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In the movie "The Player," during a scene at a Hollywood studio executive meeting, Mr. Levy shows Reeve, the central character, how to pitch a potential movie story. Levy holds out a newspaper, saying, "Here, read a headline, any headline." Reeve responds: "Um . . .'Immigrants Protest Budget Cuts in Literacy Program.'" Levy: "Human spirit overcoming economic adversity. Sounds like Horatio Alger in the barrio. You put in Jimmy Smits, you got a sexy 'Stand and Deliver.' Next?" Robert Kosberg, a Hollywood producer, convinced a studio to make the 1993 pets-gone-wrong movie "Man's Best Friend." His pitch was "Jaws on Paws." How quickly can you grab someone's attention? See the power of spare, specific details over speed and volume of speech? Stories and sayings are the markers of meaning in our lives. Here are some ways to "say It better" . . . sooner: 1. Be brief. If your characterization is sufficiently
short, you can repeat it as an aside or reminder throughout a conversation.
Others are more likely to remember and repeat it. Here are some ways to be
pithy: Using a familiar word in a new way -- you
might even capture a trend: Example:
Futurist Faith Popcorn predicted five years ago that people would want to be
"cocooning" in their homes. Alliteration: "Peak performance"
and "high-tech/high-touch." Rhyme: "Jaws on Paws" Repetition: "First things first,"
Steve Covey's advice. Puns: Tongue Fu! -- title of book by Sam
Horn. Unexpected turns of phrase: To connect with
people upon first meeting, I suggest "going slow to go fast." 2. Make favorable comparisons with familiar objects. When people in your work world are immersed
in their jargon, your remarks can stand out when you make a comparison with a
well-liked product, person, or situation from outside your profession or
industry. Example: At the
high-stakes Hambrect and Quist Healthcare conference, venture capitalists hear
20-minutes talks by CEOs of start-ups and public companies who seek funding or
favorable stock analysts' reports. The tension is high and the schedule is
packed. Most presenters speak fast, using a mix of highly technical scientific
and finance language. The speaker from the Amgen biotech company walked past the
podium to the center of the stage and pulled up one sleeve to bare his raised
forearm. Then he opened his talk by saying, "You will feel the effects of
this medical patch faster than it takes a Porsche to go from 0 to 90." Example: A
professor once told me that " . . . working in academia is like committing
suicide by throwing oneself in front of a moving glacier." 3. Hijack a familiar slogan to use in a new way. After a company has spent millions to make a
slick slogan well known, twist it in a new direction for your intended meaning. Example:
Redwood Hospital in Northern California used this billboard variation of the
popular milk slogan to ask for blood donations: "Got blood?" 4. Anchor your suggestion in a relevant
story. To pull people into hearing and remembering
your view, set it up with a brief anecdote. Example: What
if you wanted to suggest that people were looking at a problem from the wrong
perspective? Consider offering this story first: There is an old joke in Soviet
Russia about a guard at the factory gate who, at the end of every day, saw a
worker walking out with a wheelbarrow full of straw. Every day the guard
thoroughly searched the contents of the wheelbarrow but never found anything but
straw. One day he asked the worker: "What do you gain by taking home all
that straw?" "The wheelbarrows." 5. Bungle your translation to bring humor. If you are with a "worldly" group,
offer your variation of a well-known expression in a foreign language. Change a
single letter and provide a definition for the new expression. Share these rules
and your expression with your colleagues and ask for their contribution. New
York Magazine held such a contest. Here are some of the winning
contributions: HARLEZ-VOUS FRANCAIS: Can you drive a French motorcycle? IDIOS AMIGOS: We're wild and crazy guys! RESPONDEZ S'IL VOUS PLAID: Honk if you're Scottish. POSH MORTEM: Death styles of the rich and famous. ALOHA OY: Love; greetings; farewell; from such a pain you would never know. VISA LA FRANCE: Don't leave your chateau without it. VENI, VIDI, VELCRO: I came, I saw, I stuck around. ZITGEIST: The Clearasil doesn't quite cover
it up. 6. Veil the truth in humor. So much of life is fast-paced and tense.
Consider opening a meeting with mock-serious inspiration or admonition and then
grinning. You'll find true life, Dilbert-like examples everywhere that you can
keep for your dry-humored use. Here are some of my favorites, gathered by
Accountemps this year: "What I need is a list of specific
unknown problems we will encounter." (Lykes Lines Shipping) "This project is so important, we can't
let things that are more important interfere with it."
(Advertising/Marketing manager, United Parcel Service) "We know that communication is a
problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees."
(Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division) 7. Encapsulate a situation. How briefly can you tell a story? Example: In
late 2002, a book by Jenny Lee will be released, titled, I Do. I Did, Now
What?: One Woman's Musings on Married Life. The agent characterized it
thusly (after getting our attention): "A rant that (almost despite itself)
ends up as a celebration of marriage." Example:
Speaker Alan Parisse shared this poignant, perhaps apocryphal, classified
advertisement: "For sale. Infant shoes. Never used." |
