There are more parallels between the world of advertising and speech-making than many realise…

…And to prove the point, here are 3 short ideas from the late advertising guru David Ogilvy that’ll help you create more engaging talks.

Tip #1 – Favour Substance Over Style

“What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content in your advertising, not its form.”

Speaking is not about dazzling your audience with craft. It’s not about being a gifted entertainer and nor is about the number of plaudits you receive after your talking is done.

While each of these may be a consequence or by-product of what you do, these can’t be a focus or a goal in your presentations.

The only thing that matters when you speak is what your audience gets out of the experience and can ‘now do’ versus any focus on your performance.

Remember, as I’ve mentioned in other posts…“There may be an ‘I’ in ‘speaking’, but it’s never about you.”

Tip #2 – Speak to Others as You Would Have Them Speak to You

“The consumer isn’t a moron; she’s your wife.”

Have you ever sat in an audience and encountered speakers you felt were talking down to you?

Did you bristle? Any chance your annoyance got in the way of you paying attention to the speakers – maybe paying greater heed to ‘how’ something was said that the essence of intended messages?

Probably. It’s human nature.

It’s a fact. We both pay more attention to, and place more trust in, those who are clearly on our side and speak our language.

If it’s not obvious that you respect your audience, you’re on a one-way ticket to disengagement. Instead, always create speeches that speak ‘with’ instead of ‘to’ your audiences.

Tip #3 – Have a Point That’s Worth Making

“You can do homework from now until doomsday, but you’ll never win fame and fortune unless you also invent big ideas. It takes a big idea to gain attention of consumers and get them to buy your product.

Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night.”  Quote from ‘Ogilvy on Advertising‘.

Here’s a message that will never grow old. It was valid many decades ago when David coined these words and has become more important today.

Getting and keeping attention from audiences has always been a challenge.

However, in this era of unprecedented information overload – where typical attention spans have fallen to seconds, not even moments – ideas that sound even vaguely ‘me too’ in nature are likely to flounder.

If you want your audience to get excited about your ideas, they need to feel it’s worth their while. Marginal doesn’t cut it any more, the stakes have gone up.

As a speaker, you need to answer the ‘why should I care’ question for your audience. The stronger the case you can make – from their viewpoints, not yours – the easier you make it for them to get behind and support your thinking.

Over to You

Share your thoughts and observations.

Let’s work together and inspire others through your speaking. To find out more click here!

Photo credit: Courtesy of Ogilvy & Mather, Dublin