One way to build a persuasive message

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I don’t really believe in “informative” presentations because no matter what the occasion, a speaker wants to convince the audience that he or she is trustworthy and well informed on the subject.

Therefore, I press forward with the belief that we are all PERSUADERS and we are all in the PERSUASION BUSINESS.

One element of persuasion is constructing a good message, and here’s one way to construct a point you want to make.

I call this “Can’t MISS Messaging.”

M stands for message. For instance, BP might find itself saying, “We are doing everything we can to stop the oil.”

I stands for information. BP might say, “We have 5,000 people on site working as a team to stop the flow of oil, and close to 10,000 volunteers in boats and on the ground trying to protect the wetlands.”

S stands for story. BP might illustrate the above dry, numerical facts with a story, such as, “In fact, one volunteer, Lisa Monniker, has set up a nursery for ducks that have come in contact with the oil. She has recruited school children to come clean the ducks one by one. Each duck is given a name and is adopted by a particular child. I must say, there’s a lot of love going on between these kids and their fluffy little ducks.”

The last S stands for Say it again. “So I want to reassure the public that BP is doing everything it can to stop the flow of oil and take care of any problem that arises.”

This is a very basic unit of persuasion, and one that we all should master. Don’t stop at the facts and the data. Go beyond the numbers to tell a story that brings the numbers to life.

And then end as you began—with the big idea.

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills andpublic speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

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