TJ’s Insights

If you want to see your message quoted in the media, one sure way is to add a pop culture reference. Reporters LOVE anything that relates to someone or something that is currently receiving attention in pop culture or is generally known to the masses.

If you say “I believe that ACME Company did not make the wisest selection when it hired Dick Smithers to be its new CEO,” you are unlikely to be quoted. However, if you say, “Hiring Dick Smithers as the new CEO is a worse decision than hiring Michael Jackson to be your kid’s babysitter,” you will be quoted.

What do you do if you are scheduled for an hour-long conference call to pitch new business and this is the first thing you hear at the other end of the line?

Bill, “Hi Janice, I’m sorry, but my last meeting ran over and my assistant just scheduled a train for me to be on in 15 minutes. Instead of an hour, I can only give you five minutes. But I can talk to you tomorrow. Sorry.”

Here is what you should do:

I always ask my presentation training clients to tell me who their favorite speakers are and why they like them. Then, I ask them to name the best non-celebrity speaker they have seen in the last year and to tell me every single message point they remember from that speech. Invariably, after telling me one or two substantive message points about a speaker, my clients will start saying things like �and this CEO spoke with such passion and optimism; he made you want to hear more.�

Sometimes in order to make a point stronger, someone may use a double negative to make a forceful point when speaking to others. For example:

�We can not NOT lower taxes if we wish to stimulate the economy.� To those in attendance, the message is clear�the person speaking wishes to cut taxes. Through the use of intonation and emphasis, it is abundantly clear to all where this person stands on the issue of taxes.