Persuade with Data - Sculpt your Excel Charts

It is not just the volume but the complexity of data being collected that makes it difficult for us to analyse and interpret in a clear and simple way. As we are bombarded with data, most people still reach for excel to create charts to explain this data. After all, it's easy. Select our table of data, find the command for insert chart, chose one of the types of chart and then choose one of the options for that specific chart. That's easily done.

But as Samuel Johnson may have written over 200 years ago: charts created without effort are read without insight.

So, with a little time and effort how can we create charts to be read with insight and pleasure?

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock10 January 2017Persuading for Results, Persuasion, Data, Big Data, Excel, InsightsComment

Sort out your data

With a tsunami of data it is easy to create large tables of data. However, with such large amounts of data, it is difficult to see what the message is. When presenting these tables, some people leave them in the default order. So, if it was a list of sales by country or sales by product then these would be listed alphabetically. Unfortunately, insights rarely occur alphabetically. So, if you sort alphabetically then you are burying your insights and making it hard for your audience to find the insights.

Find out how to make your insights clearer.

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock9 January 2017Persuading for Results, Persuasion, Data, Big Data, InsightsComment

The Interactive Image (Part 3 - The Common Image)

The third method of the 'interactive image' is the 'common image'. This special method has several features and benefits that warrant separate discussion.

What can Trump and Brexit teach us about persuasion (Part 1)

As the world reels at the second big shock in 2016, Donald Trump elected as President of the USA, after the UK voted for Brexit. What can we learn about persuasion? So many polls, so many authorities got both events wrong.

We might be tempted to believe as Richard Thaler, Professor of Behavioural Science & Economics said after Trump won, ”This is …a defeat for science and expertise.” No, this is not a defeat for logic. Logic could never win; this is a win for emotion.

The Interactive Image (Part 2 - The Audience's Image)

In a previous blog, we discussed the presenter's image as an interactive image. Now we will move onto the second method.

In this second method, the Persuasive Presenter allows the audience to select their own images for their own reason. This suits a workshop format and produces plenty of interaction.

The Interactive Image (Part 1 – The Presenter’s image)

When using the image as an illustration, the presenter assigns meaning to the image, as discussed in our previous blog The Skilful Use of Images. In contrast, when using the ‘interactive image’ method the audience assigns a meaning to an image. There are three methods of the interactive approach:

1. Presenter’s image – Audience’s meaning

2. Audience’s image – Audience’s meaning

3. Common image – Audience’s meaning

The Skillful Use of Images

When images are used skillfully, they can increase interest and participation, excite creativity, stir emotions and memories, provoke questions and uncover common ideas. There are two approaches to using images in presentations: the image as illustration and the interactive image. In this blog, we will discuss the image as an illustration.

Using Colour to persuade

Colour is a powerful tool that can enhance any presentation. Research shows that colours can evoke an emotional response and make your message more memorable and persuasive. However the psychological impact of colour can also ruin your persuasive message, so think carefully about your choice of colour.

Use Visuals for Concepts and Numbers

One of the world's experts on this topic is Gene Zelazny, Director of Visual Communications for McKinsey and Company. Just pause for a minute and consider that one of the world's top management consultancies pays someone to be the Director of Visual Communications. McKinsey specialised in fact-based analysis, so why pay attention to visual communication? Because, it takes more than logic to persuade an audience to act. The audience must understand, agree and remember. Visuals help people process the message faster and are more persuasive than words.

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock9 May 2016Persuasion, Presentation, Visuals, Data, Big Data, Visual Communication, Diagrams, ChartsComment

Too good to change? (At least this year!)

Over the last couple of years, we have seen several organisations that are too good to change. But, how can organisations possibly be too good to change?

The answer is simple: they can deliver better profits this year doing almost exactly what they have always done.

Before you get too confident consider that a company's fall from grace can frequently be traced back to its time of greatest achievement!

