Be Memorable, Credible and Different

Is there a secret recipe for success in business? For sure, it contains a lot of important ingredients such as luck, network, EQ, DNA, motivation, background, IQ, personality and the hard work you are willing to invest. I believe in the power of the number 3, so here are my top 3 ingredients on how get noticed, stand out and increase your chances to influence favorable decisions.

1. Be Memorable

Tell stories

World famous neurologist John Medina claims we remember 6 times more facts when it is presented in the form of a story. The New York City University supports this after conducting an experiment: Students listened to 1-minute pitches, with a lot of concrete data. A few of the pitches were delivered as stories. Can you guess which message was remembered 10 times better? Learning the skill of creating and telling a short (personal) story in a business context will increase your change for your message AND as a result, you, to be more memorable.

Close with impact, using a recipe

Ending any presentation with Q&A or an awkward "..OK...this was it!" is so 1990's and I can bet you it wasn't appreciated back then, either. Here is a 6 step recipe to guide your close and be more memorable:

1. Regain their attention by signaling you are approaching the key message. You can do this by saying something like: "Coming to the end.."; "With a few more minutes to go.."; "While we are approaching the end.."
2. Remind them what you promised to talk about. You could say: "Today you were going to see/ experience/ hear about...". This should repeat the line from the beginning of your presentation, where you tell your audience what will be in it for them by listening to your presentation.
3. Summarize and conclude. You could show the agenda again or an overall visual to summarize and say: "What you have seen was ABC, XYZ and 123". Do not forget to end this part with a strong conclusion like: "I am convinced that.."; "I am positive that.." or "I am absolutely sure that..", as this is the message you want them to accept or buy into.
4. "What are you remaining questions?" Hopefully there was time for Q&A after each agenda topic. Still, there still might be remaining questions and if so, then after the summary/conclusion is a great moment to open the room for questions. More about 'Dealing with questions'.
5. Never end with Q&A. End with your call to action or the 1 thing that should be more memorable. You can say: "If there is 1 thing I want you to remember, it is this.." Shoulders up, breath in, take a step forward and then tell them what it is.
6. Say: "Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day/ weekend/ event/ session/ evening.

The above recipe has worked for me and for those whom I have trained or prepared many times before. It works!

Keep it Simple

If it is not simple the audience will not be able to remember it easily or maybe they don't want to.

E = mc^2 and A^2 + B^2 = C^2 are famous. Most will recognize and remember those.

But who can remember the famous Black-Scholes formula or the formula for Normal Distribution? Any one? All great and very important formulas but if not formulated or explained simply, like any form of communication, it's difficult to remember.

“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” - Albert Einstein

Consider that your audience does not all know what you are referring to and guide them to what you want to communicate. Keep it short and concise, using Layman's terms and relatable metaphors will get you a long way.

2. Be Credible

Body Language & Voice projections

While a doctor who puts his diagnostoc in Layman's terms is easy-to-follow, it is his spotless white lab coat (and his diploma on the wall) that gives him credibility. Same goes for uniforms in almost any profession. (e.g. police, red cross, SWAT, flight attendant, blue helmets and pilots). As a business(wo)man, how you dress is important if only for the first impression, but you should also use your pitch and body language to dress up your message in an aura of credibility. You would not want a surgeon with a shaky hand at the foot of your hospital bed. Use your voice confidently and as a tool effectively. Use you pitch, pace, volume and tonality to support your message and your credibility.

Another way to get credibility is to quote a famous person. Even when we see or hear them in a commercial, it is far more likely that we believe them versus a stranger. Think how you can use this to your advantage using phrases such as: "According to [famous person] here are 6 ways to [do something better/more/faster].

Linkedin profile

A first impression is important. For now I do not refer to your clothing, your watch or jewelry, your car, pen or shoes. Not even your handshake or the way you make and sustain eye contact to make a great first impression. According to Linkedin, more than 3 out 4 people you will meet in business will check you out beforehand. So, you better start working on your Linkedin profile too. You can start building on your credibility before you meet them in person. Your profile should show your qualities with derived credibility and be more like a top 10 most professional profile and not one of the bottom 90. Your profile could be resume-like aka headhunter centric or customer centric depending on your current needs. There are many top10 lists available on the internet how to improve your Linkedin profile properly. Look for any list and apply it. It's not that hard at all. It just takes a little of your time. So don't put this off, but NIKE-it! and do it well.

A large network on Linkedin with appropriate or C-level connections and interactions shows credibility. Posts with valuable added content (video, link, etc) about a certain topic accompanied by your opinion, shows credibility to your network. A self-written article or blog gives your potential customer or recruiter a sample of what they get if they choose to work with you. It shows credibility so make it awesome!

If you like some tips how to write your first article on Linkedin, have a look here. The first article from Lorena Trambitas about writing a first article.

Whiteboarding & Visual storytelling

My teachers and professors had credibility. I remember that I valued their content as true back then. Now, knowing some of it was false, incorrect or complete nonsense. Insights and knowledge grow over time. Their university title did a lot but still without a title and standing before the white/black/green board building their material life in front of me, they gained a lot of credibility.

You may have heard about picture superiority effect – images + words are more likely to be remembered than words alone. Research from CorporateVisions and Dr. Z. Tormala (Stanford University) shows that this effect is maximized by using a whiteboard (or flipchart) It is recommended to accompany each key phrase by an engaging drawing or image. By using a whiteboard or flip chart there is more engagement, 16% improvement in memory for message content. The whiteboard presentation was easier to understand, more enjoyable, created more trust and was simply 'better' than the other 2 formats.

Also the whiteboard condition showed more credibility towards the presenter. With more experience and more trustworthiness. Overall, the whiteboard presentation created 8% increase in perceived credibility compared to PowerPoint and the Zen presentation. So if you are looking for a 2% advantage, here you go.

Why not start working on your visual storytelling techniques? Here an example where with icons (like dots, circles, lines, boxes, triangles) and a little color and shadow you immediately create a more memorable and impactful message. As a bonus, more credibility. Do not worry about your drawing skills. Anyone can draw. Only a few minutes of dedicated training and some exercises and you can begin mastering this skill.

3. Be Different

First grab your audience’s attention, then deliver your message. After the "Good Morning.. and/or Welcome.." open with a captivating attention grabber. Get their attention first! Your name and job title will most likely show on the screen behind you, or is already known based on the agenda (reminder) invites. Attention first and the rest comes second. There are many ways to do this. Ask a question that encapsulated your value message, tell a story, show a picture or short video, gamify your messages, or change the location or delivery format to create a experience to remember. For more ideas have a look at 'My 20 best attention grabbing opening slides from the last 5 years.' Not many people, still unfortunately do this. If you want to be different, then NIKE this one too.

If you want to be different, look no further than the mirror. Be yourself. There is only one of you and there is no one better in being you. It always starts with awareness. Be aware of what you bring to the table, your skills, knowledge, emotions. Your behaviors, personality and your non-verbal communication. Be aware first and then decide how to use these to get the best possible outcome.

Do you like to stand out in a crowd? What techniques do you use to make yourself more memorable and credible? Happy to hear from you in the comments below!

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Thank you for reading my post. Here?at LinkedIn I regularly write about Presentation and Delivery Skills and how commercial B2B professionals can get the most out of them. If you would like to read my future?posts then simply add me to your network or click <Follow>.