Carla was practicing her presentation in a recent Mastering Virtual Presentations workshop.  The audience was a grid of cold squares arranged across the computer screen.  Faces grim, mouths turned down at the corners, flat, dead eyes.  A detached virtual audience, completely unmoved by Carla’s words.

Three minutes later, Carla presented again.

She offered the very same presentation, with the very same words, to the very same audience.

Everything was the same.

Everything except the results. Those were very different.

This time the audience was leaning forward, looking at their screens with love.  Smiling.  And several of them were smiling so big, you could see dimples. Their eyes were glowing with interest and affinity.

I took screenshots of both audiences and when Carla asked me, “How did I do?”  I showed her both of the dramatically different screen shots of the exact same audience.

What changed that audience in less than three minutes?

Imagination.

Carla’s imagination.  

For you, it would be your imagination.

Here’s what happened.  I was helping Carla prepare for a very large presentation she’ll be giving this month.  It’s not large in terms of number of people.  There will only be 5-10 people in her audience. But it’s for a contract that’s worth billions of dollars.  Competition is fierce. Carla’s competitors are way ahead in the industry. Carla’s company is a new player. Some of the features she’ll be presenting are unproven.

Carla told me before I started coaching her, “They’re going to be very skeptical end closed-minded.”

After the first time she gave her presentation, the one to the very frosty audience I described above, I asked Carla, “What were you imagining about your audience?” 

Carla said that, as she was speaking, in her mind’s eye she could see the face of the most skeptical and closed-minded person in the audience that she knew would be there.

And that’s exactly what she got.  Her audience was grim, cold like statues. Their faces totally skeptical. Closed-minded.  Not sold.

Then I told Carla to look into the camera lens and imagine a person who really got what she was trying to tell them, who really got how good her product is and who was thinking, “I really want that. I love what she’s saying. I’d love to work with a fresh player.  It’s perfect.”

It took her a moment, but Carla did it.  And I took a screenshot of that audience as she was speaking.  Same people. Completely different audience.

Leaning forward.  Connecting.  Completely engaged.  Intense interest.  Warm smiles and great warmth in their eyes.

I would show you the screenshots, but it would be a complete violation of privacy, not to mention the non-disclosure agreement I signed!  But trust me, it was a dramatic night and day transformation.

Can you figure it out?   Carla said the same words.  Why did the audience transform?

Tell me what you think.  I’ll dive deeper into this next week.

Be the cause!