Visuals Add Value

When you are creating a presentation to a client or a workshop presentation - be sure to include some visuals to help make your message memorable and to increase your credibility.

More than 80% of what we learn is linked to what we see.

How do you use classic techniques to create fresh perspectives with big data?

Today, thanks to my friend Ian Byrne of Pegras, I read that everyday its estimated humans are producing data equivalent to 10 million blu-ray discs. The world in general and business in particular is overflowing with data. Back in 1978, Samuel Coleridge Taylor wrote: water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Perhaps if he wrote this line today he might say: data, data everywhere and not a bit to persuade.

As the tsunami of data washes over us, we drown. While the tsunami of data is new, techniques for understanding data are old.

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock19 February 2016Big Data, Insights, Perspective, Problem Solving, Persuasion, Performance, Technical, Buyer BehaviourComment

If it's on social media it must be right!

Many of us are time-poor, so we rely on social media to keep up to date. Recent research from Italy warns us this can be risky.

While the research was based on Facebook, the conclusions apply to all social media including more business-relevant social media like Twitter and LinkedIn. One questions tested was:

“When online do people encounter opposing views or do they create the equivalent of gated communities?”

The short answer is people create the equivalent of gated communities. People select and share content that supports their views and ignore the rest. This is hardly surprising because it has been known for many years.

Good lessons from bad persuasion

On my desk is a book called Catastrophe. The subtitle of the book: The story of Bernard L. Madoff, the man who swindled the world. In case you don't know who he is, he was a respected fund manager and former chairman of the NASDAQ who was arrested by the FBI for the "white-collar crime of the century": swindling investors out of US$50 billion.

So, how could so many professional investors and regulators be fooled, and for so long?

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock23 November 2015Persuasion, Cialdini, Madoff, Swindle, Catastrophe, Authority, Social Proof, EthicalComment

How well do you use big data to persuade?

There is no doubt that Big Data is coming. No, let me correct that: Big Data is here.

But how much big data are we generating?

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock2 November 2015Big Data, Persuasion, Persuading, Persuading for Results, Simple, Executives, AnalyseComment

How can you be unique, but persuaded in predictable ways?

You are different, there's nobody just like you. So, how can we be persuaded in predictable ways? Well, there's a one word answer: process. We can all be persuaded in predictable ways by using a process. This process needs to be based on understanding the psychology of persuasion.

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock18 September 2015Persuasion, Predictable, Process, Psychology, Prepare, Persuade, Interests, Risks, Start, Stop, Behaviour, Next Steps, Resources, Consequences, QuestionsComment

No time to persuade?

We are all busy, too short of time with our too long to-do lists.

When I suggest spend some time preparing to persuade, some people roll their eyes. They have too little time without taking more time to persuade. So, they will do nothing or ....

Use great stories to persuade

Tell more stories to persuade. If you have attended our persuading for results workshop, you will have experienced the power of stories. At the end of day one we ask participants to come to day 2 ready to tell a story about themselves.

Fire, Ready, Aim!

Before confronting someone you want to persuade to take a different view of the world whether it’s your parents, or a key customer or supplier: take a deep breath. Most people have fallen into the speed trap when wanting to influence someone else and jumped in too quickly without really preparing their message.

Persuasion, Stephen KozickiStephen Kozicki20 February 2015Speed, Haste, Persuasion, Planning, Framing, Competitive ThreatComment

Flatlining 2: Right gives your presentations some heartbeat

Not long after publishing the last Blog, Flatlining: Senior managers does your presentation have a heartbeat? my phone rang. Jo Madden, HR Manager from one of our best customers was on the line. “In presentations, another way to look at adding emotion to logic, is to adding right-brain thinking to left-brain thinking”, said Jo. That was another interesting perspective on Flatlining...

Gary Peacock, PersuasionGary Peacock6 June 2014Video, Emotion, Logic, Left Brain, Right Brain, Questions, Presenting, Preparation, Logic & EmotionComment