Speak to Lead

Persuasion: Preparing Spokespersons to Handle Sensitive Questions

In the previous post, Interview Prep: Was spokesman being honest or just nervous?, you saw what can happen when the spokesperson is not properly prepared to handle sensitive questions.

Mr. Hallor appears to me to be a likeable and competent guy with a genuine concern for the public's safety who wants to be helpful to the reporter. This should have been an interesting interview that aired once and then was forgotten.

But the interview goes viral because Hallor acknowledges that WMDs have been found in the U.S., only to have the onsite public affairs person, followed by a written statement, and a phone call to the station (20+ days after the interview-how's that for timely response?!) clarify Hallor's "misstatement."

So how could (and should) this have been prevented? Here are 5 steps for handling sensitive questions:

Persuasion: Overcoming 'we just don't have the money' objections

A webinar participant recently asked the following question:

How can we eliminate the objection of 'we just don't have the money.' This seems to be common when seeking a job with a small company or funding for a project.

Often this objection is preceded by "We'd really like to hire you/fund your project/etc., but..."

While the detailed answer to the question would involve numerous variables unique to each situation, here are some general guidelines.

You first need to reconsider the WHAM!factor^TM of your offer:

Are you able to show conclusively that what you are suggesting will benefit the potential employer or project funder? When lack of funds is an issue, your number one priority is to demonstrate that the cost of hiring you or funding your project will produce returns several times more than the cost.

Without first creating a convincing and compelling desire on the part of your prospect, you have little chance to bypass the "no money" objection.

You also need to determine whether the "we just don't have the money" is real, is perceived to be real, or is a polite way to say, 'No.'"

Recognize that there are situations where the saying, "You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip" applies. They don’t have the funds nor the means to get the funding.

Action: Find who does have the resources and focus on them; don't hang around waiting for the turnip to get a transfusion.

At other times your prospect may perceive the objection as real, when in fact the needed resources could be found in-house or could be raised from external sources.

Actions: Come up with suggestions on how to find or acquire the necessary funds. Think of options they might not have considered. Focus on ways of reducing risk to the prospect. Be creative.

 

Resonate: present visual stories that transform audiences is a "Must Read"

Transforming audiences. That's been my profession for over 30 years. I transform audiences by transforming the speakers who present to them.

In that time I have tried to stay current on books relating to public speaking and presenting. In the earlier years, before the proliferation of self publishing (when publishing houses served as a print spam filter), the task was close to manageable. Now that's no longer the case. Nonetheless, I make the attempt.

Here's what I find. Much of the writing about public speaking and speech writing is, to be polite, mediocre. Fortunately, there are still some fine works being written. Books that refine our understanding and broaden our view.

Then, every once in a while, a book comes along that transforms the dialogue. That demands we no longer tolerate mindless, emotionless, purposeless presentations disguised as state-of-the-art communication technology. 

Resonate is one of those rare books.

Nancy Duarte (who also wrote the highly popular Slide:ology) delves into the processes of creating audience transforming experiences with an enthusiasm, depth, and insight rarely seen.

Resonate is a joy to read. For every communication professional, this is a must read. Neglect doing so at the risk of being put out to pasture.

Acronyms, memory devices, and terrorist attacks

Acronyms have long been used by speakers, authors and trainers to help audiences more easily remember such things as lists, processes, concepts, and the names of federal bureaucracies.

From one of the latter comes an especially interesting, memorable, and might I add, ironic acronym. 

Here from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is the B-NICE acronym to help you remember the 5 types of terrorist attack:

• Biological
• Nuclear
• Incendiary
• Chemical
• Explosive

And remember, b-nice to those terrorists.

 

Humor Trivializes Evil - NPR Treats ACORN Child Prostitution as a Joke

First of all, now that I have your attention, I want to make clear this is not an attack on National Public Radio.

But it was an NPR broadcast that sparked my thoughts about the power humor has to trivialize evil. How comedy can move the focus from the heinous to the humorous, and in the process blunt the evil at the core of the issue.

These ideas came about on Saturday as I was listening to Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! WWDTM), NPR's "oddly informative news quiz." (Which, BTW, I generally find very entertaining.)

The topic: the ACORN sting, which documented the willingness of ACORN staff members to give advice on running a child prostitution brothel and other illegal activities. One staffer even volunteered to help smuggle the under-age girls into the U.S. from Mexico.

What I find particularly appalling is that none of the ACORN workers in the videos seemed the least bit bothered by helping enslave a dozen 12 to 15 year old girls as prostitutes. 

