Thursday evening, I was almost asleep with the TV on when I awoke startled to hear Thomas Friedman speaking to Charli Rose on PBS. Thomas was speaking about the importance of talking to people from a gut level. He mentioned Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as speakers who impart more than information, as speakers who talk from the gut level.
He said that when you speak and connect with others on a gut level, you don’t have to say much detail. But, he said, if you don’t connect on a gut level, you can’t give enough detail.
If you want to impact people for real, get your emotions into the talk. A story that illustrates your point is worth a million words of concepts, statistics, data and facts. The story is what makes people feel your message. The story is the closest thing people can have to experiencing what you mean.
Look for the authentically persuasive story to back up your ideas. The authentically persuasive story is the what happened that allows people to feel the truth of your message. It is the story that makes people say, “Yes! I want that!”
Story is what connects us all. Tell the human story behind your facts and figures.
For more about Thomas Friedman.
For more about Self-Expression Center programs on speaking authentically.
