Hi, it’s Marc, the guy behind MessageHouse.org with a Messaging Matters Update.
Below are eight simple phrases (in bold). If you learn them by heart, you will master any speaking situation, prepared or unprepared.
Here they are:
The Magic Eight Phrases
1) “I’d like to talk about X.” [PAUSE] State your subject, in no more than ten words.
2) “Here’s why it matters.” [PAUSE] (Say why it matters. Create goosebumps. End on: “What is at stake is A and ultimately B.” Make B bigger and broader than A.
3) “So, what I’m doing falls into three buckets.” [PAUSE] Describe each one in no more than five words.
4) “But let me tell you about my secret sauce.” [PAUSE] Say what it is, then illustrate it with a brief but concrete story about how it saved the day for someone in distress.
5) “This approach has worked for me many times.” [PAUSE] Quickly list three successes. Use numbers or quote credible people or entities.
6) “You know, this is personal for me…” [PAUSE] Say something so candid that you’d never put on your LinkedIn page. It will make your listeners trust you. End on: “But it’s not about me–as I said, at stake is….”
7) “So, here’s what I want you to do.” [PAUSE] Be uncommonly concrete about the next steps to show how much you really mean it.
8) “Thank you, and I….” Finish with an optimistic phrase.
You can use this for any topic.
A crucial element is (did you guess it?) the pause!
Here’re the benefits of pausing:
– You appear confident.
– What you say seems important.
– You create a cliffhanger effect.
– It gives you time to think (if not prepared).
– It allows your listeners to follow along.
– It allows you to breathe.
Remember: Use the power of the pause! You get so much benefit. All for literally doing nothing (i.e., pausing). How cool is that?
If you want to learn more about this approach, check out my Elevator Speech Training worksheet. It is powered by the Message House Method, but it goes beyond it. It includes prompts to use the magic eight phrases effectively. It also includes an example script.
You can download the worksheet for free on my Elevator Speech Training website at www.est.io/download.
I hope you’ll find it helpful. Feel free to pass it on. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email.
All the best,
Marc.
PS: 80 CEOs and Executive Directors recently learned about this unique approach in one-on-one 60-minute Zoom crash courses I did with them. You can see their quotes at www.est.io/testimonials.