Page 178 - Free Yourself From

Making Your Words Count 161

6. Ask questions to learn what is foremost on people’s minds, and
then tailor your message that way.
7. Don’t feel rushed. Take time to ask, listen, think, and then speak.

To be convincing in what you say, you need to own your message.
One important way to do this is to stay on point throughout your
conversation or presentation. Resist going off on side points that can
distract people or dilute your message. And don’t allow others to pull
you off your message, either. If someone asks a tangential or utterly
unrelated question, it’s okay to say that you’d like to stick to the topic
at hand, but that you’d be happy to answer their question afterward.
I think of it as planning my route to a destination. If it’s Sunday
afternoon and I’m interested in enjoying the countryside, I might
pick a route that meanders and takes more time than usual. But if it’s
a weekday and I’m heading to a client’s office, that’s a different story.
I pick the route that is most direct and least likely to present delays
for roadwork or congestion, so I can minimize my chances of some-
thing going wrong.

Work on owning and staying on your message by following these
key tips:

1. Lead with your key points.
2. Determine your goal. Are you telling or selling? Telling is
understanding what others need to know. Selling is under-
standing what others need to know and feel.