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If you want to really get your audience to
remember a point, try “show and tell”. If done
right, demonstrations can make an unforgettable
impression on an audience.
No one in the Washington D.C. hearing room will
ever forget Nobel Prize Winning Physicist
Richard Feynman immersing some rubber O-Ring
material in a cup of ice water to demonstrate
the cause of the explosion of the Space Shuttle
Challenger.
It turned out that the insulation around the
infamous shuttle O-Rings, which had properties
similar to styrofoam, became dangerously
inelastic at 32 degrees, the temperature on the
day of the Challenger launch.
Feynman demonstrated the problem by immersing
the material in a glass of ice-water and showing
how inelastic the material became at freezing
point.
The Secret to Powerful Demonstrations
To have the same high impact with your
demonstrations, follow three rules.
·
Rehearse the demonstration several times to make
sure it works.
·
Keep it simple.
·
Don't demonstrate more than the listener is
interested in seeing.
The Case of the Five-Gallon Drums of Titanium
Oxide
Several years ago, Danny Daye had a wonderfully
simple demonstration to prove the value of his
new internet service WorldWideTesting.com when
he spoke to a conference of venture
capitalists. He wanted to demonstrate the value
of providing on-line quality assurance for
commodity products that could be purchased over
the internet.
When his turn came to make his pitch, he
lumbered on-stage carrying two cumbersome five
gallon drums. He stacked the identical drums on
top of one another, slowly adjusting them so
that the labels would face the audience.
"That is Titanium Oxide," he said. "This
pharmaceutical grade chemical sells for $100,000
per container. More about that later." He went
on to explain how his quality assurance service
was critical to giving companies confidence in
the commodity products they buy over the
internet.
Finally, to close his presentation, Daye pointed
to the top drum and said, "That one is
pharmaceutical grade, worth $100,000. This
bottom one, is industrial grade, worth $320.
From where you're sitting, like buyers on the
internet, how would you know the difference?
With World WideWorldWideTesting.Com you will
know."
Great demonstration! Simple. It worked. And
it made a very persuasive point.
At Speechworks we help our clients learn how to
give communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a
great communicator give us a call at
404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
