SpeakStrong in a 60 Second Ad
Ten Steps to a Compelling Message
It’s how you say it
It’s not enough to be right. It’s not enough to know what you’re talking about. If you don’t make your point so they get your point, you might as well stay silent.
And that would be a loss. Because the world needs to hear what you have to say.
You can learn a lot about how to make your point by studying advertising. Advertising condenses effective communication techniques into a few seconds. To see how you can learn communication techniques from studying an ad, read on about the techniques I apply in a SpeakStrong 60-second ad.
First, listen to the ad and read the copy
#1: We can’t ignore this. We have to do something.
#2: (Sarcastic) Sure, Chicken Little. We’ll do something. (Hostile) We’ll tell everyone what a pinhead you are.
#1: But I…it’s…I mean…Music
Me: Talk is easy – communication gets tough. I’m Meryl Runion, and I know what it’s like not to have the right words when you need them. That’s why I spent over 20 years developing SpeakStrong techniques to say what you mean and mean what you say, without being mean when you say it.Build your communication clout. Visit SpeakStrong.com. While you’re there, read my SpeakStrong blog, get my free SpeakStrong newsletter and visit the SpeakStrong Bookstore. That’s SpeakStrong.com
You know my SpeakStrong techniques work, because I already used ten of them in this short ad, and you’re still listening! I’ll tell you exactly what I did when you visit SpeakStrong.com and click the Air America Special button.
Don’t just talk – communicate. SpeakStrong.com
Then, review and apply the methods behind the message
I use over 20 SpeakStrong techniques in this 60-second ad. Here are the top ten of them, listed in the order of their appearance.
Technique #1: Walk in their shoes
The ad opens with a scenario the listener can relate to. We’ve all been called a name, dismissed and/or ridiculed for expressing a deeply-held concern, opinion or idea. I know I have!
Action: Illustrate your points with examples that hit home.
Technique #2: Use contrast
Your reptilian brain loves contrast, and so does your listener’s. The remark, “Talk is easy. Communication gets tough” provides a distinction your brain can relate to. I use contrast in this ad to get you to wonder if you actually communicate when you talk.
Action: Contrast your ideas with concrete opposing concepts.
Technique #3: Make it personal
I share my own experience of not having the words I need. I’ve been there, done that, got the tee shirt and the scars on my heart – just like you.
Action: Share from your personal experience to connect emotionally and from the heart.
Technique #4: Convey experience
By saying, “I spent over 20 years developing SpeakStrong techniques,” I let you know I’ve been building this material long enough to add value. You can benefit from my hard work and experience.
Action: Let your listener know the credentials that show you know what you’re talking about.
Technique #5: Provide a catch phrase
The phrase “Say what you mean and mean what you say without being mean when you say it” summarizes my message in a memorable way. Slogans and catch phrases play well in the reptilian brain.
Action: Sum up the essence of your communication in a simple phrase. Repeat that phrase when you talk. Even if they don’t acknowledge your wisdom in the moment, it will plant your message in their brain.
Technique #6: Imperative
I instruct you to take action with five imperatives. For example, the sentence “Build your communication clout. Visit: SpeakStrong.com” includes two imperatives that direct you to do what I want you to do with clear action requests.
Action: Don’t shyly hint about what you want your listener to do. Tell them directly. Use imperatives to get them to take action – (like I just did in this sentence!)
Technique #7: Demonstrate proof
The remark: “You know my SpeakStrong techniques work, because I already used ten of them in this short ad, and you’re still listening!” substantiates my claim to effectiveness. It’s a no-lose demonstration because only listeners who actually are still listening will hear it.
Action: Use statistics, examples or exercises to demonstrate results.
Technique #8: Be immediate
The remark: “You know my SpeakStrong techniques work, because I already used ten of them in this short ad, and you’re still listening!” not only demonstrates proof – it also makes my point immediate. It takes SpeakStrong into your direct experience, right here and now. It demonstrates that there is nothing theoretical about my information.
Action: Walk your talk so they don’t stay in the left-brained world of mental abstraction.
Technique #9: Repeat, repeat, repeat
You hear the word(s) SpeakStrong nine times in this 60-second ad. I also repeat the talk / communicate theme at the end. Repetition is a reptilian brain anchor. You reptilian brain – the one that makes the decisions – responds to repetition – and so does your listener’s.
Action: Simplify your message and repeat your main themes to plant them firmly into your listener’s brain.
Technique #10: Say what you mean and mean what you say without being mean when you say it
I saved my best technique to explain last. Advertising can be exploitative if it falsely persuades people against their self-interest. Be sure you believe what you say.
Action: If you only apply one of my techniques, make it this one. Say what you mean and mean what you say without being mean when you say it.
SpeakStrong is not just for ads, but ads can help you SpeakStrong
These ten techniques add lightning bolt impact to a 60-second ad, and they increase your effectiveness in your essential conversations. Prepare for those conversations by writing what you have to say in a 60-second ad format. While you won’t want to use your script verbatim, it will help you make your point compellingly.
Talk is easy, communication gets tough. So study the techniques in this article and apply them to your conversations. Don’t just talk – SpeakStrong.
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Meryl Runion and Speak Strong (SpeakStrong) provides Power Phrases (PowerPhrases) and other tools to help you improve communication skills at work and at home.
She is the author of the books PowerPhrases!, How to Use PowerPhrases, Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors and How to Say It: Performance Reviews. She can be reached at 719-684-2633 or by email:
