The rule of primacy and recency says that people remember best what they hear first; they remember second best what they hear last. What happens in the middle is least memorable. If you’re in a lineup of briefers, grab the first spot. If that’s not available, go for the last. By the time those in the middle finish with all their statistics, charts, and promises, the decision makers will have grown weary and forgetful. Your presentation will be the last on their mind.

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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Do something out of the ordinary. If you typically use a flipchart or white board for your discussions, create a slideshow and set up your laptop to present your idea to the boss. Show a quick video clip to present the problem. Grab footage from the company’s YouTube channel to make your point. Create and send a 60-second trailer like your favorite book or movie trailer. Any change of media and method says, “This is important. Take note.”

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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A stand-up presentation adds to your authority. Put people on notice that your idea deserves unusual attention.

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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As soon as the national do-not-call list and law went into effect, I stepped to the front of the line and signed up. Then at the end of five years when it was time to “re-up” and register all phone numbers again, I dutifully dialed the toll-free numbers and put my name and numbers on the list again to rid myself of the unwanted intruders.

But instead of decreasing calls, it seems that they have increased over the last few months. If you’re experiencing the same phenomenon, raise your hand—and raise a ruckus.

On days when I’m writing, I work from my home office rather than go into my real office. Yesterday and today my home phone has rung repeatedly—mostly with recordings rather than live people I can lecture:

• A recorded voice taking a political opinion poll
• A research firm wanting my opinion on social issues of the day
• A credit card company giving me a “courtesy call”
• A recorded voice telling me that a theft occurs in the neighborhood every 4 seconds
• A non-profit telling me their truck will be in the neighborhood to collect donations (untrue, not permitted in our gated community)
• Three calls of just recorded, intermittent beeping
• A credit card company telling me there is nothing wrong with my credit card
• A roofing company telling me … (I stopped them to say I was on the do-not-call list. Their response: “Oh.”)
• The doctor’s office calling to say they needed to reschedule my appointment for Thursday.

Only the last call was of interest to me. Has the communication situation deteriorated to the degree that we are paying $40, $50, or $60 a month to have voice recordings interrupt our work on the outside chance that we may get one necessary call from a live, legitimate caller? Are there so many exemptions and loopholes in the law, the enforcement so lackadaisical, or the penalties so minimal that organizations wink at the list and carry on their business as if the list is beside the point?

Yes, I have a cell phone, and yes, I use text messaging. But up until now, I’ve been a hold-out for actually keeping a landline for several purposes: Media interviews (producers still prefer landlines for highest quality). Emergency calls from those who don’t have my cell phone number. Back-up when cell-phone batteries are down. An image of permanence and stability in the community.

But if I have to trade stability for sanity and silence, I will.

Is the National Do-Not-Call Registry a joke? Is anybody out there still using a landline for live conversations? Is anybody out there still using a phone to talk rather than text?

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books. Her work has been translated into 23 languages. Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, andAct Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised and Expanded Edition. As CEO of BooherConsultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in writing skills, presentation skills, interpersonal communication, and organizational communication. www.booher.com 1-800-342-6621

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Who are the movers and shakers you need to get behind your movement, recommendation, or proposition? Can you ask them to voice their approval by sending out an e-mail blast, endorsing you on LinkedIn, posting a video testimonial on your YouTube channel, providing an endorsement for your website or Facebook fan page, making an introduction to another key resource, or attending a meeting?

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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Meeting planners claim that registrants rate educational seminars higher when they’re held in resort locations. Job applicants prefer jobs where they are interviewed in plush surroundings. Shoppers shop longer when music plays in the background. Diners linger longer over meals served in comfortable restaurants. So it stands to reason that the principle can work for you.

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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In a perfect world, perfectly good ideas would be implemented. But political realities of the workplace—pressures from colleagues, customers, and coworkers––may force others to veto your ideas and plans. Find ways to help people handle those realities rather than expect them to become martyrs for your sake. Can you go with them to meet with a higher-up? Can you extend a deadline? Can you speed up your typical process? Can you remove a penalty clause?

