Decisions, Decisions, Decisions:
The Goal of Presentations

Truth be told, the purpose of every presentation is to help the audience make a decision. Informational presentations guide future decisions, but sales, investor and management presentations are designed to help the audience make more immediate decisions. That doesn’t mean the person will make a buying decision right then-and-there. Rather the goal is to get the audience to respond "wow, we really need to do that (e.g., buy that product)", and then feel empowered with both the logic and emotion of the potential action to share what they know with other decision-makers so they collectively can make the buying decision. Effective presentations produce the desired results, by hitting all the elements of decision-making.

These include:

• Facts. Is the information adequate to support the decision?
• Sequence. Does the presentation guide the decision-making process to the logical conclusion or is it disjointed with unconnected parts?
• Persuasive. Especially if the audience has other options, does the presentation give a solid reason why you should act as requested and reject the other options?
• Urgency. Is there a compelling reason to act now?
• Secure. Researchers have shown people prefer to avoid risk more than gain benefits. Therefore, do you feel "safe" making the decision?
In addition, address how the audience will react to the presenter.

• Trust. Does the speaker and the presentation delivery evoke feelings of trust – that the presenter and company are reliable partners/sources?
• Competent. Does the speaker come across as an expert, so he/she can handle the inevitable related issues?
• Like. Do you feel good about the presenter – especially if you’re going to let him/her lead you down a new road.

Ultimately, you want the audience to enthusiastically endorse the decision you want them to make. Why? Because all too often there are people who will resist or oppose your ability to buy-in and you will have to marshal your wits and resources and persistently convince them of the wisdom of your decision.

So, the next time you’re going to present information to an audience, go beyond identifying the goal that you want to achieve, identify all the decision-making elements that will let the audience achieve that goal!

Presentation Tips from the
"Psychology of Persuasion"

1. Provide Social Proof. Sharing how your clients are using your product provides confidence. Sharing with a prospect reference clients they recognize offers a kind of endorsement that facilitates decision making.
2. Risk Aversion Beats Gaining Benefits. Sales 101 teaches us not to focus on the features, but the benefits. But sales 201 builds on the psychological finding that people are more likely to avoid risk than seek gains. Therefore, it’s more persuasive to show a prospect what he will lose if he doesn’t follow through on your action than what he will gain. (E.g., if your competitor buys our product first, he will have the competitive edge!)
3. Provide benchmarks for success. We all look for feedback. Having a way to measure some level of success encourages us to believe that the situation is working – reducing risk and providing gain.
4. Alignment for Sales Proposition. Demonstrate that the benefits of the product/service are aligned with the buyer’s goals, both personally and professionally.
5. Let the prospect experience your product/service. If there is a way to give the prospect something in advance – such as free trial – it engages the person who can then internalize the positive feelings toward the product and your generosity, rather than be a passive observer.