Grab Their Attention
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 and 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 attract someone's attention and interest? See the power of spare, specific details over speed and volume of speech?
The stories we tell about each other ? and the people with whom we want to share our stories are where we create meaning and friendships. As you speak vividly about your experiences with others you make those stories more meaningful and memorable for them to recall and repeat.
You become a more central part of their lives.
Here's some ways to talk and write so other repeat what you say ? with pride and joy. Each are easy to practice.
1. Be brief.
If your characterization is sufficiently short then you can repeat it, as an aside or reminder throughout a conversation. Others are more likely to remember and repeat it. Here's some ways to be pithy:
A. Use a familiar word in a new way and you might even capture a trend: Example: Futurist, Faith Popcorm, predicted five years ago that people would want to be "cocooning" in their home.
B. Be catchy, using one or more of these devices:
? 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.
C. Employ an 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 Quist H & Q Healthcare conference, venture capitalists hear 20-minutes talks by CEOs of start-ups and public companies who seek funding or favorable stock analysts' reporters. 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 bio-tech company, Amgen, walked past the podium to the center of the stage, pulled up one suit and shirt sleeve to bare his raised forearm. He opened his talk, saying, " You will feel the effects of this medical patch faster than it takes a Porsche to go from zero to 90. "
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 popualr milk slogan to ask for blood donations: "Got blood?"
4. Anchor your suggestion in a relevent 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. Everyday he 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 in 2001. Here's 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, 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 one 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
Offer a vignette that captures an emotion
Example: In late 2002 a book by Jenny Lee will be released, entitled: I Do. I Did, Now What?: One Woman's Musings on Married Life, which the agent characterized thusly (after getting our attention): "a rant that (almost despite itself) ends up as a celebration of marriage."
Financial analyst, Alan Parisse shared this perhaps apocryphal newspaper advertisement with me: "For sale. Infant shoes. Never used."
Kare Anderson is the author of LikeABILITY (see Grand Store at http://www.SayitBetter.com), Make Yourself Memorable and SmartPartnering. A popular speaker on SmartPartnering and on how to be more frequently-quoted to become your kind of customers' top- of-mind choice, she also publishs the SayitBetter newsletter, with 32,000 subscribers in 28 countries
 Google News Updated : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:05:17 GMT Boeing workers frustrated, angry at strike delay - Reuters
Reuters - By Laura Myers EVERETT, Washington (Reuters) - Less than a day after voting to strike, Boeing workers expressed frustration and anger on Thursday at the decision by union leaders to postpone a walkout and negotiate further with the company. Boeing, Machinists Return to Talks to Avert Strike (Update1) SPEEA Supports IAM 751 Efforts to Secure a New Contract from Boeing Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:30:58 GMT Syria details its stance on peace talks - Ha'aretz
Ha'aretz - By Yoav Stern and Barak Ravid Syrian President Bashar Assad revealed details on the peace process with Israel yesterday, presenting Turkey with a document of principles, one of whose points discusses the desired extent of the withdrawal from the Golan ... Video: Sarkozy in Syria : the press is divided Syria: Israeli Peace Talks Postponed Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:53:30 GMT Autism and measles vaccine: no link found -- again - Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times - Suspicion that autism is triggered by childhood vaccinations -- notably the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine -- lingers on, even though studies repeatedly fail to find such a link. Study Finds No Autism Link in Vaccine Health Buzz: MMR Vaccine and Autism, and Other Health News Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:25:11 GMT Deaths Heighten Arthritis Drugs Warning - WebMD
WebMD - By Miranda Hitti Sept. 4, 2008 -- The FDA today ordered stronger warnings about the risk of potentially deadly fungal infections, especially one called histoplasmosis, in people taking the drugs Cimzia, Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade, which are called ... FDA Demands Tougher Warnings on Immunosuppressive Drugs FDA orders stronger warnings for 4 arthritis drugs Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:30:49 GMT McCain Will Vow an End to Partisanship in Convention Speech - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Chris Cillizza ST. PAUL, MINN. - Sen. John McCain will take the stage at the Xcel Center here in less than three hours to formally accept his party's presidential nomination and deliver an address that will kick-start a frenetic two-month general ... McCain will take GOP to task for losing its way McCain to Declare ‘Change Is Coming’ in Acceptance Speech Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:06:30 GMT Abramoff Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Corruption - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Del Quentin Wilber and Carrie Johnson Jack Abramoff, the onetime powerhouse Republican lobbyist whose influence peddling led to one of the biggest public corruption investigations in recent history, was sentenced by a federal judge today to four ... US lobbyist is sentenced to 4 years in prison Abramoff sentenced to 4 years in prison Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:47:01 GMT Evacuations Are Advised as Storm Nears the Southeast - New York Times
