Get to the Point!: Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter - Softcover

Schwartzberg, Joel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1523094117 ISBN 13: 9781523094110

Verlag: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2017

Inhaltsangabe

A communications coach shows how to identify your point, strengthen it, stick to it, and sell it with this quick and sensible guide.

Every time you communicate, you’re trying to do something, change something, or move someone to action. You’re trying to make a point. But the only way to make a point is to have a point. And the surprising truth is, very few communicators know their points or even understand what a point is, rendering them pointless.

Communications expert Joel Schwartzberg says a point is not just a topic, an idea, or a theme. A real point is a proposition of value. It’s a contention you can propose, argue, illustrate, and prove. In this concise and practical book, you’ll learn to identify your point, strengthen it, stick to it, and sell it. Whether you want to improve your impact in speeches, staff meetings, pitches, emails, PowerPoint presentations, or any other communication setting, Schwartzberg’s novel approach teaches you how to go from simply sharing a thought to making a difference. Which would you rather do?

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award silver winner in the Business & Career category

Next Generation Indie Award Winner in the How To category

“If you don’t have something to say, then don’t say anything. Joel Schwartzberg takes that simple edict and turns it into a manifesto for giving talks that make a difference.” —Seth Godin, author of Linchpin

“Good ideas too often get lost in a jungle of muddled thinking. In Get to the Point!, Joel Schwartzberg supplies useful tools to deliver your points with impact and elegance.” —David Brancaccio, host and senior editor, Marketplace Morning Report

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Joel Schwartzberg has over a decade of experience as a strategic communication executive with major organizations and as a corporate communication trainer. He is the senior director of strategic and executive communications for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Get to the Point!

Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter

By Joel Schwartzberg

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2017 Joel Schwartzberg
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5230-9411-0

Contents

Acknowledgments, viii, 
Introduction, 1, 
1 The Big Flaw, 3, 
2 Know Your Point, 7, 
3 Make Your Point, 23, 
4 Sell Your Point, 29, 
5 Tailor Your Point, 35, 
6 Stay on Point, 39, 
7 Strengthen Your Point, 45, 
8 Complete Your Point, 59, 
9 Five Enemies of Your Point, 63, 
10 Train Others to Make Points, 73, 
11 Cases in Point, 77, 
Conclusion, 105, 
Recommended Reading, 107, 
About the Author, 109, 
Index, 111, 

CHAPTER 1

The Big Flaw

In more than ten years as a strategic communications trainer, I've seen one fatal presentation flaw more often than any other. It's a flaw that contributes directly to nervousness, rambling, and, ultimately, epic failure, and most speakers have no idea that this flaw is ruining their presentations:

They don't have a point.

They have what they think is a point, but it's actually something much less.

And here's the deal:

* You have to have a point to make a point.

* You have to have a point to sell your point.

* You have to have a point to stay on point.

Many articles about public presentation shallowly advise you to "have a clear point" or "stick to your topic" but leave it at that. Nowhere have I seen the critical missing piece: how to formulate an actual point and convey it effectively. It's like a nutritionist simply telling you to "eat well," then handing you a bill. Good luck with that.

The stakes couldn't be higher. Simply put, without a point, you don't know what you're talking about. What you end up with — and what we see so often now in many different settings — is too many people making speeches and not enough people making points.

Once a presenter has a point, the next most important job is to effectively deliver it.

What do I mean by effectively? Simple: If the point is received, the presenter succeeds. If the point is not received, the presenter fails — regardless of any other impression made.

As you read this, you're probably imagining a classic public speaker in front of a packed audience. But the truth is, every time you communicate, there's always a potential point. Whether you're giving a conference keynote speech or a Monday morning status report, talking to your mother or your manager, composing an email or creating a PowerPoint, having a real point is critical to getting what you most want from that interaction.

This book will help you make the most of those moments by showing you how to identify your point, leverage it, nail it, stick to it, and sell it. It'll also show you how to overcome presentational anxiety and train others to identify and make their own points.

