose.**

 

Not knowing the “why” will hurt the “how” you speak.

 

Here’s my plan to persuade my audience to listen:

 

Prepare: Analyze the audience and create a thoughtful message targeted to them.

 

The more you prepare, the better your talk will be.

 

Think context. 

 

Where are you speaking? 

 

Who is your audience? 

 

What does your audience expect from your message?

 

These three core questions guide you in crafting your message.

 

Practice: Once you’ve created your talk, say your talk out loud.

 

Just reading the notecards doesn’t count. 

Speak the actual words.

Feel the cadence.

Note what words work and what doesn’t.

 

Pause: Breathe more. 

 

We are in control of our breath, and our breath is here to support us.

 

Be okay with the silence. 

Stop and listen and watch your audience’s response. 

 

There’s lots of persuasive power in silence.

 

Once you prepare, practice, and pause, you’ll make the impact you desire.