Discover the importance of leading with the problem in your speaking and other critical content. Learn how not leading with the problem can result in lost business opportunities and frustration. Find out where and how to lead with the problem, tailor it to your audience, and communicate effectively.
Leading with the problem helps you connect with your audience and make your solutions more impactful.
Tailoring the problem to the audience's specific stage allows you to connect with them on a deeper level.
Deep dives
Leading with the Problem for Effective Communication
When delivering a pitch, podcast, or any form of content, it is crucial to grab the audience's attention and show them that what you're sharing is relevant. Leading with the problem is a powerful technique that helps you connect with your audience and hooks them in. By reflecting and addressing the challenges your audience is facing, you can make your solutions more impactful. For instance, when writing a proposal, highlighting the issues the company is currently dealing with and then connecting it to how you've solved similar challenges for other organizations can make a significant impact. It's essential to ensure that your audience understands the problem and solution as you do, simplifying it enough to be easily comprehensible by anyone.
Understanding and Tailoring the Problem for Your Target Audience
To effectively communicate with your audience, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of their perspective, beliefs, assumptions, and emotions regarding the problem you aim to solve. Additionally, it's important to consider where your audience is in the customer acquisition journey. Are they already aware of the problem, or do they need to be educated about it first? Tailoring the problem to their specific stage allows you to connect with them on a deeper level. For example, if you're speaking to new authors, addressing the struggle of promoting their book and emphasizing how speaking can be a valuable marketing tool would be beneficial. However, if you're addressing authors who are already familiar with speaking, focusing on the mistakes commonly made and how your speaking system can generate better results would be more effective.
Key Takeaways for Effective Communication
In order to improve your results in speaking engagements, pitching, or any communication with your target audience, there are a few key takeaways to keep in mind. Firstly, ensure that you can articulate the problem and your solution in a way that is easily understandable and accessible to your audience. Secondly, consider the sophistication of your audience and tailor your approach accordingly. Are they already aware of the problem, or do they need some education first? Lastly, always lead with the problem to connect with your audience where they are and demonstrate why your content is worth their attention. These strategies can be applied across various communication platforms and will help you achieve better results in engaging your audience.
I had a similar issue come up with two clients this week, and it’s a mistake I see people making regularly, not just with their speaking, but in other critical content too. This mistake can result in people not paying attention to you, lost business opportunities, and normally leads to frustration and the question, “I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong!” What they are doing wrong is not leading with the problem.
That’s why in this episode I’m sharing:
What leading with the problem means.
Where you should be doing it.
Why you are likely losing people’s attention.
The simple exercise you can do to avoid the LinkedIn advert issue.
The important check you need to make about where your audience is.
(Take a photo of your review, email it to me at sarah@saraharcher.co.uk and get a free e-copy of my book Cracking Speech Mate - How to Use Humour to Make You an Amazing Speaker!)
