Chapter 5

THE CAPTIVATOR

MEET THE CAPTIVATOR

In the animal kingdom, it seems like flamingos have it all. They’re naturally entertaining, memorable, the bright inspiration behind lawn decor, and so much more. All they need to do is stand around sporting those hot pink feathers in order to be appreciated and loved. Captivators have a lot in common with this striking bird, as they are born with an innate sense of performance. They know how to put on a good show on and off the stage, which makes for a strong presenting style.

If you scored this personality, you can be sure that audiences already enjoy your onstage presence and remember the main points of your talk long after you step offstage. You also do a great job of facilitating discussion when necessary, carefully listening to your audience’s questions and guiding them as needed. Tough questions? Rude audience members? Technical difficulties? You stand tall, and you don’t let problems ruffle your feathers.

But it’s not all shrimp and sunbathing for Captivators. Many rely too heavily on their natural abilities, and they avoid putting in the hard work of preparation. This can lead to a “fluffy” message that looks great and sounds great but lacks real substance. Think of an action movie with fantastic effects, hunky actors, and lots of gunpowder … but no real plot.

Let’s say you’re about to deliver a big presentation about a subject you are very familiar with, given your present role. If you’re already saying to yourself, “I’ve got this,” then you may want to take a closer look at your process. Even the best can become better, and you don’t want to risk coming across as cocky or as someone who is just winging the message. Are you presenting beautifully designed slides? Are you putting in the research to become an expert on your topic? Are you using tactics such as storyboarding to hone and perfect your message?

We have a hunch that you’ve changed your answer from “I’ve got this” to “hmm.”

The good news is that Captivators are equipped with all the tools they need to improve their preparation and thus improve their own skills. While other presenting personalities are stressed about time onstage and flustered by Q&As, you probably won’t have to face that kind of anxiety. This may be due to your existing experience, your bold personality, or your natural comfort speaking in front of others. That’s why Captivators make great TED speakers, salespeople, and politicians.

Captivators dazzle the crowd with fluffy, brightly hued messages. However, you may suspect that your message doesn’t have the lasting impact or persuasion power you desire. Yes, embrace your bright flamingo appeal. But make sure to do some extra prep work to catch more tasty crustaceans.

HOW YOU SCORED

So how did you score the Captivator? These results were calculated using our four-quadrant algorithm in which anything on the outside corner of the specific quadrant is considered high and anything near the main intersection is considered mid-low (Figure 5.1). Here is a simple rundown of your placement in each quadrant and how we arrived at your profile:

Figure 5.1 The Captivator

EXPLORATION

We’ll try to let you down easy on this one: exploration isn’t your strongest quadrant. In fact, it’s the only quadrant where you scored in the mid- to low range. Is it a result of excessive confidence? A lack of training? Are you not sure where to begin when it comes to preparation? Whether it’s one of these reasons or a souplike mixture of all three, most Captivators need to revise their Exploration approach. A convincing argument is built from the ground up, not with fancy footwork onstage. Spend more time with your message, rehearse even when you don’t feel like you need to, and work on researching competitors in your field. The more you explore, the more your audience will want to explore your message as well.

SHARING

As implied by the name, Captivators shine in sharing. You scored in the high range of this quadrant, indicating a natural comfort onstage that makes most other personalities green with envy. But as with life itself, even the best could become better. Have you ever considered hosting a constructive feedback session with your team members, internally? You might be surprised to learn what areas of your delivery need improvement.

RESPONSE

Response ties heavily into the Sharing quadrant because they both require the right people skills and positive energy to excel. Once again, you scored in the mid- to high range of this quadrant because of your natural ability to please a crowd. You are the kind of baby-kissing politician whom people love to talk to after a speech, and you don’t mind putting in the work to network and maintain relationships made during and after your message. However, let us be the voice that whispers in your ear, “The best can become better!”

