Master the Art of Influence: 5 Tactics for Captivating and Engaging Effectively That will Put you Ahead of the Rest for 2024

If you want to be better at presenting and engaging your audience it’s high time you paid attention to behavioural science, principles top advertising companies have used for decades to 'nudge' behaviour.

These rather cool principles will impact how people engage with you and your ideas.

Ignore this, and you’re leaving money on the table, missing out on building a voice that influences your work along with high-value networks.

It's just a case of understanding how our brains work.

You'll often find me quoting Rory Sutherland , Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK who says:

“The human mind does not run on logic any more than a horse runs on petrol.”

It's true.

If your brain was logical it would eat broccoli at every meal, consume only water, and get taxes done the first day of the season.

If you want to influence decision-making, boost your personal brand and present your ideas so that people engage with them you need to learn to speak to the illogical side of the brain, as well as the logical side.

Here are 5 examples that you can use tomorrow:

5 Behaviour Principles You Can Use:

1. The Role of Vanity in Decision-Making:

Vanity sells, period. It’s the secret sauce that turns a mundane message into a compelling one. Like it or not, vanity has been key to our survival - but that's another article.

How Advertising used vanity to manipulate people into brushing their teeth:

Claude Hopkins turned the toothpaste industry on its head by targeting vanity, not just health. He pushed Pepsodent by selling the dream of a brighter smile and better social appeal. This strategy wasn't just about cleaning teeth; it was about shining in society, about that killer smile opening doors.

This move didn't just nudge the sales – it exploded them. People bought into the idea of a product that not only improved health but also enhanced their appearance and social confidence.

How you can use this:

When pitching an idea or presenting, make it about how it elevates your audience's status, and their image. It's not just what you’re selling, it’s how you make them feel. Think about the emotion as a goal: powerful, strong, appealing, proud etc.

2. The Peak-End Rule in Experience

At the end, how you feel is almost as important as what you learnt.

It's all about the grand finale and those killer moments. The Peak-End Rule says people remember the highs and the end of any experience. Forget the dull parts; it’s those peak experiences that stick.

Make an unforgettable Showstopper

Take Disney theme parks, a classic example of the Peak-End Rule in action. Disney excels at creating peak moments - think of the exhilaration on a roller coaster or the awe during a parade. And they always ensure the day ends on a high note, often with a spectacular fireworks display. These are the moments visitors remember and talk about, not the waiting in lines or the walking between attractions.

How you can use this:

Next time you're presenting, pitching, or even selling, focus on creating those 'wow' moments. Then, seal the deal with a powerful ending. Leave them on a high, give them something to remember. Hit them with something spectacular – a startling fact, a groundbreaking idea (that's your peak), and then close with a bang. Make your last words as memorable as your first. It's about crafting those peak moments and nailing the ending that gets you remembered.

3. Endowment Effect: Creating a Sense of Ownership

Make them feel like it already belongs to them, and they’re halfway to buying it.

How the Tech Gods use it

Apple’s and Shopify’s strategies are masterclasses in the endowment effect. Apple's stores are like playgrounds where every gadget screams 'try me, own me'. And Shopify? They let you build a store, risk-free. It's no longer a sales pitch; it's a personal experience.

Customers start feeling a bond, a sense of ownership with the product, even before they officially own it. This psychological attachment is a powerful driver in turning interest into purchase.

How you can use this

Get your team in on the action early. Make them feel like they’re building something of their own. Ask them what they value. Ownership equals commitment.

4. Bystander Effect in Organisational Settings

Too many cooks in the kitchen, and no one’s cooking. When roles are unclear as to who should do what, it can lead to nothing happening, That’s the bystander effect.

Empowering people makes a more ethical workplace

The study “Employee Whistleblowing: A New Perspective” by Worth observed employees seeing some questionable behaviours, but no one speaking out.

Why?

The study found people unclear on what to do, thinking “someone else will blow the whistle,” or they’re scared to rock the boat.

It’s a classic bystander nightmare – everyone’s waiting for someone else to make the move, and the ship’s sinking. We've been many instances in the recent past of this crippling companies and trust in organisations.

When you assign clear roles, and make expectations crystal clear, you empower individuals to act, to take charge. It’s turning passive observers into active participants.

How you can use this principle

Right at the start of a presentation or meeting assign clear, individual responsibilities to give them certainty about what role they play. Like when they can ask questions, that you welcome challenges, or even invite someone to play devil's advocate. Make it known who’s doing what and what is expected of them. No hiding, no shirking. Use this and you'll see more involvement.

5. Scarcity Principle: The Exclusive Insight You Can't Miss

If something’s rare, it's gold. We’re hardwired to want what we can't easily have. That’s the scarcity principle: the rarer something is, the more valuable it becomes.

The secret you can't afford to miss out on..

Now, here's where it gets interesting. I’ve got an ace up my sleeve – a scarcity tactic so potent, so game-changing, that I can’t just spill it here. Why? Because some secrets are too good to give away in an article.

How you can use this principle

Think you’re ready for this level of strategy? This one’s reserved for those who take action.

If you're serious about elevating your game, about learning the kind of learn more behavioural techniques and how you can specifically use them to give you the edge in 2024, you'll need to comment No.5 to get the final lesson.

But be quick, this lesson will only be available to the first three to respond.

This is a part of my Presenting with Influence course.

If you want to know more about influencing techniques when you present yourself, send me a DM with the word“Present”. I’ll make sure you get both the training video and PDF workbook