Unfortunately, the host and panel of WWDTM don't seem too appalled either. Here is the opening to the topic. (To hear this portion of the broadcast CLICK HERE and select "Panel II: ACORN And Fashion Week" in the right column.)

Public Speaking: Mnemonic Devices-Barfing Your Way to Success

Mnemonic devices for public speaking have been used for thousands of years.

The initial application was to help speakers remember what they were going to say as they delivered the speech. (For an overview and history of mnemonic devices used by the ancients--remember, the great Greek orators didn't have teleprompters--CLICK HERE.) 

Some mnemonic devices, however, are also useful to help the listener retain and recall your message.

The acronym is one of those. 

Many Americans learned the names of the Great Lakes with the acronym H-O-M-E-S (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior). K-I-S-S (Keep It Simple Stupid) and A-I-D-A (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) are well-known acronyms applying to persuasive speaking.

Which brings us to barfing your way to success.

Recently I heard William H. Nixon, Chairman and CEO of Policy Impact Communications, speak to a management group about his formula for business success, organized as

Persuasive Messages: Story Power, Greek Tragedies & Post Traumatic Stress Treatment

As those of you who read this regularly know, I'm a strong advocate of the power of stories, the use of narrative, to engage audiences and open them to your messages. 

Today's edition of USA Today contains an interesting article on the use of dramatic narrative, in this case ancient Greek tragedies, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. It's a creative use of narrative to get troops to recognize the issue and be willing to talk about it.

Read it at "Stressed troops  take cues from ancient plays." 

Persuasion: Dangerous Message - Joe Friday vs Clarence Darrow at Political Bloggers Conventions

"Just the facts, ma'am."* The phrase made famous by Dragnet's Sgt. Joe Friday, raised its deceptive head last week at the Netroots Nation (liberal) and RightOn (conservative) political bloggers annual conventions in Pittsburgh.

Toward the end of a Q&A session a woman stood up, thanked the presenters and said, "The facts are on our side. I realize now if we just get them out there, we will win."

In the non-partisan tradition of this blog, I won't be specific as to which of the conventions I attended. I did, however, expect the dangerous thinking exemplified above to be unique to us. I was therefore gratified to see an attendee of the other convention quoted in the newspaper professing the same misguided thinking.

Facts do not produce converts.

Facts are too susceptible to fabrication, half-truths, intentional and accidental misrepresentation, interpretation, skepticism, disinterest, rationalization, and denial. 

Facts can be useful in conversion, but only when used as part of a process, never as a stand alone.

If we want converts, we need to meet them where they are. We need to deal with their concerns, their perceptions, their assumptions, and their experiences. We need to build a relationship of genuine concern and trust.

And we need to offer, in the words of Bush 41, "that vision thing" so people find a better way.

Clarence Darrow, one of the most prominent American defense attorneys in the late 18- and early 1900s, summed it up well: "Don't give the jury reasons to acquit your client. Make them want to acquit him and they will provide the reasons." 

* Joe Friday actually never said the phrase he made famous. But he came close. What he did say was "All we need are the facts."

Message Development: Making Numbers Come Alive - How much is a trillion?

The great challenge of using numbers in presentations and interviews is breathing life into them so listeners take note, comprehend, and remember.

Since the currency here in Washington DC these days is expressed in trillions, I wanted to pass along this visual of what a trillion is.

The file was sent to me without attribution, so I apologize to its creator for not giving him or her credit. If any of you know its origin, I'd appreciate your letting me know.

Note: I have omitted the final 3 slides because they make a partisan political statement. Although I may agree with their viewpoint, political commentary is not the purpose of this blog.

And now, to demonstrate the escalation from million to billion to trillion, click on the file link below.

Download WhatsaTrillion-

Persuasive Sound Bites: Word Pictures that Change Behavior

Steve Farnsworth (twitter user TheRealPRMan) has written a super blog entry titled Let's Shoot the CEO: Is Pay for Placement PR a Brilliant Idea or Acutely Ignorant.

Steve makes a powerful case against pay for placement. But that's not the focus of this blog. 

What excited me, and why you should read it, is Steve's use of a word picture to change behavior. 

Rather than attempt to convince with industry statistics, a long monologue comparing pay for placement vs traditional, or even testimonials, he cuts to the chase with a simple, but vivid word picture to shift the potential client's mindset.

Steve's experience also provides one other lesson on persuasion. You have to believe in what you offer. I can think of numerous service providers who would have immediately acquiesced to what the client thought they wanted. In Steve's case it's clear he knew the value of what he was offering and wanted the client to get the full benefit of his service. That's the power of the confidence that comes from firm belief ... and a determination to see that the client gets full value. 

Oh, and make sure you read all the way to the end to see the extent of the change.