Our weeks are filled with meetings and one-on-ones that often require some level of persuasion to get someone to move forward on something. These things can be small – the position and size of a logo on a marketing piece – or big – a new budget item for a website redesign. No matter what the ask is, you need to know how to communicate your point with authority and clarity in a way that makes sense to decision makers. 

A little bit of work on the front end of a presentation – positioning yourself as a persuasive speaker – can help you effectively deliver your message. You need to establish yourself as a credible source of information before your audience will listen to what you have to say.

On the podcast Changing Minds with Owen Fitzpatrick, he shares techniques from the ancient art of rhetoric (the art of persuasion and public speaking) that help us position ourselves as credible speakers.

• Remind people of your experience, knowledge, and successes. Remind people why the information you are presenting is credible. You can do this in a subtle way “at my previous firm…” or directly “I have 15+ years of marketing experience in A/E/C.” Focus on the area that works the best for you. New to marketing? No problem – you studied business and marketing in school. No again? Then do some research! Find credible sources and cite them to support your point (the Deltek Clarity Report is a great source). Remind your audience why you are qualified to provide the advice you are giving.

• Communicate your values and what you stand for. This is a way to establish common ground with your audience. This can be overt “I value creativity, teamwork, and hard work!” or more subtly “I’m an active committee member in SMPS.”  Remember, true values differ from aspirational ones in that your actions easily illustrate your point. 

• Show practical wisdom and judgement. How have you demonstrated that you are a good decision maker? You can also share wise or insightful statements from thought leaders that share your point of view. Think of people or institutions your audience will be receptive to.

• Show goodwill toward your audience. Be appreciative and respectful of people’s time and attention. Think of ways you can genuinely show that you care about your audience. Sometimes this is a simple “Thank you for your time today.”

• Use authority to reinforce your positions. You can (and should) borrow authority from other sources and cite them (again, check out the Deltek Clarity Report). I quickly learned working for engineers that I need external data sources to validate my claims. 

•  Character reference. Refer to your own character as a tool of persuasion. Do you have background or experience that aligns you with your audience? Are you a business developer that started as an engineer? Use commonalities to establish rapport. 

Before you panic – you don’t have to use all of these. This is not a checklist. Just spend a moment on this the next time you need to give a presentation. Someone sent me this podcast before I had to present before our entire leadership team. I used a few of the techniques – literally two sentences – to position myself before I dove in. People remarked it was helpful to be reminded of my experience before I joined the firm. 

Good luck out there!

Check out the podcast here: Owen Fitzpatrick