Language and influence are inextricably connected. The spoken word has the power to propel and spread your ideas and message. Moving an idea from its inception to adoption is difficult. However, it is a battle that can be won simply by implementing a persuasive presentation.
Presenting your ideas can either evoke puzzled stares or enchanting enthusiasm. The outcome is determined by how effectively your message is delivered and how well it resonates with the audience. As a matter of fact, if it does not resonate with people, you will not gain the endorsement of your audience. However, after a successful presentation, you may hear others say, “Wow, that really resonated with me.”
What does it mean to truly resonate with someone?
Resonance is a delightful phenomenon in physics, which is highly applicable in our interaction with others. The law states that if you know an object’s natural rate of vibration, you can make it vibrate without touching it. Resonance occurs when an object’s natural vibration frequency responds to an external stimulus of the same frequency. It simply describes how like attracts like.
Below, you will find a marvellous visualization of resonance. Here, a physicist poured salt onto a metal plate and connected it to an amplifier so that the sound waves travelled through the plate. As the frequency increased, the sound waves constricted and the specks of salt jiggled, popped, and rearranged themselves into lovely patterns as if they knew where they belonged.
Now, you are probably wondering, how does this phenomenon relate to presentations?
Powerful presentations can captivate audiences, while weaker presenters fail to engage their listeners. But what exactly happens in the brains of a captivated audience?
A recent study in the Oxford Journals discovered that during lower-quality presentations, the brain activity of audience members was out of sync. Conversely, throughout higher-quality speeches, listeners as a group were more coupled to each other. This suggests that effective presentations are more potent in taking control of the listeners’ neural responses.
How many times have you hoped to see students, employees, investors, or potential clients jiggle, sizzle, and realign themselves to adopt your message and create a new future? Do you wish your audience were as agreeable and cohesive in thought and purpose as the particles of salt?
The good news is, they can be! If you acclimatize to the frequency of your audience so that the message resonates profoundly, they too will reposition themselves to carry your message forward. Your audience instinctively will move towards the message and create something collectively beautiful.
As a presenter, it is critical to understand that the audience does not need to fine-tune themselves to you. Rather, you need to tune your message to them. Your audience will only be inspired when you communicate an idea that caters to their needs and desires. When you understand the hearts and the minds of your audience, you will be able to resonate with them. You will generate a powerful response and create change.