Page 167 - The Voice of Authority

such. When he finished, I asked him, “Do you think real
estate is a good investment for high net-worth individuals
today?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “The best. For several reasons.”
And he listed them for me.
“Why didn’t you include those reasons in your presen-
tation?” I asked.
“I did.”
“I missed them.”
“Maybe they didn’t come across as reasons. But the facts
were there. The investor could have drawn that conclu-
sion.”
“But why would you leave it to the listener to draw that
conclusion?”
“Well, I’m a lawyer. I didn’t want to come across as a
used car salesman.”
For the next hour, we discussed the differences between
hype and a persuasive presentation. After all, his orga-
nization spent several million dollars annually flying in es-
tate planners, financial advisors, brokers, and potential
clients to persuade them to invest in real estate. Why would
he not want to lead them to a conclusion?
Be clear about your pur-
pose. If you’re asked just to
dump information, do it. The four S’s of persua-
But more often than not, sion: solid facts, sound
you’re expected to take a logic, straightforward lan-
point of view about the in- guage, and strong struc-
formation you provide. ture.
That point of view involves
the four S’s of persuasion to
make sure all your listeners arrive at the same destination:
solid facts, sound logic, straightforward language, and
strong structure.

Does Your Communication Make You Look Competent? 155