HOW TO GENERATE BUY-IN BY HUMANIZING THE EXPERIENCE
THIS TYPE OF OF BUY-IN DRIVES GREATER SUCCESS (WITH MY OWN PLOT TWIST AT THE END OF THE POST!)
I once went on a first date with someone in the height of the pandemic when restaurants were closed and meeting new people meant you needed to get creative! I spent a lot of time outdoors in Singapore and this first date was at East Coast Park. It was a simple picnic near the ocean where we both felt relaxed and could speak freely.
I was pleasantly surprised, when we started chatting about each other’s professional lives, that he wasn’t focused on telling me the technical details of his role or even what his company does. He led by telling me about what he admired about each of the members on his team. You can imagine my surprise! It was a breath of fresh air to hear a manager talk about the human being and not just their output.
Nurturing People’s Success is the Key to Buy-In and Trust
I’ve always said, whatever business you’re in – you’re in the people business. No matter what your company does or what services/products you provide – generating buy-in is something we all can benefit from. There are many ways in which we can get better at it and feel more comfortable.
Presenting is a really good way! It’s all about generating buy-in. As I constantly state, it’s the micro-moments where trust is built over time. But when you do present, that’s when you’re most likely to have everybody’s attention. So don’t waste it.
Never lose the opportunity to highlight other people’s success around you. This helps them to feel seen, heard and understood. When times are difficult at work and you’re in a bind, they’ll remember those moments where you supported them or acknowledged their efforts. They’re much more likely to stick with you when the going gets tough.
Try This Small Exercise To Generate Buy-In From Stakeholders
It’s one thing to praise the efforts of a colleague in private but when you do it in public, it has a remarkable effect. An example of this can be at a quarterly update or review in which all stakeholders are called to the table. Apart from talking about what’s worked well, what didn’t and why, supplement this with examples of what someone said or did that highlights your point.
I.E. “As a team, we went above and beyond to deliver on plan.” List a moment in which you saw and witnessed somebody on your team doing this and why it matters. And for your next point, perhaps where the team is struggling, highlight what someone is doing well despite the odds against them.
Of course, you’ll still have to pepper this all with facts and figures and next step strategies, etc. But facts and figures are just that unless you give them meaning. The point here is that every time you humanize an endeavor, the more real it feels, and the more invested people become. That’s buy-in in action. So every time you’re presenting, remember that your agenda is always about generating buy-in. It doesn’t matter how smart you sound or how solid your idea is if nobody gets behind you.
As a little exercise, try thinking about your next presentation and how to humanize it. Where can you start highlighting relatable examples and stories that help people feel seen, heard and understood?
And by the way, just for the record – the first date went well and we’re getting married next year.
You got this.
I hope this post was helpful in understanding the power of generating lasting buy-in by humanizing the experience with an exercise to connect, engage, and win over stakeholders. But, do you know everyone can tell when you genuinely believe something and when you’re faking it? Truly influential people believe in their ideas. How do they get their audience to take action? In my video from my other blog post on “A Quick Way to Generate Buy-In and Connect With Any Audience”, I make the audience feel like they’re the only one in the room! I explain how this works, plus I share some tips on how to commit to the emotions you want your audience to feel in order to create maximum impact and true buy-in!
Resources:
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