108 How to Sell Yourself
Before long the place was rocking. They cheered. Even people
on the other side of the issue were applauding him for his memo-
rableness.
In fact, I was able to use that moment in my training program
the next day. I asked, “What do you remember from yesterday?”
I could have conducted the response as if they were a glee club,
“You can’t fatten a hog by weighing it.” I’m certain it was the
subject of conversation long after the meeting ended.
Why? Because it was:- Simple.
- Brief.
- Easy to understand.
- Memorable.
And it said it all.
Don’t succumb to sound bites
Each of the examples so far can be called a “sound bite.”
Sound bites are very short and quotable statements.
I believe that the press has become hungry for sound bites
because most people have lost the art of the storyteller. Nothing
works as well as relevant stories told well. When you put an an-
swer in story form, humanize it, and personalize it, people stop,
pay attention, and remember.
You can’t go wrong if the elements of a story are in your state-
ment. Even television news shows will make the time for a really
well-told story when it advances the news item.
Don’t feel compelled to answer in five or seven seconds. The
sound bite is an artificial device to make up for the fact that most
of us have succumbed to being dull, uninteresting, and pompous.
When rare political figures that speak memorably and color-
fully come along, they dominate the news. Anecdotes; figures of
speech, both similes and metaphors; personal examples from your
experience or the questioner’s experience; and quotations that fit
perfectly all have the impact of the great story, but they have to be
well told and they must be relevant.
I’ve encouraged many clients to create a story exchange within
the organization. Most of us have great stories of accomplishment