Page 261 - ConvinceThemFlip

the secrets of the great communicators
need to know to be able to make a decision: costs,
market conditions, competition, timing, support,
sales, whatever is pertinent to deciding to move
forward. Stick to three key points. The sizzle can
be a prop (an umbrella, a cape, a golf club), an
interaction, a humorous anecdote (but avoid jokes,
because unless everyone gets the joke, you’ll divide
your audience), or audience involvement (asking
someone to remember—or forget—a word or
number, or anything that gets one or all of them to
do or say something). Muldoon relied on theatrical
delivery to impart sizzle. He would freeze in his
tracks for a few seconds and hold his breath. His
movements were precise and he made a lot of eye
contact with his audience.
At the end, restate the point. You can always rely
on a tried and true wrap-up, as in, “The moral of
the story is . . . ”
Close with something that requires audience
participation and a call to action. Leave your
listeners with a concrete step they need to take to
“make it real.” Ask them to jot down a key phrase,
or give them a tea bag and tell them to review
material over a cup of tea later—anything that
makes them take some sort of action.
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