by Patricia
Fripp, CSP, CPAE
"Speak
to be remembered and repeated." Isn't that the goal of every
communicator—to be remembered and repeated?
This
is a key idea I reinforce at every Fripp Speaking School.Actually, this is a key idea
every time I have the opportunity to discuss speaking and
presentation skills. Yes, it's easier said than done. Here
are a few key ideas.
 Speak
in shorter sentences.
Edit
your sentences to a nub. Remember, Jerry Seinfeld said, "I
will spend an hour taking an eight word sentence and making
it five." In comedy, the fewer the words between the set-up
and the punch word, the bigger the laugh.
Don't
step on your punch word which should be the final word or
idea in the sentence. (Yes, this works for Jerry and his comedian
brethren, and it also works for business communicators.)
Choose
the best punch word. For example, in the sentence, "You have
to make an important decision today," your punch word should
be "decision." So switch it around: "Today, you have to make
an important DECISION!"
If
you have a sentence with two important words or phrases, put
the more important is at the end. "Today, YOU have to make
an important DECISION." Or, "The important DECISION today
is going to be made by YOU."
Perfect
your pause. Deliver your punch word and then pause—and pause—and
pause. Give your listeners time to digest what you've just
said. Get comfortable with silence, and don't be tempted to
fill it with "um's."
Repeat
your key ideas more than once.
Say
something memorable.
Let
us look at a few recent examples from the memorial for 60
Minutes' Ed Bradley.
Fellow
60 Minutes reporter Steve Kroft said, "I learned a lot from
Ed Bradley, and not just about journalism. I learned a lot
about friendship, manners, clothes, wine, freshly cut flowers—which
he had delivered to his office every week—and the importance
of stopping and smelling them every once in awhile."
Surprise
guest Bill Clinton said, "Ed Bradley was a brilliant, insatiable,
curious traveler on a relentless quest to get to the bottom
of things. He was like the great jazz musicians he so admired.
He always played in the key of reason. His songs were full
of the notes of facts; but he knew to make the most of music
you have to improvise. We'll never forget what his solos were:
the disarming smile; the disconcerting stare; the highly uncomfortable
stretches of silence, the deceptively dangerous questions,
and the questions that would be revealing, no matter what
your answer was. Watching him was mesmerizing — because you
knew you were watching a master at work."
(489 words)
Patricia Fripp is an executive speech coach, sales presentation skills trainer, and award-winning keynote speaker.
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