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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Show people a visual. Give them a slogan. Let them touch, feel, test, or experience the benefit you’re offering—or the product or service that will deliver that benefit. The more senses you engage, the stronger the impact and the longer their retention.

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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People can argue with facts all day. But they can’t argue with your experience or your story. When you present your case as information, statistics, or data to be digested, people move into analysis mode. Lights go on; wheels whir in an attempt to “take the other tack” and prove you wrong. But when you offer an illustration or personal experience, they relax and listen for the idea.

Like a scriptwriter, think in themes, scenes, and storylines. Instead of laying out platitudes, create a compelling story to get your point across. Stories include humorous anecdotes, slices of everyday life, success stories, or failure stories (use these to build trust and balance the picture about what you and your organization can and cannot do).

Think “theme.” Shakespeare had his 26 plot lines. Business storytellers have their favorite key themes and initiatives from year to year and decade to decade: “The Customer Is Always Right.” “Content Is King.” “Quality Is Our Number One Goal.” “Nothing Happens Until Somebody Sells Something!” “David Versus Goliath.” “People Are Our Most Valuable Asset.” “Change Never Ends.” “Great Leaders Are Made, Not Born.”

With the theme in mind, identify an appropriate story to illustrate that point. What customer incident can you relate to your executive team to persuade them to act on your recommendations? What happened at the industry meeting that underscores to your colleagues the need for competitive intelligence sharing among them? What personal experience can you tell that helps your staff know what you value most in their performance? What tidbit of conversation did you overhear last week in the cafeteria that illustrates the team spirit you feel in your division? What happened last with your most satisfied client?

Identify the punch line. It may be funny, dramatic, sad, shocking. That’s where you end the story. Everything needs to build up to that point. Say the punch word in that punch line last.

Set up the story in an intriguing way. Don’t wave a flag by saying, “Let me tell you a story that illustrates why I think blah, blah, blah.” Instead, try something like, “Honesty can kill your business. Last week I made the mistake of being honest with one of our suppliers about X. Tuesday of this week, I get a call from J.T. Wilbot there, who says to me,….” And you’re off into the story. Whatever setup you use should make people say, “Tell me more.”

Keep the details relevant. Just like the movie scriptwriter, use enough details so that your listener can visualize what’s happening. But omit details that contribute nothing to the setting, mood, or point.

Let us see the action. To make fullest impact, set your characters in motion. Let us hear them talk and see them act. As the storyteller, don’t get between the audience and the action, merely telling us what you heard and saw earlier. Let people see for themselves—just as they do when sitting in the theatre. Cast the characters, re-create the scene, and start the dialogue.

Transition to your point. So what’s your point? Never tell us what the story means. Interpreting the punch line kills a good joke, and it’ll also ruin a great story. Tell the story and stop—just like the movie screen fades to black. Be silent. Let the audience soak up its meaning. Then, and only then, bridge to your point in the presentation, conversation, or meeting.

Why tell a story rather than dump data or prepare platitudes? Storytellers hold mindshare longer than most people. A well-chosen story can help you deliver an emotional wallop that makes the point memorable and persuasive. That’s presence, and that’s staying power!

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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The time to sell roofs is right after a tornado. The time to sell investment expertise is after the stock market takes a drastic upturn or downturn. The time to sell a quality process in your organization is after you’ve been removed from the bidder’s list because of the rising percentage of defects in your deliveries. The time to ask for a transfer is during a downturn, not during a peak period. Timing is crucial. Ask any politician.

Dianna Booher, an expert in executive communications, is the author of 46 books, published in 26 countries and 20 languages.  Her latest books include Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and Communicate with Confidence, Revised Edition. As CEO of Booher Consultants and as a high-caliber keynote speaker, Dianna and her staff travel worldwide to deliver focused speeches and training programs to address specific communication challenges and increase effectiveness in oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational communication.   www.booher.com

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