Last week I promised to help you learn how to guide your audience successfully to your point. Since I live in the great Northwest, I am going to use some mountain climbing imagery to describe this, just for fun!
Imagine yourself as a mountain guide. Your audience is on a tour with you. They need you to take them from the bottom of the mountain to the top. They are going to follow you every step of the way. Without you, they will get lost in the forest. That means that you need to clearly show them where to step each time.
It really is the same when you speak. Your audience is relying on you to tell them what you what them to know. They can only understand you one step at a time (I call these steps, ‘sentences’). If you speak to them in unclear sentences, they will surely get lost. They will not understand your point.
Does this make sense so far? Remember, you are the guide. Your patient, clear directions will help your audience reach the mountaintop happily. I think I will will close before I start mixing my metaphors!
Next week I will describe an easy way to make your sentences clear and succinct. With this technique, you will be the most popular guide on your local mountain!