How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 406

that bear the strongest weight in your audience's overall impression. These
impressions will linger longer than anything else about the presentation.
Your first and final words determine how you will be remembered and
thought of long after your speech has ended. Be sure you carefully craft
your opening and closing statements, placing your strongest points at
those times.
5. Offer Choices
There is a strange psychological phenomenon in regard to drawing
conclusions. If someone tells us exactly what to do, our tendency is to
reject that dictated choice when we feel it is our only option. The solution
is to offer your prospects a few options so that they can make the choice
for themselves. People feel the need to have freedom and make their own
choices. If forced to choose something against their will, they experience
psychological resistance and feel a need to restore their freedom.
We all need options. Recently, I saw a young moose get surrounded by
people who wanted a picture of it. Feeling trapped, this moose charged at
the people in an attempt to escape. This type of scenario can also present
itself in your persuasive efforts. If you don't offer options to your
audience, they could attempt to charge and escape.
The strategy is that you have control over your prospects' options. You
only give them options that will satisfy your situation. We have all done
this with children: Do you want to finish your dinner or go to bed early?
In sales, they call this strategy the alternative close. For example, have
you heard the line, "Do you want regular or deluxe?" Or what about, "Do
you want it in blue or green?" or "Do you want to meet Monday afternoon
or Tuesday evening?" The person has options, but both options meet the
persu