Get to the Point! – Insight/Reminder from Joe McCormack, for all Speakers and Writers

One of the items included in this morning’s Fast Company daily e-mail is: MASTERING THE FINE ART OF GETTING TO THE POINT, by Lydia Dishman. It takes a look at the key concepts from Joe McCormack, who has a new book coming out, Brief: Make A Bigger Impact by Saying Less. Good, useful article!

The article lists five key points from Mr. McCormack, including:

#2. USE THE 5 WS
McCormack’s a fan of the journalistic approach to narrative. Keeping the who, what, where, when, and why top of mind can convert even the most complex ideas into an intriguing story for an audience.

Let me say a hearty “I agree” to this one.

A while back, I was having trouble getting my speech students to cover the basics in their speeches. This was prompted by too little information in their informative speeches.

So, I designed a little exercise based on the “Inverted Pyramid.” If you have not read the Wikipedia article on this, it is worth your time. I love the sentence used as the model, regarding the shooting of President Lincoln. Here’s the sentence:

This evening at about 9:30 p.m. at Ford’s Theatre, the President, while sitting in his private box with Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Harris and Major Rathburn, was shot by an assassin, who suddenly entered the box and approached behind the President.

And then the observation:

Who, when, where, what and how are addressed in the first paragraph.

The message: learn to get to the point – quickly, clearly, without beating around the bush. We are all distracted to the point of inattention. And, because, people likely will not read much past the first sentence or two anyway, get the basics in those first few words whenever you communicate.

Give folks what they need – fast.

This is what Mr. McCormack is addressing so clearly, and is a very good and useful reminder to us all. And, yes, his upcoming book Brief has made it onto my radar screen.

Now, a warning to speakers and presenters – as true as this is, don’t forget that the “who, when, where, what, and how” sentence is the first sentence needed in an article by a journalist. It is not! the first sentence needed in a speech or presentation. First, before the thesis, and then these “who, what, where… details,” you have to gain the attention of your audience. These “who, what, where…” details will not accomplish this. This requires a “hook,” a “hey, listen up – this is worth your time and attention” grabber of some kind. So, when speaking, don’t let the message of Brief sidetrack you from the very needed work of this “hook” element.

——————–

Here is the assignment I hand out to my students. You might want to try one or two on your own, just to keep your “don’t forget the basics” skills fine-tuned.