People digest numbers with great difficulty. Yes, pie charts and bar graphs help. But try to make statistics both visual and experiential. For example, randomly survey the members of your audience by asking them to raise their hands, then relate those findings to the random survey you did previously. Or do as one manager did [...]
Exact numbers sound more credible: “The number of employees dissatisfied with their paychecks was 51.4 percent” sounds exact, and therefore accurate. Rounded numbers, on the other hand, give the appearance of estimations. Yet “slightly over half” is easier to remember than “51.4 percent of the employees surveyed.” So which do you use if you [...]
“I would suggest” sounds as if you’re not quite sure, that if you were in a position to make a suggestion and if it didn’t fluster anyone, you might suggest that maybe . . . Use instead: “I suggest.” Rid your language of weak phrases. Not: “I think we should attempt to get approval on [...]
No one wants to be accused of doing a data dump as a presenter. Neither do they want to turn in a book report when they propose a new strategic plan to executive management or, worse, when they write a sales proposal. Instead, they hope to be persuasive––to build a strong case for their idea [...]
Get people’s attention with words like these: new, updated, exciting, fashionable, fast-acting, cost-effective, low-cost, no-risk, easy to use, successful, prestigious, opportune time, select few. Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books. Her work has been translated into 23 languages. Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, andAct [...]
Once again, we see a large company miss an opportunity to build trust with stakeholders by being forthcoming with clear communication. In a communication vacuum, rumors run rampant. In the interim, while investors, employees, and users wait for answers about the mysterious absence of its CEO, Larry Page, the more they grow distrustful, the longer [...]
At least weekly, I see a direct-mail piece, e-mail, or website that catches my attention: It offers a funny cartoon, a glitzy color, a sly slogan, or a provocative question. My problem is determining what’s being sold. I don’t know exactly what the advertiser is asking me to buy, decide, or do. If you have [...]
One of the first lessons in speechwriting is the use of triads (groupings of three). If you can add alliteration (repetition of the sound from word to word), so much the better. Examples: Government of the people, by the people, for the people. Blood, sweat, and tears . Clearly, quickly, concisely. Motivate, renovate, captivate. Pray, prepare, [...]
Politicians package their ideas in sound bites. Charities create a poster goal. Conference planners display their theme on a banner across their home page and tweet it in 140 characters. If you can summarize your point in a pithy slogan, do so. Make it catchy and current. Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is [...]
A recent post in my LinkedIn group said, “As a broadcast journalist with a radio show on a major network, I talk to thousands every day over the airwaves. But put me in a room in front of a live group, and I freeze. Scares me to death.” Another member responded, “I feel your pain. [...]
