A doctor was giving a mock interview during media training with a health insurance company. She appeared to demonstrate a strong grasp of the complicated facts and delivered her messages with the authority of a college professor.
But there was a problem. I wasn’t following her. Her analysis was sometimes over my head and filled with so many facts, I couldn’t focus on her key points. I began to drift. Most people who watch her won’t be sitting in a room of silence. Distractions will tug at their attention. With smartphones, alerts, notifications, emails, texts and people surrounding us, our ability to hold someone’s attention to listen to our message is more challenging than ever.
However I zeroed in when the doctor made it personal. She relayed the story of a relative and his difficult experience with a serious healthcare issue. Hearing this story quieted the distractions. The doctor finally spoke my language. She no longer played the role of room professor. She transformed into just a regular woman who related to the same healthcare concerns other, non-medical people worry about.
The doctor asked if she should talk about her relative. She inadvertently began speaking about him and hadn’t considered his story a powerful way to connect with viewers.
Your personal anecdotes can be more effective in relaying your key messages than methodically delivering a list of well-researched facts. Plus making it personal makes you real. Relating to someone sometimes is more important than showing off your credentials. Connecting with me on a personal level with even complicated topics will more likely turn down the volume on your biggest competitor: distractions.