Get to the Point! (And Get People to See Things Your Way)
By Terri Langhans
In today's business world, trying to sell your ideas and recommendations is quite a challenge. As if it isn't tough enough to do your job, create effective communications and continue to be innovative in the way you do it. But why is it so difficult? Simply put, we underestimate the "presentation" nature of everyday meetings and conversations. We fail to craft compelling messages that can be delivered eloquently, whether in a formal setting to the board or in a more casual conversation with the CEO in an elevator.
They key to delivering a compelling message is settling on a single point--the one thing you want people to remember. Your "presentation" needs to center on this single idea. Whether you have an hour to run PowerPoint through its paces, or you are asked to cut to the chase, you can use the following model to get your point across.
What's the BIG IDEA?
The BIG IDEA model breaks the presentation into seven parts, with the most critical one being your idea--the central message the other six parts must support. Assuming you know what your main idea is, what you want repeated when it's all said and done, here's how the idea works in the model, and how the model works to sell your idea.
Background.
Set the stage before you launch into your idea. Why are you opening your mouth at all? Three powerful words to use are "you told me" or "you asked me." "You told me we're losing market share to Acme and asked for a communication plan to increase visibility 10%." You can also use the background section to diffuse any volatile issues or to eliminate surprises. If you think the person is expecting you to recommend public service announcements and you're not, say it up front. If you wait too long to mention a potentially touchy subject, the audience isn't paying attention to what you ARE saying because they're waiting to hear "their issue."
Idea.
This is it. Your idea, main point, message. This is what you want people to remember or "take away" when you're finished. It must be simple and clear. Don't complicate it with a bunch of conjunctions: and, or, but, so, yet. Make your point. And make it memorable by using alliteration, an acronym or calling it something catchy.
Game plan.
Now you have to decide your game plan--how you will support your point, using the next three parts of the model. Will you start off with the incentives (benefits of the idea), or the details (facts and nitty gritty) or an experience of your own or someone else's that will illustrate the wisdom of your idea? Will you mix them up a bit, with a detail, story and benefit of the detail, then another detail, story, benefit? You may or may not verbalize your game plan to the audience, but you do need to decide on one. If you verbalize it, it serves as the "agenda" of what you're going to cover.
Incentives.
What's in it for the audience to agree with your idea? What incentive or benefit is there to the idea? Be sure to identify logical, quantifiable benefits such as saving time or money as well as the more "intangible" or emotional benefits such as it will make someone a hero, appear more credible, instill pride. The audience will decide based on emotional benefits and use the logical ones to justify the decision.
Details.
Here's where you give the audience the facts, numbers, reasons, logic, process steps, research and findings that support your idea. This is also where most people tend to run off at the mouth with their "stuff." Select the most compelling facts and trust that if your listeners want to know more, they'll ask.
Experiences.
Give examples, illustrations, and analogies to support your point. Tell a story or present a case study. These can be the most powerful and memorable part of your message.
Action.
Tell the audience what you want them to do. Keep your expectations realistic. Perhaps your best action statement is, "So, if this makes sense to you, can we set a time to present it to the Management Council on Thursday?"
One Size Fits All.
The BIG IDEA approach is easy to remember. If you can remember a phone number, surely you can remember these seven letters and how they can help you get your point across. Even if you have just 10 minutes to make your one-hour presentation, you can still deliver your message by touching on these seven areas.
[Source: IABC/Orange County's "Inside."]
