Leverage "mirror neurons," which make emotions contagious. By showing raw, honest emotion, you can make your audience feel it too—sometimes physically (tingling spine, butterflies). This emotional connection must be established before presenting rational facts, as people decide emotionally first.
Related Insights
The axiom 'people buy on emotion' is universally known but rarely applied in B2B sales meetings, which remain logic-focused. Sales leaders must actively train teams on specific techniques, like 'empathetic expertise,' to build genuine emotional connection with buyers.
Your enthusiasm as a storyteller is infectious. Like Steve Jobs marveling at his own products, showing genuine excitement guides your audience on how to react, making them more likely to connect emotionally with your message and vision.
Research shows the key to a trustworthy smile isn't showing teeth but engaging upper cheek muscles, creating eye crinkles. This “real smile” is contagious, making others feel happier, whereas a fake smile evokes no emotional change. This is crucial for profile photos or first impressions.
Powerful stories bypass logic to connect on an emotional level. The goal is to make the audience feel a sense of shared experience, or "me too." According to guest Alexandra Galvitz, this deepens relatability, which is the foundation of trust and connection.
Audiences unconsciously scan for truthfulness. A performance where every emotional beat is pre-planned feels false and disengaging. To truly connect, prepare your content, but in the moment, step into the unknown and allow your authentic, present sensations to guide your delivery.
The most crucial communication advice is to 'connect, then lead.' Before guiding an audience to a new understanding or action, you must first establish a connection by tapping into what they care about and making your message relatable. Connection is a prerequisite for leadership and influence, not an optional extra.
Molly's approach to building trust centers on "affective presence"—focusing on the subconscious emotional footprint you leave. Instead of pitching, she works to disarm people and make them feel understood through fully present listening. This creates a sense of safety and certainty that is more persuasive than any sales script.
The most powerful sales skill isn't the pitch itself, but what comes before it. Dr. Robert Cialdini's concept of 'Pre-Suasion' focuses on strategically putting a prospect in a receptive emotional state first. Mastering this technique makes the subsequent message dramatically more effective.
Orson Welles' broadcast succeeded by hooking listeners emotionally before their logic could engage. Similarly, in sales, the emotional charge created by your voice and passion is more persuasive than a spreadsheet of facts. Data serves to justify an emotional decision after it has already been made.
Human decision-making is not rational. The brain processes emotional cues, like images, thousands of times faster and finds them vastly more persuasive than logical arguments. Effective brand appeal must lead with emotion, as consumers feel first and then use reason to justify their initial impulse.
