Strategies for Crafting Compelling Appeals

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 Building an extraordinary relationship with your audience is vital for the success of your presentation. This relationship hinges on two crucial elements: intellectual and emotional connections. While logic engages your audience’s thinking, it is emotion that motivates them to take action. The intellectual connection stems from the content you present and the logical reasoning you employ to make your case. When you utilize charts, statistics, and survey results, you establish an intellectual bond with your audience. To establish an emotional connection, on the other hand, is relatively easier. The most effective way to achieve this is by using “you-focused” language, creating a balanced “I-You ratio.” Pay attention to how frequently you say “I” compared to “you” or “us.” “You” is your ultimate advantage—a single word that can work Wonders. To enhance your presentations, eliminate certain phrases such as: “I am going to talk about...” “What I would like to talk about...” “What I am going to do first is...” Instead, replace them with more captivating and engaging alternatives like: “Great news! You are about to learn ten techniques guaranteed to make your presentations memorable.” Compile a list of you-focused phrases that resonate with your presentations. Here are a few examples that I personally use to kick-start interactions. Feel free to incorporate them if they suit your style: “In your experience...” “If I were to ask you...” “You can feel confident...” “How often have you felt, seen, experienced...” “When was the first/last time you...” “It might interest/surprise/amaze you to know/learn/discover...” “Do you remember a time when...” “What advice did your dad/parents/mother/first boss give you?” “Think back to when you... frustrated/upset/happy/enthusiastic/disappointed?” Allow me to share a success story to emphasize the impact of a you-focused approach. Recently, I assisted a sales executive from a renowned hotel with a concise presentation aiming to secure a $500,000 convention in San Francisco. With two other cities competing fiercely, a compelling presentation was crucial. I recommended an opening that focused on the audience. “In the next 8 minutes, you will decide that the best decision you can make for your association and your members is to bring your convention to San Francisco and the Fairmont Hotel.” In this statement, I used “you” or “yours” five times and “Fairmont” once. This created a potent emotional connection. This was not the only element to successfully secure the sale. However, together we creative a compelling message that combined intellectual and emotional connection. Best of luck in forging strong connections with your audiences. If you require any assistance, I’m here to help. Let’s have a conversation. #presentationskillsexpert #keynotespeaker #publicspeaking #frippvt #patriciafripp

A client recently told me, “We’ve always done things this way, but now nothing’s clicking. What changed?” The answer is simple: The market evolved. Customer behaviors shifted. But their strategy didn’t adapt. Once we reevaluated their strategy, we made some key adjustments, and the impact was immediate: engagement spiked by 35%, inbound leads doubled, and they secured their largest deal to date. B2B doesn’t have to be cold or formulaic. Sales and marketing should never feel like a one-sided pitch. They’re about building authentic, human connections. I like to call this the “Connection-Driven Growth Approach.” Here’s how you can apply it: 🔸Listen First, Talk Later • Instead of pushing your message right away, start by listening to what your audience needs and struggles with. • Understand their challenges to craft a solution that resonates. How this helps: Builds trust and helps you tailor your messaging to what actually matters to them. 🔸Be Transparent and Authentic • Show your true values by sharing behind-the-scenes content, and admit when things go wrong. • Let your audience see the human side of your brand—people connect with authenticity. How this helps: Builds rapport and makes your brand more relatable and trustworthy. 🔸Share Stories, Not Just Stats • Use stories that showcase how your product or service makes a real difference in people’s lives. • Focus on the emotional connection your product creates, not just features. How this helps: Makes your brand more memorable and emotionally engaging, fostering a deeper connection. 🔸Engage in Meaningful Conversations • Don’t just broadcast—respond to comments, ask questions, and participate in discussions. • Show genuine interest in your audience’s opinions and experiences. How this helps: Encourages more engagement, builds relationships, and helps turn followers into loyal customers. 🔸Focus on Value, Not Sales • Share helpful tips, educational content, or useful resources before ever trying to sell. • Provide real solutions to your audience’s problems, not just your product. How this helps: Builds trust, adds value to your audience’s lives, and leads to long-term relationships that convert into sales. The truth? Growth doesn’t come from pushing products. It comes from fostering relationships and delivering real value. What’s one way you’re building connections in your marketing right now? Drop a comment! ⸻ ♻️ REPOST if this resonated with you! ➡️ FOLLOW Rheanne Razo for more B2B growth strategies, client success, and real-world business insights.

More than 18 months ago, I started Sound Judgment, the newsletter and podcast, because I was frustrated. Everywhere I looked, I saw online instruction about the business, mechanics, and marketing of podcasts. But I saw almost nothing about the craft of audio storytelling — an absence of instruction on how to create compelling conversations and narrative stories in the first place. I was craving exploration of the process by which we create content that engages PEOPLE — our audiences — and prompts them to share unforgettable moments and insights.  Selfishly, I also wanted to learn from the on-the-ground experiences of today’s very best hosts and other audio storytellers. What are the ingredients that make them the best? Now, after going behind-the-scenes on the making of many, many podcasts with guests like Anna Sale, Glynn Washington, Kelly Corrigan, Jay Baer and more, I’ve built a body of work (with more to come) on what it takes to craft excellent content. Some of the same strategies showed up again and again. Here are six that you can use right away. 1. Sound vision: Build a world that invites your ideal audience to enter (not for audio makers only). This includes tone, pacing, point of view, how you address your audience, and, in audio, sound design, music, and how the host performs on the mic.  2. Structure: The often-missing gateway to creativity and productivity. 3. Scenes: The backbone of engagement. 4. Surprise: There's no story without it. You can identify it everywhere, if you know where to look. 5. Suspense: How to keep your audience with you, no matter the subject. 6. Specifics: Finding the right turn of phrase, fact, feeling, or image makes your work transcendent. It helps to hear examples. We’re running a little experiment! On Sound Judgment, we’re releasing six bite-sized episodes on each of these strategies. (Link to come in the comments, or search on your favorite listening app. Some of these episodes are only five minutes long!) This series features storytellers Gilbert King, Kelsey Decker, John Barth, Katie Colaneri, Todd Henry, Michael Osborne, Amit Kapoor, Kelly Corrigan, Lauren Chooljian, Alison MacAdam, Emma Courtland and Sam Mullins. It draws from their stellar work on Bone Valley, Marketplace on American Public Media Group, Famous & Gravy Podcast, Daily Creative, Kelly Corrigan Wonders and PBS' Tell Me More, The 13th Step at New Hampshire Public Radio, Crime Show, Chameleon: Wild Boys Campside Media, and The Moth. ___ Want to improve your storytelling? There are still a few seats open for Thursday’s workshop, “Hook Your Audience & Keep Them Coming Back.” Link in the comments. We’re going to have fun.