- John F. Kennedy

By now, you must realize that I love to collect quotations. I use them often in my writing and public speaking. I like the “rhythm” of certain quotes.  Expescially those that juxtapose a key word. For example, the quote from President Kennedy’s Inaugural address that open up this posting.

Here is another example from President Kennedy:

“Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to negotiate.” – John F. Kennedy

Now, I find out that speechwriters have coined a term to describe this type of literary device. They call it the “reversible raincoat.” I love it! It is so descriptive.

And when it is used judiciously, this device vividly describes a concept. For example:

“People never care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – John C. Maxwell

“An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” – Winston Churchill

So how did I discover this rich term – the “reversible raincoat?” In the current issue of Business Week magazine, columnist Carmine Gallo uses some exceprts from Theodore Sorenson’s new book, Counselor as the basis for his article. Sorenson was President Kennedy speechwriter. Read Carmine’s article it is a good one!

I admit to reading a few excerpts from this book but had never discovered the “reversible raincoat” terminology. Now I must buy the book! I need to know more about this term and I want to gather some more “insider” information.

In doing some research on the Internet I came across this article. The formal term to describe this literary device is “Chiasmus.” Yes, that is a descriptive term. But it paints a different picture in my mind. One involving a visit to my physician.

I prefer the “reversible raincoat.”

And now I have another story to share with my audience. Thank you Messers. Sorensen and Gallo!

- Pearl S. Buck

I train a number of clients to improve their project management skills. The first – and most important – step in the process is to clearly identify and agree on the ‘What.’ What problem, exactly are you planning to solve? What opportunity, exactly, are you planning to take advantage of?

You define the “what”  – your goal – by asking a series of questions that begin with the word “Why.” One popular methodology is to use the question and answer system known as “The 5 whys.” Asking and answering a series of “why” questions will enable you to get to the “root problem” that you are planning to solve.

The root problem is your “What.”

Unfortunately, many projects fail because we are too anxious to start working on the “how.” And as Pearl S. Buck cautions us, “we must not make the “how” an excuse for not facing and accepting the What.”

“Our plans miscarry if they have no aim. When a man does not know which harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

What is our goal? What is our real problem / opportunity? Is everyone on your team able to answer these questions clearly? Do you all agree on “why” this problem / opportunity is important to solve or pursue?

If not, this is the likely scene in your place of business:

“A lot of people run full speed with incredible urgency in the wrong direction.” – Justin Menkes

Ask simple, strategic questions. Then listen to the response. If the response only reveals the explicit reason – the symptom – then continue to ask questions, and listen until you discover the implicit reason – the root cause of the problem. The late, great management guru Peter Drucker said it best:

“My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.”

Once you agree on where you are going, determining how to get there becomes much easier. There will always more than one way to reach your destination – the ‘What.’ Never allow discussion of the ‘how’ to precede or interfere with your rigorous pursuit of the ‘What.’

In my training classes, we work several exercises around Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “”Six Honest Serving Men.”

“I keep six honest serving men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who”

Learn to ask questions. Listen. Understand the difference between the “What’ and the ‘how.’ Lead with the “What” and manage the ‘how.’ 

Here are the 5 tips – followed by a quotation that I have selected to build-on each point:

• Focus on the real world.
  • “After you’ve done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. After ten years, throw it away and start all over.” – Alfred Edward Perlman
• Don’t get emotional.
  • “The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.” – John Holt
• Good leaders exhibit great calm.
  • “Knowing what’s the right thing to do is usually easy, but consistently doing the right thing in the face of adversity is something else.  That is the true test of character.” – Judith Molloy
• There is always more time than it seems.
  • “The importance of a decision is not what it will cost but how difficult it will be to reverse.” – Peter Drucker
• Even a weak manager can look good with a great team.
  • “None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Roy Disney

I appreciate a writer who gets straight to the point. John McKee does so in this article. He organizes the key characteristics of leadership into a list. A list is selective. A list helps us to remember key points. Quotations distill important concepts down to a few words. Quotations are also memorable. That’s why I like them and use them often.

