THE Key to a Memorable and Impactful Message
One of the most vital skills in public speaking is to deliver a crystal clear main point. Without clarity, you lose your audience and your influence. If you want to get to the heart of your story and connect with your listeners, this simple exercise will help…
The Power of the MESS
A common misconception is that great speeches and stories flow out of you.
Hereโs a super-secret insider tip: That almost NEVER happens!
On rare occasions, a message flows out of you. It happened to me โ once โ in 2008. Most times, itโs a struggle to discover that straightforward idea.
Vikas Jhingran is the Toastmasters 2007 World Champion of Public Speaking. He describes the problem like this:
โItโs like taking out a big block of marble and chiseling away at it. Then stepping back to see your progress. Then chiseling some more. Stepping back again to evaluate. And repeating the process until you have a finished statue.
“Itโs a grind. And sometimes, you have to throw out the marble and start over.โ
One of my speech coaches has a terrific saying that applies here: โYour message is a MESS, with AGE. Get your ideas on paper (or computer). Thatโs the โmess.โ Then, chip away at your material over and over. Thatโs the โagingโ process that leads to your memorable message.
A Simple Solution to a Challenging Problem
One of my mentors is Kevin Burke. He is a 40-year veteran actor and stage performer. He recently shared an exercise that helps you uncover your core message. Itโs simple, but not easy. Itโs called 250 – 150 – 75 – 240. Hereโs how it works:
Write the first version of your story, in 250 words. Set it aside.
When you return to it, cut out material until it is 150 words in length. Set it aside again.
Return, and then remove half the remaining material to reach a 75-word version.
The final step is to cut your 75-word story to 240 characters.
A Message For Any Occasion
Why would you put yourself through this experience? Itโs not to create a โtweetableโ version of your talk and discard the rest of your material. You’re multi-purposing your message.
Other reasons to go through this exercise include:
- Uncovering your CORE message – one or two sentences that summarize your main point.
- Creating a 75-word version that becomes your ’30-second talk.’ Use this at a networking or social event. Or when you have a short time to explain the benefit you provide.
- In your 150-word version, you to give more detail about yourself.
- This forces you to get to the point. Most people spend too much time on backstory or extraneous details. Audiences today want you to get to the point. If you don’t, you’ll lose their attention. Gain their interest with your brief introduction. Once they show interest, you can go deeper with the details.
An Example of the 250-150-75-240
250-word Version
I was recently at a two-day retreat. During one of the breakout sessions, a woman namedย Margie stood up.ย She told us that she is mentally exhausted. She feels like sheโs being pulled in a hundred different directions.ย She’s a business owner, spouse, mother and daughter. She said, โMy tank is empty.โ
When asked ‘why,’ she said, โI canโt say no.โ
The facilitator asked, โWhatโs the reason for that?โ
She paused and said, โBecause if I say โnoโ people will get mad at me.โ
The facilitator said, โWhat will happen if they get mad?โ
She thought about this, then said, โThey might not want me around?โ
โThey wonโt want you around?โ the facilitator said.
โYeah, like, I wonโt matter,โ she said.
When she said those words, a chill ran down my spine. For all of my adult life, I have felt like there is something wrong with me. Iโve felt like Iโve often fallen short of my goals. Many times Iโve felt I didnโt measure up or wasnโt good enough.
And now I knew why. Because deep down, Iโve felt like I donโt matter. When I was two years old, my father walked out on my Mom and me. Iโve buried emotions from that experience and I didnโt know how it impacted me.
Now I do. What else can a two-year-old child feel but that he doesnโt matter if one of his parents leaves?
This was one of the most liberating moments of my life. I finally could fill in that missing โpuzzle pieceโ that has confounded me on why Iโve often gotten poor results.
150-word Version
I recently heard a woman, Margie, say that she is feeling pulled in a hundred different directions. She said, โMy tank is empty.โ
When asked why, she said, โI canโt say no. Because if I say โnoโ people will get mad at me. They might not want me around. And Iโll feel like I wonโt matter.”
Those words sent a chill down my spine. For all of my adult life, I have felt Iโve always fallen short. That I didnโt measure up or wasnโt good enough.
Itโs because Iโve felt I donโt matter. When I was two years old, my father walked out on my Mom and me. What else can a two-year-old child feel but that he doesnโt matter if one of his parents leaves?
I finally could fill in that missing โpuzzle pieceโ about why Iโve often gotten poor results.
75-word Version
I recently heard a woman say, โMy tank is empty. I canโt say โno.โ If I do, people will get mad at me. And Iโll feel like I donโt matter.”
For much of my life, Iโve felt like Iโm not good enough and afraid that Iโll let people down. Her words helped me realize Iโve had that same feeling โ โI donโt matter.โ
With this insight, the events of my life now make total sense to me.
240-Character Version
A woman said, โI feel like I donโt matter.โ I realized that Iโve been carrying that same message since I was 2-years old.ย My life struggles now completely make sense to me. This insight enables me to overcome self-limiting behaviors.
Do you see how each successive version gets closer to my premise? Each is clearer, until the final version quickly introduces the inciting moment, the problem and my insight – wisdom that can help others.
Want to uncover your core message? Use this format. It takes time and thought. But, in the end it will pay off with a crystal-clear premise that leaves a lasting imprint on your audience