Picture this. You’re nervously waiting to present to Very Important People on a crucial issue. Those that aren’t glued to their phone are giving you that look: “Impress me”. You take a deep breath, walk up to the front, and within sixty seconds they’re hanging on your every word.
What did you do?
Perhaps you created a moment of suspense. Anyone who’s sat through enough corporate presentations knows that genuinely wanting the person to tell you more is uncommon. This article will help you to use mystery in the right way, at the right moment, to influence more effectively.
Humans are programmed to be curious: to fill information gaps in the world around us. fMRI studies found the reward value of information is processed in your brain in the same way as conventional rewards, like food or money.
Copywriters have an expression for offering incomplete information: an Open Loop. The idea is your audience wants to find out what happens when the loop is closed.
How To Use…Suspense
Suspense is common in external business communication – advertising – but rare in internal business presentations. Clarity and logic are highly valued in most corporate cultures, so it takes courage to subvert the normal way of doing things. From your first day of school, you’re taught to get to the point fast and sound convincing. Fear leads people in high-pressure situations to play it too safe. It takes nerves of steel to keep an influential group of people waiting. But it pays off.
Here are four different types of Open Loop I’ve used to get people’s attention:
1. A scenario with a missing element.
Check out the first paragraph of this article. I painted a picture of a familiar situation, with a desirable outcome, but left out the secret ingredient.
2. An intriguing question.
“What fact might get everyone in this room – even Bob the arrogant CFO – to put his iPhone down and listen?” (On second thoughts, you might want to tone this down a little).
3. A statistic that you promise to explain later on.
“Studies show 78% of people zone out when Compliance is mentioned. But I can guarantee 100% of you will be listening in about 5 minutes.” (Best not to make up statistics, as I did for this example).
4. A story that you resolve later.
“Seven years ago, I made a decision that derailed an entire product launch. It was the worst day of my career. But what I learned that day will help us to succeed now.”
Mystery Health Warnings
A quick warning about using Open Loops. Firstly, you don’t always need or want mystery. Imagine a Finance Director with the following message: “Last night, I analyzed our accounts and found a black hole. Without an urgent cash injection, we’re out of business in three weeks.” If you’re confident your content can electrify the room without adornment, start with that.
Secondly, if you decide to add suspense, be subtle about it. Used clumsily, Open Loops sound like those tacky clickbait headlines that litter social media: “You won’t BELIEVE what happened next!”
Thirdly, after opening a loop, you need to close it satisfyingly. If you begin with “By the end of this talk, you’ll know the one trick to persuade anyone” but then fail to deliver, your audience will feel betrayed. An Open Loop is a solemn promise. In his Masterclass series, thriller writer Dan Brown creates a Contract with readers: “…if you read this book, you will find out the following piece of information. Will the young attorney escape the corrupt law firm that hired him? Will Ahab catch the whale? These sorts of things.”
A classic professional presentation structure – Introduction, Key Points, Conclusion – is solid, but often fails to grab attention. If your audience isn’t listening, it doesn’t matter how organized you are. In the digital age, the first step to influence is to grab attention. Use mystery in your presentation, it’s the Netflix cliffhanger of communication.