- Mark Twain

Actually, this is going to be a short post. I am going to share six of my favorite quotations on the topic of “brevity” with you. I will make the briefest of comments after each.

Tell me what you think – in a few words, please!

1) The opening quote by Mark Twain.

• When writing an article or a speech, spend more time deciding what to take out than what to put in.
• Edit – mercilessly!
• Make you point, stick to it, support it and drive it home to your audience.
• Easier said than done!

2) “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” – Thomas Jefferson

• Edit – mercilessly!
• Use a two syllable word rather than one with three.
• History’s most memorable speeches use very few words:
  • Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contains only 271 words.
  • John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech is only 674 words short! 

3) “A speech should be as long as a piece of string – long enough to wrap up the package.” – Anonymous

• Enough said!

4) “Anybody can have ideas – the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph.” – Mark Twain

• That is why I love and collect quotations.
• Edit – mercilessly!

5) “If you can’t state your position in eight words or less, you don’t have a position.”- Seth Godin

• And your audience won’t remember what you said.
• And your audience won’t know what to do as a result.

6) “Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

• re: “Be seated.” Don’t talk yourself out of the sale!

OK – some tasty morsels to chew on.

Please share your favorite quotations with our readers. Just keep it short and to the point!

- David H. Comins

I love quotations! I enjoy collecting and categorizing them. I enjoy reading them. And I use them – liberally – in my writing, speaking and training. I strive to always cite the source of the quotation, but this is not always possible or practical.

With all due respect to Mr. David H. Comins – and I assume that he is a decent, honest and wise man – I could not easily locate any biographical information on him. I remembered this quote and I verified it on the Quotations Page website. But a Google search and a search on Amazon.com did not turn up any background information on Mr. Comins.

So… is my audience more interested in Mr. Comins or in his pithy comments?

And, since I am not a citizen of the fine state of Massachusetts, I must admit that I knew nothing about their current Governor Deval Patrick – up until this past weekend, that is. The 24-hour news cycle continues to churn out stories about Sen. Barack Obama’s alleged plagiarism. Obama “liberally lifted” a riff that Gov. Patrick had previously used – “Don’t tell me words don’t matter.”

As was to be expected, Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign was watching and vetting Sen. Obama’s speech that night and quickly alerted all parties who would listen – not to mention all ships at sea – about this “outrageous plagiarism.” Full of high dudgeon, they demanded that justice be served – or at least that the press properly criticize Sen. Barama on this matter.

The press did indeed criticize Sen. Barama on this matter. They also played a video tape of Gov. Deval Patrick when he delivered these lines and compared it to Sen. Obama’s speech in Wisconsin. It is almost scary to see how closely Sen. Obama invoked not just Gov. Patrick’s words but also his tone of voice and even his body language.

The question is: “Was this plagiarism?” The answer is: “I don’t know. It depends…”

I am not a legal expert. Clearly, Sen. Obama used someone else’s words and thoughts without giving proper credit. However, Gov. Patrick’s words were not entirely his own either- he was citing the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Thomas Jefferson and others to make the point that words do, in fact, matter. They matter very much. But so does honesty. And giving proper credit when it is due.

To give him some credit, Sen. Obama did admit that he and Gov. Deval Patrick share thoughts with each other and that Gov. Patrick had indeed used this “riff” before. So… why didn’t Sen. Obama give proper attribution to Gov. Patrick?

Here’s what Gov. Patrick had to say about this:

In a telephone interview on Sunday, Mr. Patrick said that he and Mr. Obama first talked about the attacks from their respective rivals last summer, when Mrs. Clinton was raising questions about Mr. Obama’s experience, and that they discussed them again last week.

Both men had anticipated that Mr. Obama’s rhetorical strength would provide a point of criticism. Mr. Patrick said he told Mr. Obama that he should respond to the criticism, and he shared language from his campaign with Mr. Obama’s speech writers.

Mr. Patrick said he did not believe Mr. Obama should give him credit.

“Who knows who I am? The point is more important than whose argument it is,” said Mr. Patrick, who telephoned The New York Times at the request of the Obama campaign. “It’s a transcendent argument.”

