Page 95 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

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HOW TO CAPTURE

YOUR AUDIENCE

TWO BIG 8s

The 8-second rule will ensure that you always get off to a good start.
Mastering the 8-second drill can help make you a player in no
time.

The 8-Second Rule

Keeping the important 18-minute wall in mind, we now have to
consider the fast start 8-second rule. The 8-second rule recognizes a
law of human nature that suggests that most people decide within
eight seconds whether a particular speaker is worth listening to in

the first place. In other words, don’t piddle away your moment of
greatest impact on opening amenities. Opening amenities are open-
ing inanities.
So begin with a bang. Avoid anemic cliché starts such as, “Thank
you. Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here today. . . . Today I
would like to talk about. . . .” As we have been saying, most presenta-

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