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Get to the Point!

Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter

Joel Schwartzberg

First annotation on .

24 quotes

business

Chapter 2

  • So what does a true point look like? It should look something like this: A politician’s point: “My plan will expand home-buying opportunities for the middle class.” A CEO’s point: “This investment in R&D will ensure our company continues to stay relevant.” A vendor’s point: “My unique services will make you more profitable.” An advocate’s point: “This movement will save lives.” A job interviewee’s point: “I will help your department accomplish its goals.” A mother’s point: “Saving that money now means you’ll be able to buy something even bigger later.”Feb 21 2024 5:39AM
  • Step One: The “I Believe That” Test This is a pass/fail test, and it boils down to this: Can your point fit into this phrase to form a complete sentence? “I believe that ___________________________.”Feb 21 2024 5:41AM
  • Step Two: The “So What” Test The “So What” Test roots out points that pass the “I Believe That” test but may be too shallow to serve as the foundation of a meaningful presentation. These weak points are often truisms. A truism, by definition, is inarguably true, so there’s no use proposing one, whether your point is that “world peace is a good thing” or “ice cream is delicious.” You might also call this the “duh” test. You can tell if your point is too shallow or a truism by asking two questions: “Is there a reasonable counterpoint?” and “Can I spend more than a minute defending this point?”Feb 21 2024 5:41AM
  • Step Three: The “Why” Test The “Why” Test is crucial to ensure you’re not using meaningless adjectives—what I call “badjectives.” These are generic adjectives that only add dead weight to your point.Feb 21 2024 5:43AM
  • Column Column Excellent Urgent Great Profitable Wonderful Efficient Amazing Unprecedented Very Good Galvanizing The adjectives on the left are nearly worthless in comparison to the ones on the right. When we say something is “great” or “very good,” there’s little indication of scale, reason, or specific meaning. Yet speeches and written reports—and more than a few Tweets—are often loaded with badjectives.Feb 21 2024 5:43AM
  • Example One: I believe hiring a social media manager is important. (Why?) Because she can help us build positive buzz around our product. Now eliminate the badjective “important,” and connect the first part (“I believe hiring a social media manager . . . ”) directly to the last part (“ . . . can help us build positive buzz around our product.”): I believe a social media manager can build critical buzz around our product.Feb 21 2024 5:44AM
  • Example Two: I believe our marketing strategy is weak. (Why?) Because it focuses too much on product benefits and not enough on customer needs. Like in the previous example, connect the first part directly to the last part, eliminating the badjective “weak”: I believe our marketing strategy focuses too much on product benefits and not enough on customer needs.Feb 21 2024 5:44AM
  • Better yet, don’t use an adjective at all and make the point through example. For example: Not Good: “Adopting this protocol will be great for our company.” Good: “Adopting this protocol will be very productive for our company.” Better: “Adopting this protocol will allow our operations to run more efficiently.”Feb 21 2024 5:45AM

Chapter 3

  • Here are a few examples of not getting to the point quickly, each leading with a big, fat “So. . . .” Do they sound familiar? “So . . . how is everyone?” “So . . . you may be wondering. . . .” “So . . . we were talking yesterday about. . . .” “So . . . let’s talk a little about. . . .”Feb 21 2024 5:51AM
  • For me, often it’s “my”: “My name is Joel Schwartzberg. . . .” Or “good”: “Good morning. My name is Joel Schwartzberg. . . .” Or “today”: “Today I want us to focus on a critical issue in our supply chain. . . .”Feb 21 2024 5:51AM
  • Whatever your first word is, don’t say anything until you say that word, and then ideally continue with an opening that establishes three things: 1. Who you are (if you are new to your audience) 2. Your point 3. Why your point is relevant (if it’s not already embedded in the phrasing of your point)Feb 21 2024 5:51AM

Chapter 4

  • Example Two: Another client of mine worked for a major nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting impoverished women in developing nations across the world. Her job was to convince her bosses to green-light a book idea. This is how she pitched it: This book represents our mission perfectly—it tells detailed stories of these brave women, combining rich prose and their own words. Each story features pictures taken by award-winning photographers, and there’s a topic index in the back you can use to find issues you care about. It will look beautiful in anyone’s home and make a meaningful holiday gift. Another book report. She described every relevant detail about the book, but she didn’t sell the point. Given the mission of her nonprofit, a stronger sell might have sounded like this: This book will expose our mission to key audiences and donors, helping us raise funds that will assist more families in peril.Feb 21 2024 5:54AM

Chapter 5

  • It’s about knowing what your audience wants from you. These audience wants vary based on specific settings and situations, and may include the following: Information Insight News or updates Inspiration Appreciation Empathy Explanation ComfortFeb 21 2024 5:55AM