A transcendent argument? Did Sen. Obama’s speech truly lie beyond the limits of ordinary experience? I don’t know. It was certainly a moving moment and helped to fortify his rebuttal to Sen. Clinton’s criticism that he is “all about words” while she is “in the solutions business.” But it was someone else’s riff and Sen. Obama should have given credit to Gov. Patrick. Even he admits that – now. After the fact.

But how should he have credited Gov. Patrick?

I know that I would not have credited Deval Patrick just before or just after I used that “riff” – it would have destroyed the magic of the moment. A live speech should be theatrical. If it lacks a certain sense of drama, why deliver it in the first place? Just email it. No, Sen. Obama seized on the dramatic possibilities of these words and he electrified the crowd.

But he still needed to give Gov. Patrick credit for his thoughts. How?

He could have included credit in his written press briefings. Most important speeches are written and distributed to the press prior to delivery. The press would have eventually discovered this “plagiarism” on their own – better to be proactive and tell them in advance!

He could have credited Gov. Patrick later on in his speech. Citing Gov. Patrick as the source is secondary to the point. Gov. Patrick said so himself:

“Who knows who I am? The point is more important than whose argument it is,” said Mr. Patrick.

All of which reminds me of another famous quotation:

“It is amazing how much you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

- (Former) President Harry S. Truman

It is much easier to cite your source material in writing. That’s why we have Footnotes and Appendices. That’s why we use the Italic font and Indentation to clearly separate our thought from another’s – in writing. You should never take credit for someone else’s ideas – especially when you use them to boost your own credibility or for your personal gain.

So… Mr. David H. Comins – forgive me if I use your pithy quote (“People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first.”) in a future talk without giving you credit. I will not take credit for your words. But I will say, “I once read a quote that said…”

I hope that will will be sufficient. What do you think?

Or

- Anonymous

Someday, I would like to meet Mr. or Ms. Anonymous.  All of that wisdom!  Such common sense!  They have clarity of thought and are direct in their communication.  I wonder where Mr. or Ms. Anonymous lives and works?  I really do want to meet them … and often, I think that I have!

Anonymous took their own advice here.  Rather than taking credit for saying something brilliant, they simply moved on – to a higher place – they got promoted.  They now belong to all of us – they have become the wisdom of the ages.  They are everywhere … always.

Within these two sentences, you will find the best career advice you could possibly gain.  Want to be a better manager?  Make yourself replaceable – learn to delegate.  Train your team members how to do the job that you used to do.  But, encourage them to try to do it better or differently.  Remember that you were promoted from being a staff member and made a manager.  Don’t continue to do the same tasks you did as a staff member.  Delegate.  Make yourself replaceable!

Want to get ahead in your career?  Make your boss replaceable.  Start solving their problems.  Don’t continue to bring them your problems, bring them possible solutions.  Let them see that they are replaceable – by you!  Let them move up a rung on the career ladder.  And if they are smart, they will bring you along with them on the journey up.  They will be your mentor.

And of course, since you are also smart, you are training, coaching and mentoring your own staff.  Striving to make yourself replaceable.  You are learning to delegate tasks and encouraging your staff to take chances learn how to solve problems by themselves.  You are their mentors.  You are building trust with those above you in rank, those below you in responsibility and those who work alongside you.

You are learning to become replaceable.  You are demonstrating that you deserve to be promoted.  You are building your career.

Good luck!  You deserve it.

- Mark Twain

Touche, Mr. Twain.  You are correct – it is difficult to condense your message into a few words.  Namely, the right words – at the right time – for the right audience.

Words pack power.  Actually, choosing the right words will help you to deliver a powerful, memorable and actionable message.  “It's not what you say, it's what people hear.”  That is the subtitle for an important new book by Dr. Frank Luntz – “Words That Work.” 

