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Media Skills
Developing your Verbal Logo
By Gary Lockwood
 The next 30 seconds may determine whether you get your funding, make
the sale or establish your point-of-view!
In this faced-paced, mile-a-minute
world, you often have only a few seconds to get your message across.
Most modern television and radio commercials are no more than 30
seconds. Where could you use an effective 30 second commercial
message about your business? These mini-messages are ideal for
investor meetings, networking meetings, trade shows, interviews,
sales calls or any situation where you need to quickly promote your
business.
How do you develop these messages
effectively? Think in terms of "sound bites". Prepare your brief
message just like a speech, with an opener, the content and the
closing. Let's examine each of these in more detail.
The Opening
 The purpose of your opening is to grab
attention. You must assume that your audience is generally as busy
and preoccupied as you are. So you need to first get their attention
with a question, "grabber" words, humor or an interesting visual.
Using a question as an opener causes
the listener to stop and think. "Do you want to change the world?"
"How many new prospects do you want today?" "When do you want to
feel good again?" Once you have their attention, your message can
help them answer the question.
Grabber words are designed to
startle, shock or at least cause your
listener to want to listen to what's coming next. The first sentence
of this article is an example.
A funny comment or an eye-catching
visual are always effective ways to get the attention of your
listeners in a hurry. Obviously, any of these openings must be
relevant to your message, or they will confuse your listeners.
The Content
Once you have their attention, relate
your main message. Since you usually have only three or four
sentences, you need to craft this message carefully. The most
effective message is the one that states what your business can do
for the listener. In other words, talk about the benefits to be
received by using your product or service. Don't say "I'm a
dentist". Say " I improve the health and
well-being of my clients. Healthy teeth help you look good and feel
good".
The bottom line is that your listeners
don't care what you do. They care about what you can do for them.
Talk in terms of results, feelings, benefits, outcomes, ideas.
Imagine your listener with a sign on their forehead that reads "So
what? What's in it for me?" Remember, you only have 30 seconds.
There will be time later to explain how you do these great things.
The Closing
 Here is where you ask for action. As a
result of your 30 second commercial, you want your listener to do
something or think something. Ask: "When can we meet?".
"Give me your business card". "Call today". "When you think of
shoes, think of The Shoemaster".
Also
appropriate is your catchy tag line. The closing may be the only part of
your message that your listener will remember. What do you want them to
remember?
So, there it is. Your miniature speech
takes only 30 seconds. And it has a beginning, a
middle and an ending. What can you do to make all this come
out sounding and looking smooth, confident and compelling? Prepare
and practice. Prepare by writing out your message, thinking through
the key elements and deciding exactly what you want your listener to
be doing or thinking at the end of your message.
 Practice by saying your message aloud.
Rehearse this brief speech. Saying it aloud causes you to pay
attention to the sound and cadence. Practice in front of a mirror
and you will see the gestures and body language that make up such a
large part of the communication. Remember, it's not just what you
say, it's how you say what you say that
makes the difference.
For your 30 second commercial to
really be effective, you must act like you mean it, sound like you
mean it and look like you mean it. How do others realize that you
really mean what you say? They notice your enthusiasm, your
mannerisms, your tone of voice, your posture.
Part of your preparation is to be
consciously aware of your non-verbal communication.
If possible, video yourself giving your message.
Replay the tape several times. Once to listen
and observe the overall effect of your message. Watch it
again without sound. What are you telling the audience by your
posture, body language, facial expressions and your gestures? Do you
look and act like you really mean it?
Replay the tape again with your eyes
closed. Listen for distracting sounds such as "uh", "ah", "ya
know" or sighs. All these things subtract from the effectiveness of
your main message.
In
our MTV-world of excessive sights and sounds and experiences, make your
point and get your message across in a well prepared, well rehearsed 30
second commercial. Think of it as a brief speech.
Mix preparation with inspiration and
you'll get a standing ovation.
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