Over the last couple of months, I’ve given nearly a dozen keynote and breakout presentations. It’s been great to be back in the saddle, especially with the in-person events.

Almost without exception, each time I do a presentation I feel it was the best I’ve ever given. I also believe this; each one going forward will be even better. I believe that because I love what I do, I know what I share will help people professionally and personally, and I enjoy the anticipation and preparation that comes with big events.

I’d like to give you three areas of focus that will help make your next presentation your best ever.  

Know Your Stuff

This is a given. After all, why would anyone ask you to share with an audience if you didn’t have some perceived expertise? It’s not enough to know it in your head. You need to know your material so deeply that it flows from you.  

Your knowledge needs to go beyond what anyone can see on the screen, read in a book, or look up online. Knowing your stuff means mixing it together with your experience and views so it comes across in a unique way.

Finally, you should convey passion for whatever you’re sharing. The more people experience your passion, the more likely they are to believe you and take whatever action you’re calling them to.

Practice Your Butt Off

The difference maker is how you present what you know. That’s an important aspect of being able to influence people. Make no mistake about it, presenting in front of an audience is a skill, which means it can be learned, practiced, and perfected.

Once you know the time you’ve been given, cut it down by 5-7 minutes. You want to do this in case you don’t start on time, and it allows for your third-party introduction. This means you should be able to finish your 60-minute presentation in 53-55 minutes. If everything starts on time, great because you’ll have a few extra minutes of breathing room!

Practice isn’t memorization, it’s knowing your material so deeply that you can pivot in the moment if need be. It entails every aspect, such as when you’ll pause for the maximum impact on your audience. 

A great resource for learning more about this is Carmine Gallo’s book The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs.

Use Stunning Visuals

It cannot be overstated how important your visuals are to drive home the key points in your presentation! Visuals include pictures, video, and text. 

People think in pictures so having the right graphics throughout your presentation can enhance your stories and make your points stick. For example, when I share a story about the zoo, I have a beautiful picture of a lion. 

Video can be quite effective too. When I share a golf story, I show a short video of my wife teeing off at St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf. The video is superimposed into a television set, so she looks like she’s playing in a golf tournament on tv. 

You can use text if you do it the right way. No bullet points or sentences! When it comes to remembering key points, I often have a word or two in 96-point font on a black background, or some color other than white, to make it pop. 

My favorite resource for creating stunning visuals is Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds.

Conclusion

When you have an opportunity to present, never forget; you are as important as the material you’re presenting. It won’t matter the material or message if you fail to deliver it in a compelling way.

If you want to make your next presentation your best ever, focus on knowing your stuff, practice your butt off, and support everything with stunning visuals. 

Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CPT, CMCT

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only a dozen people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories. His newest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, will be available by year-end.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 400,000 people around the world.

I recently listened to Adam Grant interview Allyson Felix on his Work Life podcast. Allyson is the most decorated American Olympic track & field athlete of all time – male or female. She participated in five Olympic games starting at age 18 in 2004 and competed for the final time in 2021 at the age of 35. To put that in perspective, she’s been an Olympian half of her life. Remarkable!

Disappointment

Allyson talked about the disappointment of getting the silver medal at the 2008 games in London. She’d won silver in 2004 in Athens, was the favorite in 2008 in Beijing, but came in second again, losing to the same person as four years earlier.

She now looks back on that loss as the single most defining moment of her career. She said it prepared her for success because of what she learned from the experience. Specifically, the loss caused her to focus on what she might do better in ways she might not have if she’d won gold.

Energy

As I listened to her story and growth as a result, it reminded me of energy. The law of conservation of energy states: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form of energy to another. Winning and losing are forms of energy because each outcome generates feelings. How we convert those feelings – that energy – can determine future outcomes. 

While energy cannot be destroyed, it can be lost. For example, the engine of a car doesn’t perfectly convert gasoline into energy to run the car. One way we see that is the release of exhaust from the tailpipe. If the energy from gasoline was used perfectly it would all go into the motion of the car resulting in more miles per gallon. 

With that in mind, we can view events in life as energy transference. What you do with that energy will be a big determinant of how your life unfolds. Some people let disappointment discourage or ruin them while others use the same circumstances as a catalyst to forge ahead to great achievements.

Choice

Allyson lost a race in 2008 and could have stopped running. She’d already put in eight years of intense training and would need to put in another four if she wanted to pursue her dream of gold. She could have rationalized that she was getting older and her best years were behind her. After all, she would be 26 years old at the 2012 London games, not exactly young for an Olympian. 

But Allyson made a different choice. She took the lessons from that disappointment in Beijing and converted that energy into a gold medal in 2012. In 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, she won her 11th medal, bettering the decades old record of 10 by Carl Lewis. In doing so she earned the distinction as the most decorated U.S. track & field Olympian of all time.   

Conclusion

Life will hand you energy in the form of wins and losses, achievements and failures, joy and disappointment. The question for you, for each of us, is what will each of us do with that energy? 

Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CPT, CMCT

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only a dozen people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories. His next book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, will be available by year-end.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 400,000 people around the world.