You may recognize Frank Luntz as a prominent pollster and adviser to Republican candidates.  Put politics aside – many Democrats openly admire and envy his ability to shape a focused message and coach his clients to to stay-on and deliver that message with clockwork precision.  We can learn a lot from Luntz's book.  Regardless of your profession (sales, marketing, education, politics, communications, etc.) or your personal preferences, you need to acquire skill in order to persuade others adopt your ideas, products or services.  One chapter of the book is titled, “Twenty-one words and phrases for the twenty-first century.  A few of them are:

“Imagine”

“Renew, Revitalize, Rejuvenate, Restore, Rekindle, Reinvent”

“Patient-centered”

Buy this book.  Learn the lessons Luntz teaches.  People will start to hear what you say.  They will buy your products; accept your ideas; take the actions that you propose.  You will gain power – you will persuade!

The world in which we live and work does not allow us to “beat around the bush.”  If we have a point to make – or we want public opinion we must learn to cut through the clutter.  Don't give your customers 10 reasons to buy your product.  Give them one.  Or, at the most, three.  They will never remember ten.  Get them to remember … get them to buy … get them to take the action that you recommend:

“If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever.  Use a pile driver.  Hit the point once,  Then come back and hit it again.  Then hit it a third time with a tremendous whack.”

- Winston Churchill

I love quotations – and use them frequently to make or illustrate a point.  They are succinct.  They are memorable.  They add to my authority and credibility when I use them.. They are powerful.  They persuade.

One of the most overlooked presentation techniques is – The Pause. As in “The Sound of Silence.” – You remember that Simon & Garfunkel’s classic song – “Listen to the sound… of silence.”

Far too many speakers talk too much and they lose the attention of their audience because they forget to pause.

Far too many writers use too many words – their text is too dense. They forget to pause – to use the “white-space” on the page to give more power their prose.

Far too many sales opportunities are lost because the salesperson talks too much – they neglect to use the power of the pause.

We are all guilty of this – to a greater or lesser degree. When is the last time you heard someone pause during a television interview or “debate?” Anyone who dares to pause for effect will never regain the opportunity to get another word in during that segment!

Salespeople are their own worst enemy. The can not stand to hear silence! So, rather than pay attention to their customers’ reactions and observe their body language, they barge ahead and fill the vacuum of silence – with their own voice. To what result? Frequently, they end up talking themselves out of the sale!

The same thing can happen during presentations. Inexperienced speakers “panic” during periods of silence. They worry that they are having a memory lapse. In their mind, the silence lasts for minutes – not seconds. They dare not look out at the audience for fear that they will see boredom – or people leaving. And so it gets worse. The speaker is now panicked – and they speed up, And, as a result, they lose more of their audience!

“A wise person once said that there is, in any good speech, a greater message in the pauses than in the words that surround them”

- Excepted from “The Articulate Executive” by Granville N. Toogood

To illustrate this point during my training, I play Tony Bennett’s interpretation of the Irving Berlin song, “When I Lost You.” I could not find it at the i tunes store. But it is from Tony’s 1987 Album “Bennett / Berlin” and it is sung “a cappella” which means singing without instrumental accompaniment. It is a great example of “The Power of the Pause” to establish a mood, to emphasize your point, to impart a memorable message. Try to locate this track. If you are not moved by the power of this performance, … Trust me, this is worth worth your time and money!

In Timothy Koegel’s book, “The Exceptional Presenter,” he cites a UCLA Study by Dr. Albert Mahrabian that revealed:

7% of our impact is determined by the words we use.

38% of our impact is determined by our voice: how confident and comfortable we sound.

55% of our impact is determined non-verbally; our appearance, posture, gestures and movement, eye contact and facial expressions.

With this in mind, if you want to make an effective presentation you MUST learn how to fully utilize your vocal power. It is really not so much the actual words that you use (7% of your impact) rather, it is how you use your voice and how you use “The Power of the Pause.”

“Control time and you will control your audience.” – The Articulate Executive

Think of any great speech -

“Ask not, what your country can do for you (PAUSE) Ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy Inauguration Speech

” I have a dream (PAUSE) that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed… I have a dream (PAUSE)… – Dr. Martin Luther King

Listen for the pause and experience its power. Listen to the sounds (PAUSE) of silence!

