Been carrying on an email dialog with someone for the past few weeks about a topic near and dear to my heart. He’s offering advice — I’m desparately looking for some. It’s a matter of heart vs. fact vs. prudence vs. regret. I’ve stated facts. He’s come with the voice of experience. In concluding his fourth discourse on the subject, he shared this one-liner: “I think you can hear me saying, ‘Don’t …'” It was funny, because every email has had the same message, but it struck me as interesting that it wasn’t until the fourth message that the fact was actually stated in no uncertain terms.Presenters and sales persons often do the same thing. Facts. Figures. Feelings. Filiosphies. (Bonus truth of the day — you can take alliteration too far). Most of the time your point is easy to spot. Most of the time. But why risk it? And don’t wait until the close to state the point — you may have already lost them. Come out with both guns blazing and lay on the base fact and action point right from the get go (maybe not the opening sentence, but close). For those who get the point, it’s then reinforced; for those who wouldn’t get it, you’ve made sure they do.
State your premise — no matter how obvious — clearly.
