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MORE WORDS DON'T MEAN

A BETTER MESSAGE

· Speech Coaching,Public Speaking,Presentations,Storytelling,Presentation

Don’t Push Your Audience Away

I started the “Say It In 5” series because I often hear too many words and not enough message. Yes, it takes more time to edit your message down but the benefit? Someone will hear it better when there’s less of it to hear.

“When you squeeze your information in,

you squeeze your audience out.”

Old speaker proverb

How to Effectively Edit

1. If there is time, write it down: If I am left to “wing it”, I WILL use more words. I am thinking aloud and saying what I am thinking. The audience doesn’t need to hear all of this, they just need to hear the point.

2. If you are in a situation where you are not given time, just come up with one sentence that is the message. Then you can add examples or elaborate on this one sentence.

3. Craig Valentine suggests coming up with a Foundational Phrase for your message. A phrase under 10 words that conveys what you are trying to say. “Your Dream is Not For Sale” is one of Craig’s famous phrases. If your content “fits the phrase - it stays."

“Too many speakers try to get across

too much information in

too little time.”

Craig Valentine

Practice your Favorite Stories

Often when we are called upon to speak, we can be prepared by knowing how long our favorite stories take to tell. Write down a list of your favorite "go-to" stories. Using a recorder, time each of them. Ideally, you should have stories that are short - 1-3 minutes, some that are in our 5 minute time and a few (very few) that are longer. Make sure that your longer stories are worth the “telling time”. Your shortest stories could even be vignettes - memorable moments that don’t include a conflict and resolution.

The more you tell a story over and over, be aware of what information doesn’t need to be there. If it does need to be there, is there a way to shorten it and still have the meaning, the punch, the impact? If you can’t tell, ask your friends, your Toastmasters’ club or other peron or group available to give honest feedback. By doing this, you’ll find your audience remembering your stories, understanding your message and connecting to you in a greater way.