Sometimes I just “pick a number” and find that numbered quote – just a random selection.  I did that this morning and I would like to share that particular quote with you:

“We can accomplish almost anything within our ability if we but think that we can!  Every great accomplishment in this world was first carefully thought out.  Think – but to a purpose.  Think constructively.  Think as you read.  Think as you listen.  Think as you travel and your eyes reveal new situations.  Think as you work daily at your desk, or in the field, or while strolling.  Think to rise and improve your place in life.  There can be no advancement or success without serious thought.”

- George Adams

The reason that this quote resonates so strongly with me today is simple.  I am preparing to approach a few prospective clients for some work that will be a bit of a stretch for me.  I have great confidence in my abilities – up to a point.  Then, like any human, I need to find that extra boost of confidence – and that comes from others – or from simply thinking – but to a purpose.

As I reflected on the quote from George Adams, another quote came quickly to mind.  This from William Safire:

“Never feel guilty about reading, it's what you do to do your job.”

When I am preparing for a speech or a new project I read voraciously.  I take in a lot of information.  But I also take a lot of time to think – to process and absorb that information.  I think while I am on a plane ride.  Or early in the morning while I am sipping my first cup of coffee.  And I start to think, “Yes, that makes sense.  Of course, that makes perfect sense.  I knew that – why didn't I think of that before.”

My confidence grows, my tactics and strategy start to take shape, I start to act on my thoughts.  Now, I have everything in place to make my proposal to the new client (I already have them booked – in my mind!)

Take time to think, every day – but to a purpose.  Even abstract thinking has a purpose – I think!

- Donald Riggs

It has been said that there are no new ideas.  And to a great extent, I believe this.  For the most part, I simply discover someone else's idea and find a way to adapt it to fit my situation.  This could be an idea for a speech or a presentation – or even a topic on which to post to my blog.

Actually, getting the idea is the easy part.  It is the execution of that idea that trips most people and companies up.  And developing the habit of successfully implementing and executing these ideas is the secret to success.

Because, as the quotation from Donald Riggs points out, most people just do not like to complete all of the details that will lead to the successful implementation of a promotion, sales campaign, training program, etc.

I am reminded of this admonition to “… form the habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do,” because I have just returned from two full weeks of meetings.  I head lots of great ideas;  I met many interesting people; I had several meetings which could lead to future business for me.

But… unless I work hard at developing the habit  of ”following up” on these ideas and initiatives, why should I have even bothered to attend the meeting in the first place?

Following-up and following-through are very difficult tasks for most of us to accomplish.  It is one thing to attend a seminar and become excited about a new idea; and quite another thing to actually work on implementing that idea in your business – it is all of those nasty details that need to be attended to.

Likewise, it is fun to be introduced to some new people at an industry gathering.  It is easy to exchange business cards and say, “let's get together soon to talk,” but… what happens next?  If you are like most people, those business cards just sit in a pile gathering dust – piles of good intentions gone for naught!

I admit it – I do not excel at follow-up and follow-through.  But I am getting much better at it.  I am starting to get into the habit of writing the “thank you” notes; entering the contact information into my database; making the phone calls to schedule the next meeting, writing the article that I promised, etc.

This all takes work – and most of it is hard,tedious work.  It is not glamorous work; it is not particularly creative work.  But, I have noticed that as I develop better habits of following-up and following-through that I am becoming more successful.  I am getting more clients.  I feel a lot better personally and professionally.

Several people have commented to me that they enjoy getting my “thank you” notes – via postcards and email.  Usually, the add, “It is so seldom that people write to comment.  You stand out from the crowd with your follow-up notes.”

Wow!  It really is that simple.  By simply doing the things that most people do not like to do, you can achieve a great deal of success.  When you realize that most people do not like to do a lot of the things they need to do… Well, that opens the door all the way for you.  This opening, shows you the path to success:

“The successful person is the individual who forms the habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do.”

- Donald Riggs

Or… as the NIKE slogan says:

“Just do it!

The more that I work on forming these good habits, the more success I am achieving.  I have a lot of follow-up to do today.  Knowing that this is a path to success makes it so much easier to do it.  I can envision the good results and it makes something that could be tedious a pleasant experience.

Let me know if you have had similar success.