Here’s the scenario: There’s a problem in your workplace. You’ve found a solution to that problem that has worked for you. You think people would benefit from following your example.
You’ve got three minutes.
You need a Follow-my-example presentation!
Continuing the series on short talks, we turn to Matt Cutts’ presentation on why you should try something new for 30 days. Matt is the head of the webspam team at Google but here we see him making a personal recommendation.
It’s snappy, friendly, and quietly inspirational.
See if you can spot how the structure works…
How to invite people to follow your example like Matt Cutts
Start by describing how you began (in a way we identify with and gets our attention)
A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in rut…
State the solution you tried
…so I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher Morgan Spurlock and try something new for 30 days.
Explain the idea simply
The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you’ve always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days.
Answer the most obvious question people might have about your solution, including something they can identify with
It turns out that 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit, like watching the news, from your life.
Say you’re going to offer a few things you learned (nicer than saying ‘Here are the benefits…’)
There’s a few things I learned while doing these 30 day challenges.
Give first benefit – make it something unexpected that appeals to our emotions
The first was: instead of the months flying by forgotten, the time was much more memorable.
Give an example we might identify with
This was part of a challenge where I took a picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day.
Give another benefit we can identify with – maybe something aspirational
I also noticed that I as I started to do more and harder 30 day challenges, my self-confidence grew.
Give an example we might identify with (make it humble so we don’t feel alienated)
I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work. For fun.
Give a more extreme/impressive example (humble, again)
Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have been that adventurous before I started my 30 day challenges.
Answer a question we have in our mind about implementation
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days.
Spend some time on a more detailed example, including an insight
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their own 50,000-word novel from scratch in 30 days. It turns out all you have to do is write 1667 words a day for a month. So I did it. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you’ve written your words for the day. You might be sleep-deprived but you will have finished your novel.
Answer our silent questions about relevance of this example
Now, is my book the next Great American Novel? No, I wrote it in a month! It’s awful! But for the rest of my life, if I meet John Hodgson at a TED party, I don’t have to say, ‘I’m a computer scientist.’ No, no. If I want to I can say, ‘I’m a novelist.’
Signal you’re coming up to the final benefit
So here’s one last thing I’d like to mention.
State final benefit – make it as widely applicable as possible
I learned that when I made small sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick.
Answer our silent question about that benefit
There’s nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges, in fact, they’re a ton of fun.
But they’re less likely to stick.
Give a (humble) example
When I gave up sugar for 30 days, day 31 looked like this.
End with a motivational invitation, stating your recommendation in short, clear, memorable words
So here’s my question to you: What are you waiting for? I guarantee you the next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not.
So why not think about something you have always wanted to try.
And give it a shot.
For the next 30 days.
+++++
Lessons from Matt Cutts’ talk
~ Illustrate benefits with personal examples: create connection and warmth by illustrating your points with examples from your experience
~ Use a variety of examples: draw your examples to appeal to the different sub-groups in your audience
~ Stay humble: if what you’re recommending seems a bit challenging, emphasis your starting point and the difficulties you overcame
~ Make yourself the anti-hero: if you started off cynical, say so; it helps us see you as one of us
~ Stay invitational: we’re more likely to take action if we feel like we’re making our own decision
+++
This would not be the structure I would use for something urgent. For that, you might need a Warning Presentation.
But if you’re in the situation where you want to make a gentle recommendation, use this structure as a starting point for making your ideas attractive enough for people to consider following your lead.
Other articles you might be interested in:
- What do you do if you only have three minutes to make your point?
- How to deliver a warning in three minutes like biochemist Gregory Petsko
- How to rock the boat in three minutes like mathematician Arthur Benjamin
- How to challenge people’s mindset like Elizabeth Gilbert
- How to bring people up to speed like Tom Chatfield