Developing your Verbal
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By Gary Lockwood The next 30 seconds may determine
whether you get your funding, make the sale or
establish your point-of-view!
In this faced-paced,
mile-a-minute world, you often have only a few
seconds to get your message across. Most modern
television and radio commercials are no more than
30 seconds. Where could you use an effective 30
second commercial message about your business?
These mini-messages are ideal for investor
meetings, networking meetings, trade shows,
interviews, sales calls or any situation where
you need to quickly promote your business.
How do you develop these
messages effectively? Think in terms of sound
bites. Prepare your brief message just like
a speech, with an opener, the content and the
closing. Let's examine each of these in more
detail.
The Opening
The purpose of your opening is
to grab attention. You must assume that your
audience is generally as busy and preoccupied as
you are. So you need to first get their attention
with a question, grabber' words,
humor or an interesting visual.
Using a question as an opener
causes the listener to stop and think. "Do
you want to change the world?" "How
many new pros- pects do you want today?"
"When do you want to feel good again?"
Once you have their attention, your message can
help them answer the question.
Grabber words are designed to
startle, shock or at least cause your listener to
want to listen to what's coming next. The first
sentence of this article is an example.
A funny comment or an
eye-catching visual are always effective ways to
get the attention of your listeners in a hurry.
Obviously, any of these openings must be relevant
to your message, or they will confuse your
listeners.
The Content
Once you have their attention,
relate your main message. Since you usually have
only three or four sentences, you need to craft
this message carefully. The most effective
message is the one that states what your business
can do for the listener. In other words, talk
about the benefits to be received by using your
product or service. Don't say "I'm a
dentist". Say " I improve the health
and well- being of my clients. Healthy teeth help
you look good and feel good".
The bottom line is that your
listeners don't care what you do. They care about
what you can do for them. Talk in terms of
results, feelings, benefits, outcomes, ideas.
Imagine your listener with a sign on their
forehead that reads "So What? What's in it
for me?" Remember, you only have 30 seconds.
There will be time later to explain how you do
these great things.
The Closing
Here is where you ask for
action. As a result of your 30 second commercial,
you want your listener to do something or think
something. Ask:
"When can we meet?"
"Give me your business card".
"Call today".
"When you think of shoes, think of The
Shoemaster".
Also appropriate is your catchy
tag line. The closing may be the only part of
your message that your listener will remember.
What do you want them to remember?
So, there it is. Your miniature
speech takes only 30 seconds. And it has a
beginning, a middle and an ending. What can you
do to make all this come out sounding and looking
smooth, confident and compelling? Prepare and
practice. Prepare by writing out your message,
thinking through the key elements and deciding
exactly what you want your listener to be doing
or thinking at the end of your message.
Practice by saying your message
aloud. Rehearse this brief speech. Saying it
aloud causes you to pay attention to the sound
and cadence. Practice in front of a mirror and
you will see the gestures and body language that
make up such a large part of the communication.
Remember, it's not just what you say, it's how
you say what you say that makes the difference.
For your 30 second commercial
to really be effective, you must act like you
mean it, sound like you mean it and look like you
mean it. How do others realize that you really
mean what you say? They notice your enthusiasm,
your mannerisms, your tone of voice, your
posture.
Part of your preparation is to
be consciously aware of your non- verbal
communication. If possible, video yourself giving
your message. Replay the tape several times. Once
to listen and observe the overall effect of your
message. Watch it again without sound. What are
you telling the audience by your posture, body
language, facial expressions and your gestures?
Do you look and act like you really mean it?
Replay the tape again with your
eyes closed. Listen for distracting sounds such
as "uh", "ah", "ya
know" or sighs. All these things subtract
from the effectiveness of your main message.
In our MTV-world of excessive
sights and sounds and experiences, make your
point and get your message across in a well
prepared, well rehearsed 30 second commercial.
Think of it as a brief speech.
Mix preparation with
inspiration and you'll get a standing ovation.
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1999 BizSuccess All rights reserved. No
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About
the Author...
Gary
Lockwood is Your Business Coach.
Grow your business, make more money and have more
fun.
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