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If you want to make
sure that your message gets through to an audience, considering
taking a lesson from the great marketers. They settle on a catch-phrase and repeat it over and over, hoping to penetrate the public’s
mind.
Many great speakers
do the same thing.
One of the great
recent advertising campaigns is from MasterCard. Many of you can
probably repeat their catch phrase from memory. “There are some
things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.”
We can remember
that message because the MasterCard ads repeat it so often.
And notice that they repeat it the same way every time.
You never hear them
say, “There are some things that cash won’t buy you. For the
rest of the stuff, there’s MasterCard.” No. It’s the
same way every time. Exact repetition helps the listener
remember.
Great speakers do
the same thing, focusing on a message and repeating a catch phrase.
One of the most famous is Martin Luther King Jr.’s
“I have a dream” speech. He actually had two catch phrases in
that speech, “I have a dream” which he said nine times and “Let
freedom ring” which he said 10 times.
King wanted to get
a message across. So he repeated his key phrases to ensure that they
made it into the audience’s mind. And like MasterCard, he repeated
the phrases exactly, not changing a single word. King understood
that great speaking is first and foremost about getting a message
across to audiences that are often distracted. Repeating a catch
phrase without any changes helps.
During your
presentations, think about using catch phrases. Maybe it’s as
simple as “Our brand is about saving money” or “This program will
increase your sales.” Be sure that you repeat the key phrase the
same way several times. That way, you’ll be sure that your message
gets across.
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 |