New York Times - By ROBBIE BROWN ATLANTA - As Tropical Storm Hanna surged toward the Atlantic Coast on Thursday, the authorities declared states of emergency in Virginia and North Carolina and recommended evacuation from some coastal regions of South Carolina. Hanna May Reach Hurricane Force; Ike Looms Out at Sea (Update4) Southeast braces for Hanna as Ike strengthens Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:19:19 GMT How to Earn Money At Home |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... There Are No Secrets To SuccessAs you strive toward accomplishing... Read More In the dynamics of the self-concept and in the tendency... Read More How many of us have ever felt that we've thrown... Read More Wildflowers grow from mere dust to reach their full potential.Wildflowers... Read More Over the past several weeks I've received dozens of email... Read More "Bad Boys".If you're a woman, you may be saying "hmmm"... Read More Ever had a time in your life when those closest... Read More In the movie, "The Player" during a scene at a... Read More What was your energy level like today? Did you wake... Read More There's a big opportunity here! The holidays bring a change... Read More I have finally come to believe something about myself because... Read More Tip #1. Find your purpose. Finding one's purpose is the... Read More "How's it going?" I asked the clerk in the new... Read More Want to be the best in your field?Edward W. Smith,... Read More Breakthrough Scientific Research on the Amoeba And Why You Must... Read More 1. Emotion: We are emotional creatures and as in all... Read More This question and answer interview was done by Kathy Smith,... Read More There was a woman who was in such a hurry... Read More Many people, who feel that they are independent and communicate... Read More Good Morning! It's the Island outlaw here again. You know... Read More Laws of Attraction are clearly defined. What comes back is... Read More Transformational Counseling is a process of assisting others to transform... Read More In the column Plants, Herbs and Roots For Prosperity, I... Read More The power of the mind draws certain events, circumstances and... Read More When I was about 10 years, I got a t-shirt... Read More
Adsense
websites
Success -- There Are No Secrets
Self-Concept and Self-Actualization: Nucleus of Shyness and Social Anxiety Disorder
What Love and Money Have in Common
Are You a Wildflower?
3 Steps to Manifesting Your Ideal Life
Women and Bad Boys: What Is The Attraction?
Letting Go Of Wanting Your Own Approval
Grab Their Attention
Theres No Glory In Being The Richest Man In The Graveyard!
A New Beginning With The People At Work
Success Through a Supercharged Network
8 Powerful Tips to a Magnificent Life
Dont Let Other Peoples Walls Fence You In
Quick Tips On Becoming The Best In Your Field
Why These Berkeley Scientists Were Baffled!
Living Life to the Full: 20 Steps
Abundance is a Feeling
Bad Luck ... Or Blessing In Disguise?
Are You a Sheep in People Clothing?
Paradigm Shift
When You Attract Negative People, Be Thankful
Transformational Counseling - Part One
Plants, Herbs, And Roots For Love
The Magnetic, Attracting Power of the Mind
Choose Your Friends, Choose Your Fate
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Dreams
When I was a kid sitting in school I can... Read More
Dont Be Afraid to Let Other People See Who You Really Are!
Do you know anybody that you consider to be particularly... Read More
Body Language
Body language is fascinating. People rarely recognize how much information... Read More
Wanderers
How a few people become the worst victims of life's... Read More
Crack the Clandestine Code of Diamonds
Precious, brilliant and expensive-why wouldn't diamonds be a girl's best... Read More
Create a Climate for Success by Mastering Your Total Image - Part 3
In the first parts of this series, we introduced the... Read More
WAKE UP and Create Something
It's time for the "mainstream" to WAKE UP. The alarm... Read More
3 Steps to Manifesting Your Ideal Life
Over the past several weeks I've received dozens of email... Read More
Law-of-Attraction Article: Wake Up and Create Something
It's time for the "mainstream" to WAKE UP. The alarm... Read More
Dont Let Other Peoples Walls Fence You In
"How's it going?" I asked the clerk in the new... Read More
5 Powerful Steps To Unleashing Your Creative Self
There is a thread of certainty that runs through many... Read More
The Pearl Story
I'm going to tell you the story of one of... Read More
To Be More Attractive? Zap The Tolerations!
Imagine there is an event that will take place in... Read More
What You Habitually Think Becomes Attracted to You
Are you frustrated with a certain area of your life?... Read More
Live Your Own Life
Are you living your life, the way you want to... Read More
Attract Your Ideal Relationship Using the Law of Attraction
First, I'll need to explain what Law of Attraction is... Read More
Plug in with a Pupose!
Imagine that each person on this planet carried with them... Read More
Putting Yourself on the Road to Success
What separates successful people from unsuccessful people, achievers from non-achievers,... Read More
7 Ways To Make a Great First Impression
When you have an important event to attend there are... Read More
No Ifs, Ands Or Buts
If we could choose right now, this moment, how we... Read More
Giving Thanks - A Universal Gift
In the USA we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday... Read More
Communication Quiz: Are You a Great Communicator?
Communication, which occupies approximately 70% of our waking hours, is... Read More
Top 10 Ways to Use Attraction To Build Your Business
Most business people would rather have customers seek us out... Read More
October: A Month of Personal Harvest
October is hands down my favorite month. Every year l... Read More
Basic Intuitive Timing for Business and Life
"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which... Read More
Attraction |