“Will you listen for a change?” That phrase can be interpreted several ways depending on who it is talking, the tone of voice, the situation, history between the people, etc. In this instance, I don’t mean it in some angry, “You never listen to me,” way. No, my intention is this; sometimes a willingness to listen is what prompts change. 

A Chance Encounter

I was out of town a few weeks ago to speak at a conference. My first night in town I didn’t have any dinner plans, so I decided to sit at the bar, have a meal, enjoy some Scotch, and watch whatever ball game was on the big screen tv. 

There were only two open seats, one on either side of an individual who was near the end of the bar. As I observed the man, I thought he might have a disability based on his movements and speech. To be honest, that made me not want to sit next to him. At that moment I wish Jane or Abigail had been with me. Jane plays golf with a blind friend and Abigail works with the deaf. They are more graceful around people than I am, and I was feeling awkward and unsure.

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

But I went against my natural tendency, made the decision to step out of my comfort zone and took a seat next to the man. Truthfully, I also felt like God was tapping me on the shoulder and I’ve learned to respond to those promptings. I knew if anything good came out of the situation it certainly wouldn’t be due to anything on my part other than a willingness to be obedient. 

After a few moments I struck up a conversation with the man. He wasn’t disabled, just really, really drunk. We started to talk. He shared, I listened. I asked questions and he did his best to respond. 

Two hours later he was much more sober. I’d learned a great deal about him and why he was in the state he was in. He learned a little about me too. I gave him my card and asked him to stay in touch. He did connect with me on Facebook shortly thereafter.

A Prayer Answered

About a week later, on a morning walk I asked God to have the man reach out to me if He wanted me to communicate with him. Later that day I started getting messages from the man on Facebook. Coincidence? I don’t know where you stand on God and spiritual matters, but I believe it was God prompting him and answering my prayer.

I’ve found whenever I respond to what I believe God is asking of me, the person I interact with benefits. However, just as importantly, I benefit too. My faith grows because I know I’m being used by God to help someone. I cannot describe how that feels but I hope you have felt it or feel it one day. It’s indescribable!

Conclusion

All God wanted was for me to meet that man where he was. No condemnation, I think he’s had enough of that. No advice, I’m sure he’s heard more well-intentioned advice than he can recall. No agenda, he’s not a project, he’s a person. I was called to listen, ask questions to learn more, and to honestly answer his questions. I think each of us is capable of listening, asking, and answering.

I’ll conclude with this; will you listen for a change? You might be surprised at who changes as a result.

Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CPT, CMCT

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only a dozen people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories. His next book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, will be available by year-end.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 400,000 people around the world.

 

My next book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is with my editor and on track for release later this year! Below is another sneak peek for your enjoyment. In this chapter the protagonist, John Andrews, learns about the principle of unity in an unexpected way that helps it drop from his head to his heart.

Family Practice

In January John made a trip to New Mexico. Not nearly as populous as Arizona or Texas, he didn’t have many clients there but he was looking for prospects in Albuquerque. That’s where he met Al Harris, the lead physician in an unusual medical facility. Upon arriving at the newly furnished office John felt different than he did with other clients. He noticed a deep camaraderie among the employees. Everyone was friendly, not only with clients, but each other. It went beyond smiles and greetings, they seemed to genuinely enjoy helping each other. It was a family practice that seemed like it was run by an actual family.

After spending time touring the facility they moved to Al’s office. While he was in Al’s office John listened with his eyes and ears. What he noticed was unmistakable.

John took Al to lunch so they could relax and get to know one another. “Al, I do my best to pay close attention to people and the environments I’m in. Something stood out about your office,” John started out.

“Oh really,” Al replied after swallowing a bite of his salad. “What’s that?”

Setting down his fork, John went on, “There’s a closeness between your staff, almost like family. It’s unlike anything I’ve noticed in other physician’s practices. What do you attribute it to?”

Wiping his mouth with the cloth napkin, looking straight into John’s eyes, Al said, “John, I’m going to share something with you that I don’t tell most people unless I see a need for help or the curiosity you displayed. I’m a recovering alcoholic.”

John was taken back because he never would have imagined someone as outgoing, friendly, and successful as Al would struggle with alcohol. Apparently his face betrayed his thoughts because Al said, “You look surprised John.”

A little embarrassed, looking down rather than directly at Al, John confessed, “Al, you don’t fit the image I had of an alcoholic. I mean, recovering alcoholic.”

Al laughed and that put John at ease. “Don’t worry John, you’re not alone in that thought. We come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and walks of life. I’ve been sober for 30 years now.”

“Congratulations! But, what does all of this have to do with what I noticed in the office?” John inquired.

“Not only am I alcoholic,” Al said, “Nearly everyone who works for me is on the road to recovery.” He smiled as he shared that, proud that he was able to help people who are sometimes marginalized by employers. 

That blew John away. Curious he went on, “I had no idea and never would have guessed. I don’t know anyone who is an alcoholic so I wonder; how can you trust someone who struggles with alcohol?”

“Usually when I invite someone in for an interview they feel unqualified to work in an office environment like ours. I tell them if they can beat the disease then anything we ask them to do will seem easy by comparison. They usually light up at that, as if they’re thinking, ‘I never thought of that but he might be right!’” 

