You've Got 8 Seconds: Communication Secrets for a Distracted World

by Paul Hellman

In one-to-one conversations, talk less than the other person. Instead of rambling on and on, ask at least one thought-provoking question per conversation. In meetings, speak in 30–60 second bites. Provide the headline news first, with details later, and only give details if asked. You’ll be surprised by how much you can say in 30 seconds. When presenting, slim down to 10 PowerPoint slides or less. And occasionally, lose the entire deck (PowerPoint tips, page 102).

The point is, your audience is probably not thinking about you. But to capture attention, you need to think about them. Be the audience. Your audience, whether you’re talking to 100 people at work or 1 person at home, has three questions, always the same. Although these questions seldom get asked directly, they’re the hurdles you have to jump, in sequence, to capture and hold attention: 1. Why should I listen (or read this)? 2. What exactly are you saying? 3. What should I do with this info? To fast-focus your message, answer the three questions.

What does your audience need? Once you’ve figured that out, tell your audience. A strong purpose statement says what you’re going to talk about and, more importantly, why. Why is the value, from the audience’s perspective. Why answers the audience’s question: “Why should we listen?”

To figure out your purpose statement, take a few minutes to stop being you. Be the audience. What are their concerns?

What If There’s No Real Benefit? Tell Your Audience the Cost of Not Listening

Before you tell them the what, tell them the why. That’s the purpose of a purpose. (True, I’m saying purpose a lot. On purpose.) Your purpose needs to speak to their concerns. Example: “Our purpose is to help you sell more beer. How? By inspiring your employees to sell more beer. By leadership.” Now give the agenda. And keep talking about the beer.