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Love him or
hate him, there is one thing everyone should admit about
Johnnie Cochran; the man was a great communicator. He was a master of “Bumper
Sticker Oratory.”
The defense
lawyer’s death last month brought much news footage of
his most famous O.J.
Simpson closing argument. “If it doesn’t fit, you must
acquit.”
Now that's a great Bumper
Sticker.
Boiling down
ideas to short, high-impact phrases and then repeating the
phrases over and over is a great way to impact
audiences.
“When I’m
talking to a jury, I try to communicate so that there are two
or three points that people can get out of it,” Cochran said when
interviewed years ago. “It’s not always, ‘If it doesn’t fit,
you must acquit.’ But it’s something they can remember.”
In our
experience, the phrase doesn’t even have to be a cute rhyme.
“Hire us, we’re cheaper,” “Our process is easy,” “Our system
adds value” are all simple "Bumper Stickers" that work. Just repeat
them over and over and you’ll start to impress your idea on
your listener.
The key is
to get your audience to remember what you want them to
remember. Do that enough, and maybe someday, you’ll be able to
sway listeners like Johnnie Cochran.
At
Speechworks we help our clients learn how to communicate in a
way that connects and persuades. If you’re interested in
becoming a great communicator give us a call at 404-266-0888
or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