DURABILITY

Lucky, lucky! Captivators also score in the mid- to high range of this quadrant, ensuring that their message lives on by featuring a larger platform or a call to action that really sticks. However, you can always go bigger and find more creative ways to share your message as technology changes. Take your captivating charm to the Internet and beyond, no matter what the latest social media fad may be right now.

SPOTTING A CAPTIVATOR IN THE WILD

Now that you know how you scored, it might be helpful to put everything together and see what we’re talking about in a real-life scenario. Let’s examine the tale of Nina, a sales executive at a company that she cofounded called Jupe Verte. This French-inspired lifestyle boutique sells home goods at its main location in San Diego and smaller locations around the country. Nina is passionate about the beautiful objects she sells and the country that inspired it, which has made her an incredible sales executive as the company has expanded over the years.

When Nina makes a sales pitch, she brings a whole treasure chest of sample products and French treats for the potential client to enjoy. Her excitement for her work is infectious, and she also does an excellent job of cultivating long-term relationships with buyers. It is her dream to see Jupe Verte boutiques across the entire country, bringing a bit of French charm to American homes.

It’s hard not to love Nina. She likes to toss around French expressions, and she wears an all-white linen suit as if she’s about to hop on a private jet to the countryside right after each meeting. She’s the perfect example of Captivators who have worked on their personal brand and feel incredibly comfortable doing what they do best.

In spite of all these wonderful characteristics working for Nina, she could still do much better. She’s so focused on French trends and what’s working in the European market that she waves off the idea of doing a deep study of what Americans need. Because of this, buyers feel that Jupe Verte is too niche to expand in a much bigger way in the United States.

Nina needs to put her passion aside for a moment and use research to face truths she might not want to explore. It’s like she is wearing blinders. On the left side, her vision is blocked by her past experience that keeps her motivated to stay on track. On the right side, her own passion prevents her from examining what other buyers might be looking for or what needs might not be being met in the current market.

In short, she needs to do her homework. Nina may be missing sales opportunities. She needs to spend time questioning her own tried-and-true process to see if there are changes she could make to grow the brand she loves even further.

Many Captivators are like Nina: either they feel like they have it all or they feel like they are well on their way to becoming a success by relying on natural talent. Let this assessment be the foghorn that tells you there are still ways to improve, particularly in the area of Exploration. If Nina takes the time to revise her sales strategy before she even steps into a room, Jupe Verte has a chance to dominate the market and expand.

YOUR NATURAL HABITAT

Captivators are fearless in the face of audiences large and small, so you don’t have to worry about choosing a venue size to match your style. Any room will do! However, we recommend that you do not limit yourself to a conference room with five chairs. A long-term message calls for a larger audience, so try to find ways to grow your audience, whether by incorporating a live webinar or by offering an encore presentation to different groups after the initial one.

In general, Captivators also perform best when they limit their speaking time. If they find that most of their messages succeed without much prep work, then the quicker and more concise their message, the better. Any longer and the audience will start to wonder about the proof behind the beautiful display.

BRAWN (STRENGTHS)

Flashy

Memorable

Fearless

Being strong at delivery doesn’t just mean you do a great job onstage. It also refers to all the networking and time spent catering personally to audience needs after the talk. Captivators are great at all of it, and they make a fantastic impression wherever they go. Their messages are also highly customized to audience needs, which means they are appreciated long after the talk itself.

Personal branding and style are also a huge part of being a Captivator. Like Nina in our example, you have spent a long time crafting your persona. It’s a role that you are comfortable adopting onstage, and it makes you memorable. You aim to please, and you do it well.

TRAPS (WEAKNESSES)

Flimsy

Unprepared

Sedentary

As you can deduce from the overview, Captivators struggle with preparation. They often find themselves thinking, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” This can sometimes put them in a tight spot when a hard-hitting question is asked or something unexpected occurs. Even worse, audience members may question your credibility if they don’t feel that you’ve put in enough research to present yourself as an authority.

