Looking for examples of “salient points”
Posted by staff / April 23, 2010I’m on the hunt for good examples for my next book, The Art of Enchantment.
A salient point takes the truth or the fact and makes it communicate the impact of your decision. All salient points are truthful but not all truths are salient points. For example, imagine if a label on the cheeseburger you were about to eat said, “Eat this, and you’ll gain half a pound” instead of “Total calories: 1,500.”
Do you have other illustrations of how companies illustrate the salient point and therefore do good marketing? As opposed to providing factual points that don’t… Please leave them as a comment below.
the SALIENT POINT
Vera F. Birkenbihl
I believe in making salient points in my manager-workshops by action, e.g. by a mini-series of questions and an "Aha!" when we are done. To illustrate:
1. If you were asked to stand up and sing the American National Hymn:
a. you could do it
b. you would want to practice some 10 hourse before you did it
c. you would want to practice some 100 hourse…?
2. If you were asked to do 55 sit-ups:
a. you could do it
b. you would want to practice some 10 hourse before you did it
c. you would want to practice some 100 hourse…?
3. Think back to your last presentation:
a. you never considered practicing
b. you practiced some 10 hours…
c. you practiced far more…?
Everybody knows that you can neither excel at singing/music nor at sports without practicing. that’s why the American Hymn is often being sung by a PROFESSIONAL, most Americans are unable to sind it WELL because they have not really practiced it. Likewise most people could not do 55 sit-ups, simply because they do not train regularly.
Question: Why do so many head-workers not even consider to practice when preparing their work (like a presentation)? SALIENT POINT: We are moving toward a future of "head-workers". what does that mean about our expectations on professionalism, expertise, eloquence, etc.?
Incidentally: Only after practice will your presentation SEEM relaxed, spontaneous, and professional. You might want check out VIREN DES GEISTES at YouTube; this presentation, a scholarly introduction to memetics at the Technical University of Munich is, due to proper training beforehand, neither "dull" nor "dry", proof: >80,000 hits so far).
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