90Everyone has one. Everyone thinks his is the best. Everyone
wants other people to pay attention to hers. So how do you get
anyone to care about yours? I’m talking about opinions.
A mythical character named Cassandra was given the gift
of prophecy. She could clearly see the future. Unfortunately,
she was not also given the gift of persuasion. She knew what
she was talking about, but no one believed her. Her knowledge
was useless. Do you ever feel like Cassandra?
I’m sure Temple Grandin did. She was part of a design
team that created a new processing system for a meat-packing
plant. Temple, being exceptionally visual, pictured the entire
process from beginning to end. She clearly knew that the way
the system was designed could not possibly work. Unfortu-
nately, her verbal skills did not match her visual gifts. Her team
13
Make Your Opinion
Matter
PowerPhrases to
Say What You Think
Copyright © 2004 by Meryl Runion. Click here for terms of use.