Attract more interest and support in any speaking situation by using the Magic Phrases Framework below.
The Eleven Magic Phrases
TIPS: When you speak, keep (or change as your situation requires) what’s in bold, and fill in the rest. Pause for a second where it says “PAUSE” (it will increase your gravitas).
1) “I’d like to talk about X.” [PAUSE – Replace “X” with your subject, in no more than ten words.]
2) “Here’s why it matters.” [PAUSE – Say why it matters.]
3) “What is at stake is A and ultimately B.” [Make B bigger and broader than A. Create goosebumps.]
4) “So, what I’m / we’re doing falls into three buckets.” [PAUSE – Then say “First…, Second, Third…” Describe each item one in no more than five words.]
5) “But let me tell you about my / our secret sauce / super power.” [PAUSE – Then say what it is.]
6) “Here’s a story that shows what I mean.” [Tell a brief but concrete story about how the secret sauce saved the day for someone in distress.]
7) “This approach has worked for me / us many times.” [PAUSE – Then quickly list three successes. Use numbers or quote credible people or entities.]
8) “The gist is…” [PAUSE – Make your most important point, e.g., “We have a blueprint for solving XYZ” (this usually points to your secret sauce again).
9) “This is personal for me…” [PAUSE – then say something so candid that you’d never put it on your LinkedIn page. It will make your listeners trust you. End on: “But it’s not about me–as I said, at stake is….”]
10) “So, here’s what I recommend you do.” [PAUSE – Be uncommonly concrete about the next steps to show how much you really mean it.]
11) “Thank you, and I….” [Finish with an optimistic phrase like “…look forward to you joining us.”]
Use Example
1) I want to talk about sparking interest when we speak about what we do.
2) Let me first say why it matters: How we speak to garner interest and support often decides whether we will thrive, muddle along or fizzle out. Speaking is the passageway through which all our efforts must go if we want to truly succeed.
3) What is at stake is not just our individual success but, ultimately, our collective ability to create positive change in the world.
4) My work falls into three buckets: First, I help my clients figure out what to say. Second, we practice how to say it. And third, I encourage them to develop a habit of recording and listening to themselves to become their own best feedback buddies.
5) But let me tell you about my secret sauce: It’s a sequence of ten sentences that I call Magic Phrases. They are the distillation of thousands of Elevator Speech Training sessions. They offer a framework that allows you to do well in any speaking situation, even when you’re not prepared. They are as easy as painting by numbers.
6) Here’s a story that illustrates the usefulness of this framework. A while ago, a former client of mine named Sally faced an unexpected situation when the host of a Zoom call with potential investors suddenly asked her to talk about her new project. She was entirely unprepared. Instead of panicking, Sally spoke eloquently for three minutes, following the sequence of the Magic Phrases and filling in the blanks as she went along. When she used the “first…, second…, third…” part from the sequence, she was sure that all her listeners perceived her as prepared and highly confident. Long story short: She secured several investments. This story clearly illustrates the power of the Magic Phrases.
7) Sally’s story is not a one-off. Recently, 85 CEOs and Executive Directors publicly endorsed Elevator Speech Training (which is based on the Magic Phrases). Also, just the other day, a client emailed me crediting her training with securing an investment from Morgan Stanley. And at www.est.io, you’ll see more than a thousand client testimonials.
8) The gist is… that the Magic Phrases are a simple but effective framework for perfecting your pitch.
9) This work is personal for me. I struggle with anxiety about things from climate change to nuclear war. But when I work with clients who are trying to make a positive difference in this universe, I feel better and calmer afterward. In a way, my work is like therapy for me. But it’s not about me. As I said, it’s about our collective ability to make the world a better place.
10) So here’s what I recommend you do: Check out www.magicphrases.com and tell others about it. For additional tips and advice, download the free and more detailed Elevator Speech Framework from my coaching site at www.est.io. And if you’d like to talk about how I might be able to help you, drop me a line via the contact form on that site.
11) Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.
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