John asked an obvious question, “What do you do when someone relapses?”

Finishing his salad, Al said, “We love ‘em, support ‘em, and get them the help they need. If they get back on track, we take ‘em back. If they don’t, we let them know we’re still here to support them but we need people we can rely on because our patients count on us. We’ve only lost two people in 20 years.”

“That’s incredible Al. How does that tie into the family atmosphere I sensed?” John inquired as he sipped his iced tea. 

“Family is as close as we can get. Helping family members is almost like helping ourselves because we share the same genes. The depth of the relationship between alcoholics isn’t genetic but it’s almost unparalleled. Perhaps only people who’ve served in the military share as close a bond. I think most alcoholics would agree with me when I say; helping another alcoholic is almost like helping myself and when they help me they’re also helping themselves. Does that make sense?” Al asked John.

“Completely,” John replied. “I think it goes to something I learned in college. There is a psychological principle called unity that describes it. That principle says it’s easier for people to say yes to those they see as one of them, part of the tribe, so to speak. I’ve always noticed the ‘band of brothers’ with the military but now I see it can apply to people and groups I never considered before.” 

Al shared, “I know what we’re doing is good and it works so well because we’re all in the same boat. It can be tough on regular businesses to hire alcoholics just as it might be for some ex-military to assimilate into ordinary life. There’s a brotherhood in each case that helps.” 

“Al, I appreciate your authenticity and trust to share all of this with me, especially since this is the first time we’ve met. I really look forward to learning more from you as we continue to get to know each other,” John said as he got ready to sign the credit card slip.

When he went back to the hotel he quickly wrote what he learned from Al. Unity was a concept John understood in his head but not in his heart…until that day with Al. He wrote, “Unity is about shared identity. People will be most likely to help others with whom they share an identity. It’s almost as if we is me and me is we.”

Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CMCT

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only a dozen people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 400,000 people around the world.

 

What would you think if I told you had a 1 in 275,000 chance of really knowing all that’s going on with you? According to science your subconscious processes about 11 million bits of information per second. Wow! On the other hand, your conscious brain only processes about 40 bits of information during that same second. What?? That’s right, your subconscious is processing 275,000 bits of information for every bit that your conscious brain is handling. 

Granted, most of that processing deals with information you don’t need to actively focus on (hint: that’s why the subconscious does it) like your heartbeat, breathing, body temperature, and other bodily regulation. The subconscious is also dealing with the environment; sights, sounds, odors, and other stimuli. Only when something in the environment is novel or threatening does it come to the surface of your consciousness. Be thankful for that because if you had to consciously think about every aspect of your body and the environment you wouldn’t have time for anything else and you’d be exhausted.

Awareness and Unawareness

When you become aware of how much you’re unaware of then it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that most of what you do is outside of your conscious mind control. That doesn’t mean you’re randomly bouncing around like a rubber ball in a box throughout your day. There are certainly patterns to your thinking and behavior. However, those patterns are driven in large part by your subconscious, the old tapes that are playing in the background of your head. 

Salespeople have known this for a long time and put it this way, “People buy based on emotion then justify with logic.” Science seems to confirm this. You take some action then come up with a reason you believe you did what you did.

What’s Motivating You?

Beyond subconscious vs. conscious, your brain wiring plays into this big time. In Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, authors Ori and Rom Brafman cite some fascinating brain research around motivation and actions.

When you’re motivated by rewards a particular part of the brain Ori and Rom call the “pleasure center” (nucleus accumbens) is activated. When you engage in altruistic tasks another part of the brain they call the “altruism center” (posterior superior temporal sulcus) is activated. 

Here’s the fascinating thing; science has determined the pleasure and altruism centers cannot be active at the same time. In other words, you either do something for altruistic reasons or for some type of reward that will give you pleasure. 

Let’s consider giving as an example. When you donate money to a charitable cause, no matter the motivation for your act of giving, the recipient will benefit. That’s good. When it comes to giving, I’m sure most people would “convince” themselves they’re donating out of kindness and a desire to help. A brain scan might reveal something quite different. Some people might have done it out of the goodness of their hearts whereas others really wanted a tax break. Whatever the reason, the scan doesn’t lie; it’s either altruistic or pleasure driven no matter what you believe. 

Historical Reference

When I first learned about this I was reminded of a passage in the Bible. Jesus said the Pharisees (religious leaders of the day) practiced their religion to be seen by people, not out of a love of God. As a result, they had their reward in full, the admiration of man but not God.

Here’s another notable difference between altruistic acts and momentary pleasures; unlike pleasure, which often requires more and more, altruistic acts don’t take as much to be triggered in the brain and the good feelings linger longer. 

Conclusion

I’ll close with a quote I’ve shared many times over the years. Ben Franklin correctly surmised, “Three things are extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.” Way back in the 1700s Ben didn’t have scientific research to back up that claim, so we’ll just assume he got lucky, perhaps 1 in 275,000 chance of being right. 

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only 20 people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories. 

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 400,000 people around the world.