In the book, Counselor, by Ted Sorensen, a previous adviser and a legendary speechwriter for John F. Kennedy, describes the events that shaped the Kennedy years along with his relationship to the President and his family. Sorensen will always be remembered for turning phrases that ignited the imagination of a generation.
In his book, Sorensen also outlines the basic rules that made JFK's speeches powerfully persuasive. They apply to all types of presentations, not just formal speeches.
The basic rules can be used by you. Your next business presentation can be more effective by following them.
1. Less is almost always better than more. When attempting to persuade, less is more. If it takes you five minutes to answer a question that you could have answered in 45 seconds, you will lose the attention of your listener. If it takes you one hour to give a presentation that, with better organization, could have comprar camisas online been delivered in 20 minutes, you will lose your audience. Be more persuasive by speaking less.
2. Employ elevated but not grandiose language. According to Sorensen, JFK believed in elevating the sights of his listeners ("We choose to go to the moon…") and simplifying his language at the same time. Kennedy kept his sentences short and his words comprehensible. He understood the importance of avoiding terms so esoteric they could not comprar camisas online be understood easily by the average listener.
3. Organize the text to simplify, clarify, and emphasize. According to Sorensen, speeches should have a "tightly organized, coherent, and consistent theme." Setting the theme of your presentation from the beginning―and providing guideposts along the way―makes it easier for your listeners to follow. I once heard a sales manager kick off a presentation by saying: "Today we're introducing a new software tool that will help you meet and in many cases exceed your quarterly quotas. [Sets the theme.] There are three features of this software that I would like to
4. Choose each word with precision. A typical description of a company's product can be like this "Our solutions represent best-of-breed platforms that reduce time to market…." The rest of the description could have gone "blah, blah, blah" because it made no sense to me. Words like "solution," "best-of-breed," or "platforms" are empty terms that can muddle business conversations and are anything but persuasive. Take a lesson from Kennedy: Don't rely on hackneyed phrases. Be specific.
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