Never forget your Call to Action

When we present, our goal is always to prompt the audience to take action—whether it's buying a product, adopting a new idea, or funding a project. In technical terms, this is known as the call to action.

However, presenters often hesitate to clearly state what they want, leaving their intentions buried within the presentation. The result? The audience fails to act as expected, rendering the presentation ineffective.

There are several reasons why presenters hold back:

• Lack of confidence in the idea or product, leading to a timid or unclear delivery.

• Shyness or a fear of seeming too direct or impolite in making demands.

• Fear of rejection, worrying that the audience may not respond positively to the request.

Regardless of the cause, the outcome is the same: we don’t achieve the desired result.

The call to action must never be vague or left open to interpretation. If we truly believe in what we're presenting (and we should!), we need to state our objective clearly and confidently.

It’s not enough to simply introduce a new system for expense reporting. We need to explicitly state that we expect the audience to use it.

For a call to action to be effective, it must be:

• Clear: The more straightforward and direct it is, the less room there is for misinterpretation.

  
  

• Actionable: The request must be realistic and achievable, convincing the audience that they can follow through.

  
  

• Time-bound: Include a specific deadline to make clear when the action needs to be completed.

  
  

Returning to the expense report example, your call to action should be: "We expect everyone to begin using the new program [clear + actionable] by October 10th [deadline]."

If you fail to clearly state your call to action, you miss the opportunity to drive the outcome you’re aiming for. Remember to include a direct, concise call to action in every presentation, and make sure it’s crystal clear to your audience.