The power to Tap into Emotion is something that has a universal appeal and can breathe life into simple cold facts. Have you ever pitched something you knew was great, only to have it shot down?
Of course you have. We all have. And though the rejection might be devastating in the moment, there’s a silver lining: More often than not, it has nothing to do with our ideas and everything to do with how our ideas are heard.
Whether it’s pitching yourself in a job interview, pitching a workflow improvement, or pitching investors, most professionals frequently use presentation skills to make an impact. Although we want to believe that everyone will listen to our ideas intently, evaluate them logically, and respond to them rationally, the truth is that the human brain is a staggeringly complex organism.
Our decision-making is based on so much more than just logic and reason; it’s also based on emotion, which is why learning to bring emotion into your pitches is an absolute must. In my time as the head of creativity and innovation at Disney, I spent nearly all day, every day pitching ideas and listening to the ideas of others.
And during this time, I uncovered three tools that help ensure the power of emotion is always being leveraged: sensory styles, empathy, and realness. These approaches can transform everything from your elevator pitch at a networking event to your big ask to donors. They can even help you during your appeal to your boss for a raise.
Styles of learning Close your eyes and try to answer the following question: How many days does September have? Hopefully, you answered “30.” But how you arrived at that number likely came about one of three ways. Auditory learners might have begun to recite phrase, “30 days has September” over and over.
Kinesthetic learners likely began counting the spaces between their knuckles. And visual learners likely pictured a calendar page. People process information differently according to their sensory styles, so it’s essential to take a multimodal approach to accommodate all sensory styles during a pitch.
To successfully sell your ideas (or yourself), act as if everyone in the room represents a different sensory learning style. Don’t just talk about an idea — show the audience an image or a mock-up. Have them touch the model, feel the fabric, test the new software, or stand beside you at the whiteboard as you expand on the idea in real time. When you integrate the full spectrum of sensory styles in your idea pitches, you’re likelier to connect with your audience emotionally. Empathy One of the most important emotions to leverage while sharing an idea is empathy.
After all, if your audience can see themselves in your idea, they’re significantly more likely to come on board. Empathy empowers you to look past the data and immerse yourself in others’ perspectives, enabling you to speak to what truly matters to them.
Whether you’re in a job interview, at a networking event, pitching for investors, or talking with your consumers, empathy uncovers ideas that might not be visible through data alone. Case in point, the writers at Pixar are some of the best in the world at using empathy to create audience buy-in. In the 2008 smash hit Wall-E, audiences around the world found themselves empathizing with a robot that doesn’t speak.
Why?
Because at the beginning of the film, Wall-E watches a clip from Hello, Dolly! and the audience sees that, more than anything, Wall-E wants to be loved. And that’s a feeling we all can empathize with, even if it’s coming from an animated robot.
To inspire empathy, invite others into the customer’s shoes and into their emotional state. Illustrate how your idea solves their problem or eases their worries. Harnessing empathy encourages your audience to feel the truth behind your idea in addition to just hearing it. Authenticity Humans are much more likely to understand an idea if it feels real. My team was once tasked with marketing the Aulani Disney Resort in Hawaii to a new audience: parents with toddlers.
Two bright young women pitched the idea of offering these parents packages of all the “stuff” they’d need to care for their children so that they didn’t have to travel with all their gear. When I first heard the idea, I just didn’t see the need for this service. But the pair came back to me a week later with a new pitch. Only this time, instead of telling me the idea, they filled our conference room with all the items that parents of two toddlers would need for a week. Multiple strollers, diaper bags, cribs, toys — a mountain of tangible “stuff” piled onto our conference room table. Immediately, their idea became real to me, and I understood its practical value.
And these parent packages become a core pillar of our new marketing program for the resort. Let’s illustrate the power of realness in another example. Recently, I began work on a project for a global pharmaceutical company looking for innovative ways to help patients with arthritis. But as I looked around the room, I realized that not a single person there had this debilitating condition.
So I made it real for them, giving everyone at the table a set of pennies and some Scotch tape. I instructed the group to affix two pennies onto each finger and on top of their knuckles.
We proceeded to spend the day with these pennies affixed to our hands, making the idea of living with arthritis much more real. This ultimately helped the team develop a new device to help arthritis patients open and close objects. To make ideas real, be sure to show your audience storyboards, sketches, or prototypes.
The goal is to make abstract ideas tangible so your audience can connect with them. Ideas don’t stand on their own. They require a human touch, and humans run on emotion. By leveraging sensory styles, empathy, and realness, you can ensure your ideas are being shared with the power of emotion — and that no good idea ever goes unheard again.
Written by Duncan Wardle, Former Vice President at The Walt Disney Company, Creativity and Innovation Expert and Speaker.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and click here to find more Motivational Speakers
Speaker Listing
No results available
Reset3 Ways to Tap into Emotion During a Pitch belongs to these Categories
Are you guilty of multi-tasking during meetings? Unfortunately, being present during meetings, especially present-day Virtual meetings, is so rare, I wish I could bottle and sell it. Here’s a few facts you can toss around the tele-conferencing office (Source: Prezi State of Attention Research): In any online meeting about 95 percent of the audience is probably multi-tasking. The […]
Zigazoo is the new “TikTok” for kids. In a nutshell, it’s an education/entertainment app, which engages students in meaningful learning and problem-solving activities whilst entertaining them. It doesn’t seem so harmful, does it? But, is it safe for kids? Zigazoo, the new “TikTok” for kids. The terms of service (but not the app description) clearly […]
In the vibrant city of #1 Leadership Speakers San Diego, where innovation meets opportunity, the demand for inspirational and transformational leadership is ever-present. Whether you’re organizing a corporate conference, a professional development seminar, or a community event, the inclusion of dynamic leadership speakers can elevate the experience and leave a lasting impact on attendees. With […]
Sara Sutton Fell, the founder of 1 Million for Work Flexibility, and CEO and founder of FlexJobs, shares tips on how to negotiate workplace flexibility. Workplace flexibility is not just an issue that impacts working women; working men are also eager for solutions that help them balance work and home, and a new survey from Working […]
A common problem new pilots struggle with is avoiding a PIO or pilot-induced oscillation. So how do we Stop the Cycle as We’re all familiar with the concept of overcorrecting in a car. A deer runs out, you’re driving tired, you’re near the edge of the road, and you yank the wheel the other direction […]
I’m coming to you from 30,000 feet, on my way to join my friend Jeff Glover for the Live Unreal Retreat in Traverse City, Michigan. I can’t wait to see some familiar faces and meet more amazing real estate agents after my Customer lesson learned. You know when someone references how long ago something happened […]
Choosing a professional speaker is a choice we assist you with. To take the head ache out of your planning and organisation to ensure your event runs smoothly and professionally 1. Decide on the Theme It’s no use looking for a wildlife speaker, if your theme is Future Global Trends. If you’re not sure whether […]
Navigating Tomorrow: The Future of Hybrid Event Planning In the ever-evolving landscape of event planning, the emergence of hybrid events has marked a paradigm shift in how we gather, connect, and share experiences. As the world continues to grapple with the implications of a global pandemic, the hybrid model has proven to be more than […]
No results available
ResetOur Mission:
© All rights reserved 2024. Designed using Voxel
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |