Amplify Your Message Through Contrast
People are naturally drawn to contrast because life is filled with it: Day and night. Male and female. Love and hate.
A skilled communicator captures an audience’s interest by creating tension between contrasting elements—and then provides relief by resolving that tension. It’s how you build a bridge between others’ views and yours.
Try brainstorming ideas around polar opposites such as the ones in table 2-1.
| TABLE 2-1 | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic opposites | |
| Past/present | Future |
| Need | Fulfi llment |
| Speed | Endurance |
| Ambition | Humility |
| Stagnation | Growth |
| Roadblocks | Clear passage |
| Sacrifice | Reward |
| Budget | Quality |
Suppose you manage an airline’s maintenance division, and you’re asking for money to invest in analytics. ...
Get HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations (HBR Guide Series) now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
