Want to Be More Persuasive? Do These Three Things with Bryan Rutberg.

Welcome to Public Speaking with Peter George. Do you want to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then stay tuned as Peter and his guests discuss public speaking tips, techniques, and tactics that help you increase your impact, influence, and income. Here's your host, the author of The Captivating Public Speaker, Peter George.

When you develop presentations, how much thought do you give to being persuasive? Because just about every time you deliver a presentation, you're attempting to persuade someone into buying what you're selling — whether it's a product, a service, an idea, or a belief. My guest Bryan Rutberg, founder of 3C Communications, explains how you can make persuasion a reality. Bryan has helped create TED Talks and South by Southwest presentations and works with business and nonprofit professionals to communicate clearly, achieve business objectives, and get more of what they want. Here's my conversation with Bryan Rutberg.

Three Pre-Presentation Steps for Greater Persuasion

Peter: You say that if listeners want to be more persuasive, they should do three things before their presentations. What are they?

Bryan: I come to speaking from the corporate side — 20 years in business, writing speeches for executives, helping people make persuasive cases for things. The three things that helped them most were these.

First, think about your audience. Not just demographically, but intellectually. Are they coming into this conversation with you or against you? If you're speaking to a smaller group, who in the room is more inclined to follow your lead, who's likely to push back, and who has the power in the room? If you skip this step and just think about what you want to say, you miss the opportunity to make a real connection.

Second, think about your ask. Once you know where the audience is intellectually, think about the go-do — the specific request you're going to make. Call now. Vote for me. Give me the budget. Approve the headcount. If you're not thinking about your end game, you're just throwing information into the room with no insight attached to it.

Third, think about how you want these people to see you. In most business relationships, this moment is one in a series — you're building a relationship over time. I could bully someone into doing something today, but how will that affect our relationship tomorrow? Taking care to make a human connection in addition to achieving your goal is the part most people overlook.

Audience First — Always

Peter: Is any one of these more important than the others?

Bryan: I listed them in order for a reason. Think about your audience first — it has to come before everything else. I once worked with cancer researchers who were brilliant but accustomed to speaking at a high technical level. The people who hired me were the fundraising arm of the research center. Their ask was: help our researchers talk to donors better. Suddenly the story changed from beakers and bunsen burners to the mother who watched her son get married because of the research, or the grandmother who watched her granddaughter walk across the graduation stage. Same people. Different audience. Completely different presentation.

Warren Buffett has said he always writes with his sister in mind — educated, but not a business person. If she can't understand it, others won't either. That principle holds whether you're a CEO addressing your global team, an attorney explaining tax law to clients, or a scientist speaking to donors. Know who's in the room and what they already know.

Persuasion Is Not Manipulation

Peter: Might some people mistakenly believe being persuasive means being manipulative?

Bryan: There is a continuum that goes from persuasive to manipulative to bullying. As professionals, we are paid to have a point of view. We are in front of rooms to educate and move people toward some eventual goal. We each need to check in with our moral center and ask: am I supporting something I can look at myself in the mirror about? But we don't need to apologize for saying — I need the budget for this project, and here's why everyone wins if you give it to me. Pair your desire to move people toward something with a genuine reason that serves them. That's not manipulation. That's leadership.

How to Know Your Persuasion Is Working

Peter: How can listeners know in the moment that their persuasive presentation is working?

Bryan: Even on video, you can read the room. Heads nodding, eyebrows going up, people smiling rather than pursing their lips. I regularly check in with my audiences — I'll say, "I see heads going up and down. I know you're with me." You can also ask directly in smaller groups: "Quick show of hands — everybody following me? Are we all on the same page? Can I move on?" It gives people permission to signal that they're with you, and it creates a moment of genuine connection. When they raise their hand, they've opted in.

Smart Q&A Strategy

Peter: Let's talk about Q&A. How should speakers handle it?

Bryan: The smart presenter decides their Q&A strategy before they take the stage. Do you want questions throughout, or batched at the end? Whichever you choose, build it in and stick to it. And regardless of when questions come, take a beat. Take a breath. Think about the question behind the question. Maybe ask a clarifying question before you answer. One of the best lessons I learned early in my career: don't sell past the close. Once someone has said yes, stop adding reasons why they should say yes. You can only get yourself in trouble. Give the short version of the answer, invite them to go deeper offline, and move on. The person who asked rarely wants a dissertation. Less is more.

Peter: Bryan, where can listeners learn more about you and your services?

Bryan: My company is 3C Communications — the number three and the letter C. The website is 3ccoms.com. You can read my bio, see the questions I use to help people become better communicators, and find me on LinkedIn — Bryan with a Y, Rutberg.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Are you ready to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then visit petergeorgepublicspeaking.com and let's make it happen. I'll see you next time.