Create Your Connection: How can a mirror help?

Step 4 of The One Minute Presenter’s journey is “Create Your Connection.

A quick tip to create and maintain a connection during your speech is to use a mirroring technique.  These works in two ways: verbal and physical.

Verbal mirroring means you use the language, terms and jargon that your audience is familiar.  This requires preparation and research ahead of time until you are comfortable with the language your target audience members use.

For example, does your audience say “client”, “customer” or “consumer”.  Make sure you follow in-step with their preferences.

Listen carefully for the way that your key decision makers describe an issue, write down the key words exactly the same way.  Then use them during your speech.  Verbal mirroring makes your audience feel comfortable that you are like them and that you understand them. This is essential for maintaining rapport and building relationships.

Physical mirroring means that you use your body’s position to make a connection with your audience. Basically it is about getting in synch with the members of your audience. People who have rapport with each other will tend to have similar body positions and gestures. This can work whether you deliver your presentation sitting down or standing up.   Look to make eye contact with each audience member (where practical) and holding the eye contact for two to three seconds.  Move naturally around the room making sure that you include all audience members. Be aware of your “blind spots” which could be people near the front or back or sometimes on one side of the room.

This verbal and physical mirroring will maintain rapport and keep a connection throughout your presentation.  What other techniques are you using to create a connection with your audience?