How do you show that you really care about your audience?
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
What’s in it for me?
That’s the classic question audiences everywhere ask before they sit down to listen or read whatever it is you’re saying. The phrase is so popular it has it’s own acronym (WIIFM), and all good teachers of communication skills have told people they’re teaching to think of that question as they prepare to speak or write. Most good presenters and writers diligently comply with that advice.
And almost all of those people get it wrong.
It’s not their fault, though.
Why do people misunderstand WIIFM?
The problem is that most instructors don’t explain that you truly have to address the question from the audience’s perspective. Usually when a person thinks about the WIIFM question it’s with the assumption that what they’re about to communicate has value. Of course it has value, otherwise why would a person take the time to tell others about it? But that assumption forgets that your audience has to be convinced what you’re about to tell them has value.
They are skeptical, and rightly so.
Business professionals everywhere are deluged on a daily basis with messages all along the “truthiness” spectrum. As a result, they tend to disbelieve first and ask questions later. Even those who have taken the affirmative step to read or listen to your message do so with a certain degree of hesitation.
So how do you overcome your audience’s natural apprehension?
You truly think about what’s in it for them.
In very tangible ways you explain how what you’re communicating benefits them. In what ways will their lives be better? If the goal is to help them write stronger emails, explain how that will improve their work performance and what the result of that change could be for their careers.
Make sure you differentiate your message so it’s clear what makes you unique. But that’s not enough either. You need to substantiate it as well so your information appears credible. Do you have facts from reputable sources to back up what you say? If you’re using your own data, explain how you compiled it and what you did with it, so the information makes sense and you don’t appear to mislead them in any way. And connect the dots to make it clear how these facts prove what you say.
Do all these things — explain the benefits, differentiate your message, and substantiate your information — and you greatly increase the buy-in from your audience.
