Sizzle– the Secret Weapon of Great Communicators
(Perfecting Your Messaging in Four Parts: Part 3)
There’s nothing quite like the sizzle of a barbecue to whet an appetite! And there’s nothing like sizzle to empower a message.
Sizzle (or zest, pizzazz, flair– call it what you like) is the magic which turns ordinary communicators into great communicators. With sizzle, your listeners will remember your message, but they will also remember you.
Raw data exchange is for computers, not humans. We can never be won with dry, data-based messages. The way to the mind is through the heart, and sizzle is the secret of getting there.
How do you add sizzle to your words? Well, the methods are only limited by your imagination. Let’s look at just a few.
Storytelling has enthralled audiences since we sat around the cave fire. Using suspense and surprise will rivet an audience. So will setting them up to solve a mystery by dropping clues.
Q&A is often the best part of many deliveries, but is largely underutilised. And if you really want to send the crowd into the streets with torches and pitchforks, try “call and response”.
Like songwriters, great speakers and great writers understand the magic that rhythm, tempo, and cadence can bring to their work. When your communication has the power of song, who can help but listen?
If you want to impact minds and hearts, sizzle up your words!
(WARNING: If all you have is sizzle, you’ll ultimately fail. Sizzle without substance is just a gimmick. Are you listening, Donald?)