A James Joyce sentence can run the length of a page. Ernest Hemingway wrote short simple sentences. When it comes to literature, both are revered for their genius and dramatically different styles. However, when it comes to presenting or speaking, a Hemingway style is the safer bet for success. I was reminded of that this week while coaching an executive on his upcoming speech to five hundred people Here are three tips to ensure you stay crisp, clear, and more authoritative in your speeches.
- Use declarative sentences.
Weak: As creative partnerships have proven themselves to be successful and with all the potential partners you have in the field, it is no 
wonder that partnering with another organization has the likely outcome of increasing ROI for all participating partners.
Stronger: Creative partnerships lead to a higher ROI for everyone.
2.Avoid repeating yourself
Weak: We need to be more imaginative in how we creatively market our products so that clients see us in a new, creative way.
Stronger: We need to market more creatively so that clients see our products in a fresh light.
3. Choose “Signal” words (words that make people listen up!)
Weak: So, I want to be sure you all agree that we need to be more creative and I urge you to meet with your teams and run brainstorming sessions to come up with fresh ideas for our services.
Stronger: Bottom-line, we need to be more creative and I urge you to run brainstorming sessions with your teams to come up with fresh ideas for our services.
Other “signal” words/phrases are: “Again…,” “The key point is….” “In summary…”
Be Ruthless
- Edit out unneeded words and phrases.
- Break long sentences into shorter ones.
- Eliminate unnecessary sentences altogether.
To mix metaphors, your sentences in presentations and speeches are like cologne or perfume: less is better!
Anne Miller
Make What You Say Pay!
Random Recommendation
I have not tried it, but I understand there is an app out for all you Joycean presenters who would benefit from a little Hemingway discipline. You might want to check out http://www.hemingwayapp.com
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