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store, do you get giddy like me? Our brains have Here is the sage feedback I was given:
evolved to give us a double-scoop of dopamine 1. Be creative. Be clever. Be sincere. But the
whenever we encounter something familiar and audience won’t hear you unless you put
non-threatening. Advertisers who focus on brand them at ease first.
recognition know this better than anyone. As 2. Simple anecdotes and stories aren’t about
humans, encountering something new means tricking people. They are building blocks.
dealing with a potential danger. On the other Hopefully the speaker will use these
hand seeing or hearing something familiar feels blocks to reach something higher than
easier, cognitively, than something novel. the superficial—a message worth sharing.
So how can you use cognitive ease to improve For this correction I am extremely grateful.
your speaking skills? I present to you, dear reader, the same
Go back and listen to your favorite thought experiment as before. Two presenters
speakers. Listen to Table Topics winners, great give a competition speech. One waxes poetically
extemporaneous storytellers, and famous orators. about awareness and self-actualization, and the
I bet they have one thing in common (aside from path that brought them here. The other puts us
their Herculean Toastmaster abilities.) Great at ease with familiar ideas and relatable stories,
speakers use cognitive ease to win audiences to and they go on to expand on the simple lessons
their side. They deliver short, familiar messages. their spouse and children have, by some quirk
They give us easy metaphors and jokes to follow or heartfelt exchange, imparted on them. The
along with. They sooth us and delight us with speaker then leaves us with a lasting message—
relatable situations. And, if they’re very good, simple in its structure, but truthful at its core.
they give us a powerful message to take home Who wins?
with us. Heck, if you look at the speech structure [Note: Joe is looking for your feedback,
of winning politicians, they seem to adhere to experiences, and ideas to better refine
this pattern quite closely. how cognitive ease can be utilized to hone
I recently gave a presentation at our communication skills. If you have any advice
Storymasters club in Portland, where I pitched or recommendations please contact him at
the notion that more speech contestants win bymyheel@gmail.com]
by abusing this mechanism of cognitive ease, Joe Anthony joined Toastmasters in 2014. He is a
than those who win with creativity or sincerity. member of Liberty Talkers and Storymasters, where
. .fool that I am. My fellow club members were he holds the role of club president in both clubs. He is
merciful on me, and quickly pointed out two serving as the 2016-17 Division H Director. Joe is a
glaring flaws in my initial, more cynical theory. frequent blog contributor and award-winning author.
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER, 2016 29