Chapter 7

  • Truth be told, the reason most speakers hold things in their hands or clasp their hands together is so they can transfer nervous energy onto those objects. Indeed, holding an object can feel very comforting. But the detriments outweigh the benefits when you realize these props are distracting your audience from your point. This is why TED speakers reject podiums and tables and generally keep their hands separated. It’s also why you should move closer to your audience if and when you can, and always speak in the light (even when sharing a projected presentation). Yes, darkness is an obstacle too—how can you champion your point if the audience can’t even see you?Feb 21 2024 5:59AM
  • Another peril of low volume is falling into a pattern of “croaking.” This is often called vocal fry, and many people do it subconsciously. Some even do it consciously. If you’re unfamiliar with the sound of vocal fry, Google “Faith Salie Vocal Fry” and watch Faith’s 2013 YouTube video, featuring textbook vocal fry by the Kardashian sisters. Another famous vocal fryer: Bill Clinton.Feb 21 2024 6:12AM

Chapter 11

  • Audiences love stories. You’ll read that in most contemporary articles about public speaking. But a story without relevance is just a story, nothing more. When you choose to use a story to support a point, you need two things: 1. A “strategic story”—one that proves, clarifies, or illustrates your point, not one that’s simply an entertaining diversion. 2. An understanding that your story’s purpose is not fulfilled until you’ve explicitly connected it to your point. Too many times I see an executive tell a story but not explain its relevance. That relevance should sound something like this: “I shared this story because it illustrates how. . . .” Without that contextualization, you’re relying on your audience to do the heavy lifting—processing your point—themselves.Feb 21 2024 6:18AM
  • Let me illustrate this in hypothetical examples: A CEO’s story about her first job should illustrate her appreciation of hard work . . . and she needs to say that. An insurance salesperson’s story of an earthquake should illustrate the need for people to prepare for disasters . . . and he needs to say that. An animal welfare advocate’s story of a rescued pit bull should illustrate the need for stronger animal cruelty laws . . . and she needs to say that.Feb 21 2024 6:18AM
  • Are my slides supporting me or am I supporting my slides?Feb 21 2024 6:20AM
  • If I raised an issue, did I suggest a solution? A former supervisor of mine mandated that anyone making a criticism must also offer a corrective suggestion, or better yet, phrase the criticism as a suggestion. That rule made an enormous difference in both the productivity and morale of our staff meetings. No one likes a hit-and-run naysayer, and constructive points (“I believe we should do this,” not “I believe we shouldn’t have done that”) are more easily received and likely to inspire action.Feb 21 2024 6:21AM
  • Do I have paragraphs longer than three sentences? Unless you’re sharing gossip, your audience’s interest will start to wane somewhere between sentence four and five. So break up long paragraphs to keep their interest. Paragraph breaks are like tiny chapter changes—each one kick-starts the reader’s attention.Feb 21 2024 6:21AM
  • Executive Internal Communications Executive managers are responsible for a number of important internal communications, including routine speeches, staff meetings, event remarks, and all-staff memos. The subjects covered can range from Employee Appreciation Day to full-scale reorganizations. But as diverse as these moments are, they each have common obligations—starting with having a defined point in the first place. Consider this statement: Let’s celebrate Employee Appreciation Day! versus Let’s spend Employee Appreciation Day recognizing outstanding colleagues. and This reorganization is good for the company. versus This reorganization will allow us to allocate more resources to our life-saving mission.Feb 21 2024 6:22AM
  • Am I speaking in complete sentences? Answering in complete sentences is a good idea for many reasons. First, it enables your point to be clear even to those who missed hearing the question. It also creates more time for you to fully conceive your response while you’re talking, and it helps you frame your idea as a point versus a reaction. Example: Q: Bob, do you think social media has enhanced our democracy? Bob’s “Meh” Response: Sure it has. Just look at how much was inspired by the past election. In fact, where I work, we designed an awesome social media platform. Bob’s Better Response: Yes, I absolutely believe social media has the power to enhance our democracy. Just look at all the social conversations inspired by the past election. In fact, at Green Poodle Digital, we designed a highly interactive forum to encourage the exchange of meaningful ideas.Feb 21 2024 6:26AM
  • Am I responding or reacting? A response is a point formulated to fill a knowledge gap with targeted insight: “Here’s what I believe.” A reaction is a more spontaneous reply, sometimes emotionally driven and defensive: “No, that’s not true at all!”Feb 21 2024 6:26AM

Chapter onclusion

  • Let’s revisit Einstein’s quote from the very front of this book: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. Einstein knew—and you know—that ideas are powerful things.Feb 21 2024 6:27AM

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