Speak to Lead

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

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.

Persuasive Messages: Advice from Confucius on communicating in troubled times

Given the uncertainty of the times, it would be good if more of our political and business leaders followed this advice from Confucius:

If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone....Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.

Persuasive Speaking: Sound Bite Rescue - moving your speech from obscurity to front page, a lesson from Eric Holder

In the previous post, I noted how the wrong sound bite can destroy your intended message. Here is a prime example of the sound bite saving the speech.

Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke to Justice Department employees as part of Black History Month. As Holder is the first African-American to serve as attorney general, the speech would have received some mention in larger papers, although likely tucked away where few would read it. 

Enter the well-planned sound bite: "...in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards."

That one provocative sound bite moved the speech from obscurity to page one.

Lesson: If you want your speech to be remembered, if you want your listeners to talk about it for days after you deliver it, you need to use at least one well-crafted, on-message sound bite that engages the listener's emotions and thoughts. Most business speeches fail this lesson.

Persuasive Speaking: Sound Bite Suicide - killing your message with a powerful quote

"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."

So advised President Obama in meeting with Republicans at the White House in late January in an attempt to demonstrate a desire to work together in a bipartisan manner. 

Unfortunately, that one sound bite shifted the focus away from the message of bipartisanship to an attack on Rush Limbaugh. 

Lesson: For your message to be heard and believed, you must be consistent. Screen your prepared remarks for any highly quotable, but off-message sound bite, and get rid of it!

Persuasive Presentations: PowerPoint Poison Antidote – How to Avoid PPT Homicide

Here’s a fun and free eBook download - How to Commit Career Suicide While Inflicting Powerpoint Homocide.

It features a 13-step guide to how NOT to give a business presentation.

Bill Lane, Jack Welch’s speechwriter for over 20 years and author of Jacked Up: The Inside Story of How Jack Welch Talked GE into Becoming the World’s Greatest Company, created the eBook because “Some of the most important lessons to be learned from Welch come from his often brutally enforced guidelines for 'making a great pitch.'”

Each of the 13 points is coupled with a corresponding comment from Jack Welch.

If you’re familiar with my philosophy of PowerPoint, this won’t be new to you. But a reminder is always good. And if you have a colleague or boss who doesn’t believe me, and insists on dispensing PowerPoint poison, perhaps Jack Welch will provide the antidote.

Persuasive Messages 101 (and 201, 301...): The Key to Creating Messages that Grab the Listener's Attention & Get Results

What is the key to creating messages that grab - and keep - the audience's attention?

Several techniques will get their attention. But one element is key in keeping their attention and getting the result you want.

That key is so crucial, and so often neglected, we need constant reminders. It's a central part of all my training and coaching programs. Those of you who are clients, know how I hammer this home.

But rather than repeat myself, I thought you'd enjoy hearing it from someone else. So here is....

One Secret to Make Your Marketing Message Effective
By Stephen D. Palmer

How To Become the Center of Attention There are millions of people with tons of advice, techniques, and strategies for how to reach your audience and get them to take action. Yet, if we're drowning in such advice, then why are so many marketing campaigns, books, speeches, articles, blogs, and other content painfully ineffective? Why does it seem so hard to get others to take action?

This is a must-read article for you if any of the following are true: