Joel Schwartzberg. Get to the Point: Sharpen your Message and Make your Words Matter. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Oakland. 2017.

Schwarzberg's concise text covers the fundamentals of making a point, improving it, and includes examples of how to deal with typical ways we fail to make our points. That list spans many pages and is well worth having on hand.

You can listen to his interview with Mignon Fogerty (Grammar Girl). Or check out his book using your O'Reilly account.

Key Ideas

• Know your point

  • Test it:

    • "I believe that"
    • "so what"
    • "why" - replace 'badjectives' with specific performance adjectives

  • Tips:

    • you can only have one point to a point

    • add a value proposition to share the greatest impact or highest value

• Execute - "move your point from your mind to your audience's minds"

  • State your point within 15 seconds and why it's relevant
  • Avoid recounting a series of ideas in a way like a 'book report'
  • Tailor your point to your audience's need (8 types of need)
    • inform
    • insight
    • update
    • inspire
    • appreciate
    • empathize
    • explain
    • comfort

  • Stay on your point, despite distractions - includes many excellent suggestions

    • example: "I hear what your saying, but my point is..."

  • Deliver strongly

    • avoid upspeak, especially on your point statement
    • remove anything physical between you and your audience

    • speak "loud" without yelling - helps force slower speech, and eliminates mumbling

    • pause to emphasize
  • Overcome anxiety
    • know your point
    • Remember: "it's about your point, all you need to focus on is delivering it"
    • practice at least once out loud at a normal volume (mouth and mind, together)

Specifically, Schwartzberg has suggestions for conveying your point in:

• email
• speeches
• presentations
• meetings