Of course, knowing you need a point is useless if you don't know what a point is ... and most people don't. Let's start with the basics, kicking off with a famous "I believe."

CHAPTER 2

Know Your Point

We all know a thing or two about points. After all, we refer to points all the time:

"Get to your point!"

"What's your point?"

"Please stick to your point."

Yet all too often, people confuse a point with something else: a theme, a topic, a title, a catchphrase, an idea. We believe a good speech can simply be about supply-side economics, the benefits of athleticism, the role of stepmothers, or the summer you spent in Costa Rica.

But none of these are actual points.

Imagine a child's history paper on the American Revolution. If you asked him for his point, he might say it's about the American Revolution.

That's a topic.

He might also say it's about George Washington and the Founding of America.

That's a title.

He might even say it's about the role of perseverance in American history.

That's a theme.

But a point is unique.

A point is a contention you can propose, argue, defend, illustrate, and prove.

A point makes clear its value and its purpose.

And to maximize impact, a point should be sold, not just shared or described.

So what does a true point look like? It should look something like this:

A politician's point: "My plan will expand home-buying opportunities for the middle class."

A CEO's point: "This investment in R&D will ensure our company continues to stay relevant."

A vendor's point: "My unique services will make you more profitable."

An advocate's point: "This movement will save lives.

Ajob interviewee's point: "I will help your department accomplish its goals."

A mother's point: "Saving that money now means you'll be able to buy something even bigger later."

A surefire way to know if you have a real point — and successfully create one — is to apply a simple three-step test, followed by two bonus "point-enhancers":

Step One: The "I Believe That" Test

Step Two: The "So What" Test

Step Three: The "Why" Test

Enhancement One: Avoiding Split Ends

Enhancement Two: Adding a Value Proposition

These steps are the bread-and-butter of this book, so you may want to find your highlighter and take breaks to apply these recommendations to your own points and subpoints. The best way to learn these tips is to apply them right away.

Step One: The "I Believe That" Test

This is a pass/fail test, and it boils down to this:

Can your point fit into this phrase to form a complete sentence?

"I believe that _____________________________________________."

For example, you can't say, "I believe that the American Revolution." Or "I believe that George Washington and the Founding of America." Or even "I believe that the role of perseverance in American history." These are fragments, not complete sentences, and your fifth-grade English teacher would not be happy.

But you can say, "I believe the American Revolution gave our country an enduring democratic identity."

Some more grown-up examples:

You can't say, "I believe that innovations in IT."

But you can say, "I believe that innovations in IT will make us more efficient."

You can't say, "I believe income inequality."

But you can say, "I believe income inequality is America's biggest domestic challenge."

You can't say, "I believe that investing in infrastructure."

But you can say, "I believe that investing in infrastructure is the best way to prepare for our future."

Try this test right now with a point you occasionally make or might make to your colleagues, boss, or potential clients. Then see if what you thought was your point was really something else.

Once your point passes the "I Believe That" Test, move on to Step Two. If it's not quite there yet, keep working at it until your "I believe that" is grammatically sound. If you need inspiration, read some of the "I Believe" statements that separate the chapters in this book.

Step Two: The "So What" Test

The "So What" Test roots out points that pass the "I Believe That" test but may be too shallow to serve as the foundation of a meaningful presentation. These weak points are often truisms. A truism, by definition, is inarguably true, so there's no use proposing one, whether your point is that "world peace is a good thing" or "ice cream is...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1523094117
• ISBN 13: 9781523094110
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Auflage: 1
• Anzahl der Seiten: 128
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Berrett-Koehler; https://www.dc.com/tv; ; 1333 Broadway Suite P-100; Oakland; CA; 94612; USA
• Verantwortliche Person: eucomply; hello@eucompliancepartner.com; ; Pärnu mnt 139b-14; Tallinn; 11317; Estland