30 Second Communications

How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds

We are all sales people. We are selling ourselves, our product or service our company or one of ideas all the time. As sales people it is vital to be able to make your point in concise terms and quickly. People judge an idea or a person on first impressions. Therefore, it only takes a few words for someone to form an impression. Often there is only time for a few words so they better be the right ones.

Why 30 Seconds?

People are busy. Strong business leaders and decision makers want to work with efficient people. People have short attention spans.

A 30-second message is an essential and basic business tool.

Think about radio and television advertisements. The basic unit is 30 seconds. They do it all the time. In news reporting the actual reporting on the event is only 30 seconds. The total time for the story will be no more than 1 minute and 30 seconds. There will be 30 seconds to set up the story, 30 seconds to make the point and 30 seconds to summarize. If the story itself cannot be compressed into 30 seconds it will not be used.

To be able to deliver your point in 30 seconds is essential and basic. You must master this to be successful.

Know Your Objective

Many people miss the opportunity to make their point simply because they do not know themselves what their objective is. Another problem is that people often have mixed objectives. Not being clear on your objective will lead to many missed or flubbed opportunities.

You must be clear on what you want to achieve.

In any situation where you want to achieve something be sure that you are clear on what you want to achieve. To be clear of your objective is the first step to making your point in 30 seconds.

You must be clear of your objective before opening your mouth or start writing.

Know Your Audience

The better you know your audience the better you will be at forming your 30 second point. If you do not know your audience then you can be significantly off the mark.

If you are vying for a promotion then who do you need to talk with? What are they like? What is important to them? Even if the interview will last far longer than 30 seconds you must be able to make your case for why it should be you in 30 seconds.

It may seem obvious but you have to communicate with the right person. This is the person that can give you what you want. Know as many facts about this person or the group as possible. Know what the audience wants from you so that you can relate strongly and identify with the audience.

Know Your Approach

The objective, audience and approach are linked together. If you clearly know your objective and know the audience then it is time to define the approach. How are you going to get there?

Let’s say that you are now in Boston and the objective is to get to LA. That statement is only a partial goal as it does not have the concept of time applied to it. If you are in Boston and need to be in LA the next day then you will have to fly. If you are in Boston and need to be in LA in 3 weeks then you have additional options.

Your approach will be determined by your objective and the audience.

Imagine you have purchased a product and now you are unsatisfied with it and the objective is to get your money back or an exchange. This is a clear objective. You must then determine who to talk to. The approach would be to state how much you respect the company and that you know that good companies, such as yours, stand behind their merchandise. This approach is simple and can be simply stated. It will also help you to stay focused.

As you think about your own 30 second message remember that it all boils down to three items.

Know what you want, know who can give it to you and know how to get it. These are the essential ingredients of every form of successful communication. A well defined 30 second message is essential to your success.

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