Message_Gap

I heard recently one sentence that made me stop in my tracks. Skilled presenters can have that effect. In this case, the words erupted from a spunky British chef:

“It’s profoundly important that every single American child should leave school knowing how to cook 10 recipes that will save their lives.”

Jamie Oliver

As someone who loves to cook, my first reaction was to consider if I even had 10 recipes that fit the goal. As a message consultant, I was enthralled with dissecting the statement.  Known for Food Network appearances and several popular cookbooks, Jamie Oliver was at the podium for winning the 2010 TED prize for his grassroots campaign against obesity.

Several phrases in Jamie’s quote point to a much larger story about his mission to inspire people to change the way they eat. I decided to break down the sentence to see how Jamie made such an impact with just a few words:

• “profoundly important” – a declaration. It’s the set-up to the value of what’s to follow.
• “every single American child” – the target audience. He wants every parent or guardian to take heed of his words.
• “leave school”- timeliness.  The clock is ticking. Start counting the years to graduation and that’s the amount of time to learn those recipes.
• “how to cook 10 recipes” – specific call to action. Jamie proposes a task that demands attention.
• “save their lives” – emotional appeal. Jamie brings the sentence full circle to his heart-felt mission.

Every speaker strives to be memorable.  Packing a sentence with phrases that point to a more robust story is a good way to keep your listeners engaged.

Witness the endless search for the perfect elevator pitch: A Google search coughs up 549,000 results; Bing goes for 2.04 million! But here’s the hitch: The get-to-the-point tempo of our business conversations makes people antsy. Unless you’ve hooked someone’s attention in those first few seconds, your carefully scripted spiel may go unheard.

There’s hope, yet. What about the first few words that tumble from your mouth when faced with that proverbial ice-breaker: “What do you do?” As Daniel Pink notes in his new book about motivation, it’s all about figuring out what’s driving you. He asks: WHAT’S YOUR SENTENCE? Well, that’s not so easy, you snort. Think again.

The way I see it, “What do you do?” is really three questions in one. Consider the answers to all three to help you build YOUR SENTENCE:

What do you do? Why do you do it? How does it make a difference?

I know I’ve botched this in the past. ”What do you do?” I’ve been asked at networking functions. ”I’m a communications consultant.” Pause. “Oh, so you fix phone systems?”  Oops.  Let’s take another look.

A CEO answers the question as part of a marketing presentation.

“We manage an artisanal brand that is ‘found’ by people who appreciate the quality of our product.” YES!

A stay-at-home mom chats with a stranger at a cocktail party.

“I’m raising the next generation.” BINGO!

When someone asks “What do you do?” take the opportunity to respond with a sentence that represents your passion and impact. Move like a kick-boxer. Sway and jab. Don’t just answer the question. Surprise them with a verbal punch that brings them back for more.

Footnote #1: Listed #5 in the 64 books on elevator pitches in amazon.com is one of my all-time faves: How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less. The book was written in 1990. We may have only 10 seconds or less to snare someone’s attention these days, but Milo Frank’s thinking is timeless.

Footnote#2: What do I do?  I help organizations get their story straight!