poseycorp helps innovators become great communicators. (Sometimes by sending out helpful stuff in a newsletter.)
ISSUE 143
Want to change someone's mind? They have to hear you first
“Sound bites are the duct tape of communication.”
-- Me
You’ve got a brilliant idea. But you can’t get anyone to pay attention to you. The problem might not be your idea, it might be your message. What can you do?
Distill your idea down to a sound bite. Repeat that sound bite over and over again. All the time. Everywhere. You can (and should) use your best sound bite in media interviews, speeches, panel discussions, analyst meetings, board meetings, your all-hands and team meetings, candidate interviews, one-on-ones. Everywhere. All the time. The more you repeat a sound bite, the stronger its persuasive power grows.
A great sound bite is short (like 10 - 12 words max), contains only normal human words, is memorable, and maybe even a little saucy. Here’s a tiny example: Seven years ago I attended a panel discussion
on technology and sports marketing. There was a panelist from Google Cloud, because they were sponsoring the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Several times in the 90-minute panel the Google Cloud panelist said, “We just wanted to delight people with data.”
Seven years later, I still remember that sound bite. I remember nothing else from that day, but I remember going “delighted with data?” in my head. I remember noticing the alliteration. I remember being impressed that the panelist repeated herself (something I always tell spokespersons to do). That sound bite is now cemented in my head.
Sound bites are
power. Work with your communications team to create a few that you love, that are in your voice, that reflect the way you see the world. Then use them everywhere. All the time.
“It was very insightful,” said a client after a not-at-all-standard presentation skills coaching workshop.
If you’d like great results, schedule a conversation with me! It’s easy! Reach me at inquiries@poseycorp.com.
Not sure how to crush your next presentation? Persuade that difficult customer or team member? Navigate tough questions from regulators, press, your boss? How about some pragmatic, actionable communications advice?
If you are a startup founder, an intrapreneur at a company, or a leader looking to grow, consider Office Hours with Lisa, a great way to get bite-sized, personalized communications coaching. Because your business must scale and you must scale
with it. Because it’s the great communicators who create change!
