Use This Simple Outline to Get What You Want From Any Conversation or Presentation

Whether you realize it or not, the only time we say anything is because we want something.  Now, that "something" could be information, or motivation, or maybe just as simple as "Pass the salt."  But any way you slice it, I believe that most of the conversations that we have are persuasive in nature. 

Most of us don’t realize this.  We forget that the key to getting what you want, is focusing on the person we’re talking to.  We forget that everyone operates on the software called "It’s all about me." And so we go through life having ineffective conversations that leave us – and the people we’re communicating with painfully unsatisfied.

Many years ago, I ran into a book called "Say it in Six." The premise of the book is that anything that needs to be said, can be said in about six minutes.  Too much time is wasted in meaningless meetings where no one is clear on why they are there and what they hope to get out of it.  Even worse, they tend to drag on and on with no clear action plan.  Ron Hoff, the author, has laid out a simple and clear outline that guarantees not only quick and painless meetings, but more importantly, the secret to getting what you want out of most meetings or presentations. 

A Simple 5-Step Outline that Puts You in Control

1. What’s the Burning Issue?  Hoff says that if you have more than two people in a meeting and you’re not clear on what the burning issue is, you might as well just go back to work.  The Burning Issue is the real reason that there is a meeting or that the group has asked you to speak or report on something.  This is basically a no BS sentence that hits the listener square between the eyes.
2. Overview. After you say the burning issue, the voice inside the audience’s head will instantly say "What?  How can you say that?"  And this is where the overview comes in.  This is where you put your data.  This is where you explain how the burning issue came to be.  but whatever you do – don’t just throw mind-numbing charts up there and leave the audience to come to their own conclusions. TELL THEM in the title of the chart, exactly what the numbers say and mean.  For example, 2007 sales have the lowest margins in 35 years.
3. Idea Made Tangible. At this point, the audience is thinking "Oh NO!  What can we do about that?"  This is where you tell them what your idea, proposal or solution is.  Keep it clear, simple and if you can at all use some kind of physical example or prop to demonstrate this idea – all the better.  You’ll immediately see a relieved look on their face- because you’ve already done the thinking and processing.
4. The Payoff – Why this is good for you.  Right after the relieved look, will come instant distrust – "But wait, that’s a good idea, but what’s in it for me?"  So, just at they think this, you launch into the benefits (from the audience perspective) of why this plan or idea is the ideal solution.  How will their life be better, easier?  How will they save money, time effort, etc.
5. What you want them to do.  By this time, the audience can see that you’ve done all the work; you’ve identified a problem, researched the cause, come up with a solution, identified the benefits and now all that’s left, is to feed them the final bite – here’s all you have to do to make it all happen.  Tell them what to do and be prepared to have them do it.  If they need to sign something to approve it – have the paperwork there and ready, if they need to register, have it ready, if they need to give you money – have the order forms there.  Make it easy for them to say "yes."

Use This Outline Eliminate Lazy Presenting and Lazy Listening

I’m not going to lie to you.  It takes a lot of work and a lot of thinking, processing and strategizing to pull this together.  Many of us are lazy thinkers and lazy listeners.  The overwhelming onslaught of information makes it nearly impossible to process.  The impromptu meetings make it nearly impossible to prepare meaningful information.  But this outline truly cuts through the morass of meaningless babble and BS that plagues most meetings and presentations.

If you can take the time to really think through what meetings, presentations and conversations are all about, and then organize your thoughts in this way.  People cannot help themselves but to say yes to you.  After all you’ve already done all the thinking and spared those of us listening from doing the heavy lifting.

So get out there and get what you want!