Do you remember those awful schooldays’ demonstrations of how much yukky plaque bacteria we have in our mouths?
We thought we'd brushed well...
But then the teachers gave us a staining tablet, to reveal the grotty bits we had missed, and…
Eek and ooh!
If you were like me, it was lesson learned and you immediately started brushing your teeth a whole lot better.
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Why am I talking about that in a blog about persuasive communication?
Well, ask yourself this question:
Why was the plaque staining tablet so effective?
I’m expecting the answer will remind you of an important concept from English lessons.
Are you thinking…?
- Show not tell
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Our purple mouths really taught us a lesson because…
They showed us the reality of our dental hygiene, rather than told us.
And show is always more powerful than tell.
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Here's a telling example.
You could describe somewhere as unpleasant, like this:
- It was a horrible place, full of nasty smells and ugly sights, a truly desolate scene.
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That’s okay. It gives you a sense of the scene.
But how much more powerful is this?
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Here nothing lived, not even the leprous growths that feed on rottenness.
The gasping pools were choked with ash and crawling muds, sickly white and grey, as if the mountains had vomited the filth of their entrails upon the lands about.
High mounds of crushed and powdered rock, great cones of earth fire-blasted and poison-stained, stood like an obscene graveyard in endless rows, slowly revealed in the reluctant light.
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That's a description of the approach to Mordor, by JRR Tolkien, in The Two Towers.
So, which of the versions is more powerful?
My bland words about it being a horrible place. Or Tolkien's?
Enough said?
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Which means, if you want to be persuasive in your communication.
Whether it’s public speaking, writing, presentations or storytelling…
Show not tell is the way to go.
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Here’s a happy real world example, courtesy of some of the feedback from my Compelling Communication Skills course at the University of Cambridge.
When I talk about it, I could say:
- The course can be life changing.
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But that’s hardly striking, or memorable.
So instead, I say something like…
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Let me share some of the feedback from our most recent group of learners:
- I’m convinced I got promoted because of the presentation I gave at the interview. I smashed it using all the tricks you taught me.
- For the first time, my boss said a report I had written was clear, concise, persuasive and effective. And that’s because I used all the insights I learnt with you.
- I tried what you suggested and explained my vision in terms of a story. It worked a treat and now my suggestions are being implemented.
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What’s more effective?
Me telling you telling you that Compelling Communication Skills can be life changing...
Or showing you what it can do?
That’s the power of show not tell.
