The key to engaging international audiences or investors is to understand their concerns and needs by asking relevant questions beforehand. By focusing on the audience's challenges and desires, presenters can tailor their presentations effectively. Successful storytelling requires following a three-act structure, with Act 1 setting up the status quo and highlighting problems that the audience may not have been aware of. It's important to prioritize the audience by answering the question 'Why should they care?' at the start of any presentation, pitch, or proposal.
The best communicators express ideas simply. And to do that, says Carmine Gallo, “you have to connect with people in a language they understand.”
Gallo is an author, communication coach, and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. For him, the cornerstone of good communication is empathizing with an audience enough to truly speak their language. “Think about the audience first,” he says. “If you cannot speak the same language to different stakeholders and adapt the language for those different stakeholders, you’ll never get anything done.”
On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Gallo and host Matt Abrahams discuss how we can simplify our language and weave relevant stories to translate and tailor our communication for our audience.
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