It’s also easy for Captivators to let slide certain aspects of their presentations, mostly due to their own confidence. If you’re not open to changing your practice routine (or lack thereof), you might be stuck with the same display of skills over and over again ad infinitum.

YOUR NATURAL ALLY

Want to improve Exploration? Connect with Scientists (Chapter 16) to learn how they prepare for a presentation, and take some serious notes!

YOUR PREY

People like to leave the room with a nugget of wisdom that makes them feel informed and good about the world. This could be something to act on in the short term, such as downloading an app, or in the long term, such as adopting a healthy new habit. The good news for Captivators is that they appeal to both personalities, and they just need to put in a little research to discover what that specific audience may be looking for before the talk.

YOUR PREDATORS

Your predators are those who don’t just want to see the answer to the math problem. They want to be shown your entire process. They are personalities who question everything, not just your message, such as Scientists and Curators. You’ll recognize these types by their quizzical expressions as they listen to your talk, followed by a swiftly raised hand during the Q&A. Make sure you’ve done your homework and you’ll be able to satisfy them.

FIVE DOS AND DON’TS

DOS

1.   Steer clear of the feeling that your natural skills are all you need to deliver a presentation. Even natural communicators can get better.

2.   Take inspiration from other speakers you love, whether corporate or on the TED stage, and do some research to learn their preparation routines. What can you copy? How can you incorporate their routines into your own prep work?

3.   Schedule more time to work on the storyboard of your presentation before an event. This includes time spent researching your topic, looking through relevant quotes and materials, and editing your on-slide copy so it comes across as clean and professional.

4.   Use slides to emphasize your most important points. Put one high-level concept from your talk on each slide and then practice delivering the presentation alongside these clear points. This will help keep you on track during your talk and prevent you from going off on tangents.

5.   Give yourself plenty of time after a presentation to mingle, ask your audience questions, and engage in other one-on-one activities to make them feel valued and drive home your message even more.

DON’TS

1.   Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. No matter how corporate or professional your audience may be, they will love to be entertained by you.

2.   Don’t forget to customize your message to the specific audience you are speaking to, which you can accomplish with a little bit of good old-fashioned research.

3.   Don’t underestimate your audience’s ability to detect when you haven’t put in the work. Show your sources, including those for your quotes, and make sure that your data is supportive of your message.

4.   Don’t stay stagnant! No matter what your level of experience delivering presentations is, change your usual rehearsal process by asking a friend for feedback, practicing out loud, and rehearsing in the venue itself before the event.

5.   Don’t forget to give your audience a clear call to action at the end of your presentation that tells them exactly what to do when you’re done. Your audience will need a course of action at the end of the talk no matter how fun your delivery was.

THE IDEAL CAPTIVATOR

There is no such thing as a bad persona. There are only areas to improve on within your range of strengths and weaknesses. With that in mind, what do ideal Captivators look like?

1.   They look past their own experience and confidence to address underlying habits that may hold them back.

2.   They constantly look for ways to improve the little things about their presentation, from better design to deeper content.

3.   They kick their ego in the knees and look at each speaking opportunity as a brand-new challenge to their existing skills and ability.

What happens when Nina, our favorite Francophile, applies some of these lessons to become an ideal Captivator?

1.   She revisits her long-term strategy for Jupe Verte by devoting time to market research, ensuring that she knows the needs of U.S. consumers.

2.   She is able to use her revised strategy to grow Jupe Verte in ways she didn’t expect, all because of her fresh approach.

3.   She comes across as more than just an energetic, memorable presenter: she becomes more credible to her potential clients.

Captivators already know that they are going to do a fantastic job at entertaining their audience. But ideal Captivators are able to dig deeper within themselves, far beyond the flashy pink flamingo feathers. They realize that Exploration (preparation) before delivery can make the difference between a message that is fun for an audience and one that has a long-lasting, meaningful impact. If you are feeling a tiny pinch of guilt in your stomach as you review the Exploration questions and recommendations, give that guilt a hug and say to yourself, “We’ve got a little more work to do.”