September 2006

Welcome to this issue of "Executive Presence Tips" by Paul Aldo, Managing Partner, IPS. Please send your feedback and comments to paul.aldo@executivepresence.com.

Register for Paul Aldo's new "Executive Presence for the Non-Executive" course at Emory University in November and December.

Message Architecture

Message architecture is about the way we structure and organize our communications. It’s what makes our ideas clear and convincing or murky and confusing, alive and persuasive or boring and mundane, inclusive and collaborative or confrontational and combative. It’s what separates the extraordinary from the ordinary. That’s why it’s so important to business and our lives generally. But it isn’t easy to do. It takes time, effort, patience, and practice. It requires crystal clear thinking… about our audience, our ideas, and the logic needed to present those ideas most effectively.

The Elements of Good Message Architecture
Creating a good message starts with knowing exactly what you want from it, and then creating the best support you can for the point or request you are making. This requires being clear about what you want and using it as the organizational theme for your message. Here is the first question you want to ask yourself.

Question #1: What do I want my audience (of one or many) to think or do differently as a result of my presentation or conversation?
You must be able to answer this question with crystal clarity, preferably in a single sentence, before you start creating your message. Once you’ve done that the answer will keep you on track when making decisions about what to include in the message. Although answering this question is often difficult to do, it is critically important that you do it. It is worth the thoughtful inquiry it demands. Once you answer it well, it serves as the anchor for your approach and emotions. You must never lose site of it, when preparing your message and when delivering it. A key to doing this successfully is putting the sentence in writing. If you can’t do that, you are not clear about exactly what you want. Here is a real life example from a recent executive presence class.

Example: I want to secure agreement on an alternative approach to using office space.

With a clear statement of exactly what you want, you can begin to think about how to structure the message. This leads directly to question two.

Question #2: What are the most important issues, questions, or obstacles my audience has that would prevent me from getting what I want?

The answer to this question identifies what evidence or persuasive statements you need to use to get your message across. It is about understanding what is foremost in the minds of your audience. What are they thinking about? What do they want to know that will help them accept your message? What are their main concerns and sticking points? If you can’t answer these questions, it is unlikely you will create a message that is either direct or influential. That’s because you will be guessing at what you need to address. Don’t guess. Take the time to understand the issues and concerns of your audience, and then address them up front.

It is also important to accept the fact that these issues and concerns cannot be finessed. If you try, you will be seen as evasive (not candid and clear), which will seriously erode your credibility and believability. On the other hand, if you take the time to figure out what your audience really wants to know – however much trouble it is – you will have the key insights that underlie crystal clear, high impact, communications. Here is a continuation of the example started above.

Example: Why do we need an alternative approach to using office space and what is the cost (social and financial) of changing?

Once you understand your audience’s main concerns, you can begin to assemble the arguments and evidence needed to gain their support. That leads directly to question three.

Question #3: What is the most important supporting information I can provide?

This is your argument. Try to organize and package it in two or three high level points, but never more than five. The reason for this is that speaking is different from writing. When you are speaking you are constantly competing for the attention of your audience. If you can’t support your position with three to five points, you haven’t thought clearly enough about your argument.

Here are some possibilities for the example being used here.

Example: Support with...

(a) High level findings of a study of how office space is currently utilized and the cost of the arrangement (in this case much of the space was sitting vacant most of the time).
(b) A brief description of the new arrangement with the cost and benefits simply but compellingly stated.
(c) A high-level plan for dealing with the issues and obstacles likely to be encountered with the new office space arrangement.

The final step in the process is to practice what you are going to say, aloud. If you don’t do this, you will erase much of the hard preparation work you have done. That’s because you cannot deliver an effective presentation without practicing what you are going to say by saying it, more than once. The transitions between thoughts are particularly troublesome for almost everyone and need to be practiced until you can make them with ease.

As often as I tell people this, they still don’t want to believe it, so they spend most of their time continuing to refine their written documents, thinking that will help them deliver their presentations effectively. Don’t fall into this trap. Practice what you are going to say by saying it until you do it smoothly and comfortably. Try it and let me know how it works for you.

Until next month...

Register for Paul Aldo's new “Executive Presence for the Non-Executive” course at Emory University in November and December.

Paul Aldo is the Managing Partner of IPS, an Atlanta-based executive consulting firm that helps executives and senior managers develop the interpersonal skills and leadership qualities needed to succeed in the executive suite. You may reach Paul at paul.aldo@executivepresence.com or 404.851.9699.

Thank you for your interest in executive presence,
Paul Aldo

www.executivepresence.com

Please forward this e-newsletter to friends and colleagues. They may subscribe by clicking here. You may review previous e-Tips in the Resource Library.

Paul Aldo is available as a speaker for corporate and trade association meetings. Executive presence workshops are available onsite at your location and in open workshops in Atlanta, Georgia. Executive presence coaching is available in individual and group coaching sessions.

For more information, contact Paul at 404-851-9699 or paul.aldo@executivepresence.com.

Click here to view articles on executive coaching written by Paul Aldo.

To be removed from this mailing list, click here and enter "Remove" as the subject of your email.