CCM Coaching Tip #55 - You're Not Paid By The Word

by Tommy Kramer, KramerMedia.net

Now before we even get into this, be clear that just doing shorter breaks is not exactly the point. This is about making a connection; making an IMPACT.

If you do a "Content" break in 1:30 when it could have been 2:00 because you were more succinct, that's great. But if you go for 1:30 when it could have been done in just 50 seconds, that's not so great.

You can say very little, but if you're really right HERE and it's an honest emotion, right in THIS moment that you're expressing, rather than just "a voice saying words," then you'll make an impact. And the more you impact the listener and talk about things that are relevant to his or her life, the more they'll remember about you. That's the connection you want. It's not a matter of how many words you said or the amount of time it took you. It's just "did it matter, or didn't it matter?"

Maybe it'll help to think about it this way: The more concise a story is, the better we can remember what was said. That's why little kids can recite the short books read to them. They wouldn't remember Doctor Zhivago because it's 400 pages too long and has too many plots developing all at the same time. Is he ever going to settle down with Lara? In one of those "at the train station, saying goodbye" scenes, I started hoping that maybe the train would just hit one of them. Hmmm, I seem to have digressed a bit.

The point is, YOU'RE NOT PAID BY THE WORD. You're paid by the CONNECTION.