Facts don't change minds. So, what does?

There are two ways to make a pitch.

The first one is all about data. You have your facts and figures: the number of lives changed, the success rate, the retention rate, the charts and graphs and analysis. With statistics to back you up, you set out to make a case for the value of your organization.

This approach is all about logic and rationality. The numbers show that the work is needed and that your solution is effective. Shouldn’t that be enough to gain you some serious support from reasonable people?

It definitely would be nice if it worked that way. With the evidence on your side, you could win over just about anyone to your point of view.

But people are rarely motivated by dry, straightforward numbers on a page.

Consider: No matter how much support there is for eating healthy food and exercising regularly, it’s still pretty common to be drawn in by other choices. The most evidence-based parenting or education styles aren’t automatically the most popular.

People are influenced by their culture, social circle, upbringing, personal experiences, and of course their personal preferences. They make complex decisions that are informed by a wide variety of factors and that rely heavily on their emotional state.

If you want to win someone over, you don’t just need to convince them rationally. You need to make them feel something on a deeper level, the gut level where decisions are made. It isn’t enough to be generally impressive, you also need to tap into the specific things that get their juices flowing.

Saying that you changed a hundred lives is an argument; sharing one person’s moving story is an act of persuasion.

When you prepare your next pitch, don’t just stick to dry facts. Ask yourself what you’re doing to achieve that emotional connection. Are you emphasizing the personal? How are you presenting it?

If you’re interested in using video to add emotion to your pitch, I’d love to be involved.