The WIIAA Effect

Imagine…

You are invited by Melinda, your CMO, to attend a business meeting. It’s a random meeting in your company where the leaders of the different business units of your marketing department talk about current issues.

Matt Major, a tall marathon running type of guy, kicks off the endless round of presentations. Everyone in your company calls him Mad Matt because of his sudden and unexpected choleric outbursts.

Mad Matt did not prepare the projector before the meeting [SURPRIIIIISE], so three dead minutes pass thanks to tiring tech issues.

Finally. The moment of glory has come. Mad Matt positions himself at the end of the long conference table, next to the screen, and starts to say…

…nothing!

He says nothing because everything he mutters and mumbles before the actual presentation is what we call a DISCLAIMER.

“So, hey guys, first of all, I want to say sorry that it took a while to get this projector going. [Never say ‘Sorry’ on stage. It drags down your authority.] But, haha [fake laughter], now we are all set. [Are we???] So let’s go. But before that, I also want to say thanks to our team lead Melinda for organizing this meeting… [Really? You slimy little prick!] Anyways, if you have any questions during my presentation, don’t hesitate and shoot! [This is an exclusive invitation to Armageddon!!]. So guys, are you ready? [No, we are not ready. We’ve already fallen asleep! And you better flush your obvious rhetorical questions down the toilet!!]”

?Kill your disclaimers!

Already bored to death, after 47 seconds, you and the rest of your team think about your own presentations, while Mad Matt finally begins to say something, let’s call it business relevant.

Mad Matt, who despite his choleric tendencies loves to constantly smile while he’s listing to his own words, instantly dives into his usual marketing business jargon.

One buzzword chases the next buzzword: KPIs, metrics, conversion rates, ROAS (Return on Advertising Spent), efficiencies, values, customer centricity, … a tsunami of marketing and business clichés. Everything he says, Mad Matt keeps it in the fog of generic. Not one single example, not one single anecdote, not one single story. Specifics? Dead loss.

But all this is not your main concern. And it’s not the main concern of your colleagues either. Business jargon has its place. You all speak the same language; you all are on the same page.

Your main concern is... Wait!

Before I reveal a simple truth, one simple question.

Have you ever attended a presentation – like the one of Mad Matt – where, after 10 long and awful minutes, you had no idea where the whole thing was leading to?

Where you felt this martyring thought… WIIAA!!! WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT???

Where you felt like the three protagonists in The Big Lebowski???

I know you’ve felt this way in the past because I’ve asked this question hundreds of times in training sessions in 16 countries. Confirming nods everywhere!

Why?

The answer lies in a simple truth.

People speak without a message.

People like Mad Matt share content, yes. But when I ask the audience only five minutes later, “What was the message of Matt?”, silence.

And after a while… 10 different answers.

Your message is the most important phrase of your entire presentation. Get it right. Nail it! Make your message immortal!

How?

In my online course Push Your Pitch I lead you through the entire process of creating a persuasive presentation – from a blank sheet to rock-solid screen slides. The main part of the course features eight steps, your message being step number three.

Don’t do it like Mad Matt. You can do better!

See you in the free overview of the course.?