Creating instant connections

Only if you have been under a rock, would you have missed Sunday’s opening night of The Voice on channel 9.  It’s been 12 months since The Voice hit our screens last and made rating history.  If you haven’t watched it already, 4 judges, Seal, Joel Madden, Delta Goodrem and Ricky Martin sit in chairs with their back to the stage.  It’s a blind audition with singers being judged purely on their voice and if a judge / coach likes what they hear, they hit a red button that turns their chair around.  But what makes it compelling viewing is (apart from the quality of the singers) if more than one judge turns around, they have to persuade the contestant to join their team!

In last Sunday’s episode when Nathan Allgood sang Delta turned first, then Joel and Ricky. 3 judges competing for one contestant.  Delta said ‘Nathan Allgood I’m GOODrem’ , and created an immediate connection.  The other  judges all scrambled in her wake with equally compelling reasons on why Nathan should join their team. Nathan said that he didn’t think anyone would turn around, but would be excited to work with one coach in particular…TEAM DELTA.  Unsurprising, as Delta had created an instant connection.

Now rarely are we going to be able to do this with matchy matchy surnames, so what is the communication trump card that allows you to create an instant almost magical connection?  It’s one thing and one thing alone, relevance. Content might be king, but relevance is the crown that lets the king rule. So how can you make what you are saying immediately relevant to your audience?

A senior leader at a large financial organisation was presenting to different levels of employees on a major change initiative, touting it as better way to do business, gain a competitive edge and improve shareholder value.  While the project excited her, it was absolutely meaningless for her audience. Thinking about it, she realised that the new change initiative would make everyone’s work and life so much easier, two things that are always relevant to any audience.

With this new insight on relevance, she started her presentation with “I’m here to make your life and work easier” and created an instant connection.

You have to know what rocks your audience’s world and begin your communication there with relevance, to create instant connection.