Five Tips to Become a Soundbite Genius

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 by: Susan Harrow

1. Speak in soundbites to everyone.

Getting key phrases for concepts and ideas across clearly
is central to all communication. As a fun practice try to shave off any
extraneous details during conversation in your everyday life. In Errol
Morris' film *Fog of War* former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara
said, *Never answer the question that is asked. Answer the question you
wish were asked.* Begin to train yourself to speak only what you want
others to hear. In this way you'll be shaping other's perception of
you-which is the essence of good media.

2. Answer the first interview question with your sermonette.

In a 1989 interview on the NPR show Fresh Air veteran TV
journalist David Brinkley said, *Everyone of them [his guests] will
arrive in the studio with some little sermonette in mind, and
determined to deliver it. So one thing I do is first ask them a dull,
boring question like, what do you think about this. And let them
deliver their little sermonette. And then we get to the hard core of
what we're there to talk about.* Your first and last points have the
most impact so plan and deliver your sermonettes no matter what you're
asked.

3. Frame your ideas for your audience.

Jennifer O'Neil, a film producer and director, explained
that when shooting background footage (b-roll) she uses a technique
called *grounding.* To *ground* the camera must end definitively on an
object or scene that signals the viewer that that segment is over. I
suggested to her that she probably also used the opening footage to
*ground* or shape the beginning of how she wanted a viewer to perceive
the scene. In this way you orient your audience to the scene or the
material you want them to focus on.

You can apply the same concept to soundbites. Your
opening words set the stage for what you want to convey, your final
words signify the close, how you want your audience to remember what
you've told them. Use your opening and closing statements to anchor
your audience to the information you want them to grasp. That way you
shape the way they think about your product, service or cause.

4. Tell people what to do.

I love mystery, but this isn't the place for it. Don't
leave your audience guessing. Be forthright about the action you want
them to take by letting them know why your product or service is
necessary for them to have a complete and happy life now. What gap does
what you have to offer fill? Be direct in pointing this out so there is
no doubt.

5. Live your words.

Get to the point with clarity and insight. The Latvian
violinist Gidon Kremer said of composer Astor Piazzolla's music, *I
don't think it's [the music] always about embellishment. I don't think
it all can be expressed rightly just gliding on the surface of
convenient rhythms. This music can't be in fact performed, it has to be
lived. And I always can distinguish if someone is flirting with
Piazzolla as a convenient item of our commercial industry or if someone
really lives the life or the heartbeat of the music of this great
composer.*

It's the same with you and your soundbites. Are you
living the heartbeat of what you're saying, what you're representing?
If not, we hear your false notes, your commercial intent. If so, we
know in an instant when your music is true.

Learn how to use any interview, any time, on any topic,
to get your business, book, product or cause the publicity-and fame you
long for in this soundbite teleclass. http://www.prsecrets.com/

Copyright(c) 2004 Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.

You have permission to publish this article in its
entirety electronically, in print, in your ebook, or on your web site,
free of charge as long as no changes to the content are made and you
include my byline, copyright, and resource box. Please notify me of
publication by sending an email with a copy of your publication to: mailto:newslettereditor@prsecrets.com. Thanks!

About the Author

Copyright(c) 2004 Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.

Susan Harrow is a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of *Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul* (HarperCollins), *The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah*, and *How You Can Get a 6-Figure Book Advance.* Her clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, millionaires, best-selling authors and successful entrepreneurs who have appeared on Oprah,60 Minutes,NPR, and in TIME,USA Today,Parade, People,O,NY Times,Wall Street Journal,Inc.

prsecrets@publicist.com

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