In this post we will be dealing with the second and third components of the CAPA model, which are attention and positive affect. As you can imagine, if you’re message is going to be persuasive, it needs to gain their attention first. Think about it for a second… Which audience do you think would be more palatable: One that is hanging on your every word, or one that is yawning and looking at their watches. Now your content and subject matter is a constant. Although you can indeed make changes in the ways in which it is presented, it “is what it is.” In other words, a presentation about life insurance can only be made so exciting at the end of the day. With that being said, you can maximize it’s potential for gaining your audience’s attention by varying the way in which it is presented. So, let’s take a look at some ways in which this can be accomplished:
- Be careful not to dwell on a specific subject too long. A study performed at the Helsinki Institute shows us that an average adult displays approximately 4 – 8 second bursts of attention before a correction occurs. Now I am not suggesting that you only talk in 4 – 8 second increments, but try to keep your talking to 30 second bursts. This is accomplished by maintain shorter points or using smaller bits of information.
Parts of this post are protected. Please login or register for Level 2 Access - The Insider's Club or Level 3 Access - The CGP Certification Program to view the complete contents of this post.
Alright, now you have some great foundation to work with in gaining the attention of your audience and creating positive affect in them with your presentation. Unfortunately, your not out of the woods yet though. You still have write your presentation and deliver it. Not to worry though, we will deal with that in my next post. Please feel free to explore the rest of my blog The Communication Expert, or if I am online, please feel free to connect with me via Skype.
David J. Parnell | The Communication Expert
