It’s not always the most eloquent, charismatic, best-looking, loudest speaker that gets results. They are often the most entertaining, but rarely the persons who achieve the most desirable outcomes. What may be more surprising is that it is not the content either that matters most.
When it comes to getting the most out of any talk or communication, it is actually the structure of the talk that ultimately generates the most consistent, maximum performance.
The purpose of oration is movement. The point of doing a talk is to inspire the the listener to say at some point during the speech to say:
“Let’s march”
“I’m in”
“Is that all it costs?
“I’ll take 2” or
“Where do I sign?”
There are several ways to describe how to “structure” an effective talk and I’ll highlight 3 starting points to building effective communication here.
1. Choosing content.
As Stephen R. Covey would say, “Start with the end in mind.”
What are the 3 outcomes you want from the talk so that when you’re driving home afterward, you say to yourself, “That was my best talk ever!” If you have both current members and guests in the room, for example, 3 outcomes could be that 1. The guests sign up to become members, 2. The members upgrade their membership, and 3. Both guests and members fill out a referral form.
Once you know your 3 outcomes, you build the entire talk from start to finish around creating those results. This allows you to cut unnecessary information and stick to the old “ABC” mantra; “Always Be Selling.” You may not be selling anything, but you are always attempting to inspire or “close” something.
2. Close at the opening.
According to Lifeways Research, through his crusades, Billy Graham had more than 215 million people come forward to become Christians. That makes him one of, if not the most effective speaker in history. He had a structure where he “closed” at the opening. He would start off his talk by saying something like, “When I am finished here tonight, many of you will come up to this stage and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”
Like point number 1, this causes the speaker to then focus her or his content on the end in mind. For the audience, they understand the purpose and intent of the talk. This serves to give context to the content, point their minds in the same direction as the speaker’s, and lets some of the pressure out the room and lowers everyone’s defenses who are bracing for that point where they’re going to get sold something.
3. Leverage.
I wrestled and did combat sports for 30 years. I would not want to walk onto a mat or into a ring and not feel I had some advantage that would give me the edge towards victory. In my very first boxing class, I was paired with a professional boxer who was 2-0. I had no leverage. He had leverage. It didn’t count towards his record, but he was clearly 3-0 after we spared and I had to put all my food in a blender for a week. The cartoons are true – if you get hit hard enough in the face you do hear birdies.
Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. Anthony Robbins, another iconic, history-making close talks about gaining leverage to succeed in communication, work, and even in conquering your most difficult opponent – yourself.
Here is an example of leverage in your communications. When I am doing a talk to an older audience, I am able to discuss undesirable consequences my mom encountered that I am encouraging them to avoid. She was a great mom. Her health, however, is another story. Having smoked cigarettes since the age of 12 and living a very unhealthy lifestyle, she had a stroke in her 40s. By her 70s, she had to live in a rehab facility that cost $9,800 per month. The physical, mental, and fiscal impact of her story is the leverage I need to get that group to take action so we can save their lives while creating their best future.
There is of course, positive leverage as well. It works 50% as well as negative leverage, but is an important part of creating value for your services and products. As an example, I had an average golfer become a professional golfer following care, have had many patients who believed they were at the end of their life and are still active and purposeful in their 90s and 100s, and have had consulting clients who couldn’t pay their bills now taking home a million or millions after taxes. All considered leverage.
A whole book can be written on key, critical areas of communication. However, just these 3 tips alone are enough to change the world.
Have fun saving the world
Dr. Ben
