Page 265 - ConvinceThemFlip

the secrets of the great communicators
Not all I-KOLA statements take the form of “It’s kind
of like . . . ” When he was asked to explain the trade defi-
cit, Warren Buffet said, “Our country has been behaving
like a rich family with an immense farm. In order to con-
sume 4 percent more than they produce—that’s the trade
deficit—we have, day by day, been both selling pieces
of the farm and increasing the mortgage on what we still
own.” Brilliant. He explained a complex subject in a way
that a ten-year-old could understand.
Coining an I-KOLA makes complicated concepts sound
simple, interesting, and memorable. They are terrific for
problem-solving, brainstorming, convincing, motivating,
teaching, and getting a grip on personalities and relation-
ships. It should take between three and thirty seconds to
deliver an I-KOLA.
Let’s take a look at this simple device in action. A while
back I was asked to give a keynote speech for a company
to help launch a new software system. I arranged a tele-
phone briefing to get up to speed. After ten minutes, the
meeting planner realized that, apart from letting everyone
know a new system was coming in, he didn’t really have a
theme for the launch.
“All right,” I said. “Let’s try something. I want you to
say the very first thing that comes into your head to com-
plete the phrase I’m about to say. I don’t care what it is,
but it has to be the very first thing. Ready?”
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