Over my next posts, I will address
how the brain's predictable need for status, certainty, autonomy,
relatedness, and fairness (embodied in the SCARF model) affects its
reactions to sales and marketing communications.
Can you guess what is the most
commonly used opening line for presentations occurring before noon?
“Good morning,” of course,
delivered with varying levels of energy and inflection.
It is perhaps
the safest opening line we can use, instead of risking an
interesting, attention-grabbing, riveting opening, we often fall back
to a hallway greeting to launch our presentations for
multimillion-dollar projects.
But why?
Expressing a
common greeting, which is generally followed by introduction of the
presenters' names and credentials, plays to a predictable human need,
the need for certainty.
“Good morning” is a safe opening
because, unless it is said after noon, it is true. It is neutral. It
provides a high level of certainty that, in a presentation, we are
not getting off on the wrong foot. But whose certainty benefits the
most by this?
The speaker's.
The speaker is all nerves and
worried about how their presentation makes or breaks the deal. Saying
“good morning” is a small form of manipulation that pretends at
friendliness, stalls for time, tries to develop accord with the
audience on a fleeting reference to the socially accepted way of time
telling.
In short, good morning plays it
safe.
****
A professor in one of my early
communications course made a strong statement. “All communication
is manipulation.”
I remember being very uncomfortable
with that supposition, in part because the word “manipulation” is
laden with negative connotations: brainwashing, coercion,
selfishness. I've come to realize, however, that even my hallway
“good morning” greetings to coworkers are, in fact, manipulation.
While not an effort at some
Machiavellian power play, even a simple greeting is meant to
cultivate an awareness of my presence. It provides a gauge of my
temperament. It encourages a like response. Further, the absence of a
verbal greeting itself can communicate a statement: I'm in a foul
mood; I'm very busy; I'm not feeling well. The unexpressed greeting
is also a communication meant to manipulate, whether it's “stay
away” or “ask me how I'm doing.”
****
When an audience of purchasing
decision makers hears six groups of presenters, each vying for an
important project, each qualified to deliver the contract, each
acknowledging that is sometime after midnight but before noon, and
that is “good,” none of the groups has differentiated itself out
of the chute. Immediately the decision makers in the audience must decide which team wished them a
good morning most sincerely, most enthusiastically.
I'm being facetious, of course.
Would your audience be offended if
you didn't wish them a good morning? Would they crumple up their
score sheets if you, instead, used your very first words to hook
their attention?
Of course not. Delivering a great
presentation instead of playing it safe proves to your audience that
you've done your homework, that you're passionate about your topic,
and that you care about your audience.
Now that is a good morning they'll
remember.
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