"Communicate to Succeed" - Parts 1 & 3 by Marianna Swallow. Presented at the NCSL 2017 Legislative Summit.

1. Presented by:
Marianna Swallow
mariannaswallow.com
Senator Bill O’Neill
New Mexico
Deep Dive:
Communicate to Succeed

2. Overview
Part 1 – Compelling message
Part 2 – Storytelling
Part 3 – Effective visuals

3. Part 1:
Concise,
compelling
messages

4. Part 1:
Challenges
Who’s the recipient?
Make it concise
Make it compelling

5. Let’s meet you
Legislators?
Staffers?
Other?

6. GOAL:
MAKE TALKS
CONCISE

7. GOAL:
MAKE TALKS
CONCISE

8. “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“Keep it short.”
- My husband

9. Challenges
LegislatorEverybody Else

10. Challenges

11. “Research staff
separate good
information from the
rest.”
(May, 2017)
“Bells and whistles
can’t make up for
quality and
substance.”
(July/Aug 2017)
“Reading up on policy is easier
than reading minds.”
(March, 2017)

12. “THINK LIKE A WISE MAN,
BUT COMMUNICATE IN THE
LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE.”
— WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

13. DiSC Communication Styles
Dominant Influencer
Steadfast Conscientious

14. Dominant
Quick thinker
Quick decision
maker
Dislikes fluff
“Get to the point.”
What does it mean
for …?
Influencer
Engaging/
likes to be engaged
Cares about people
Social
Sensitive to feelings

15. Steadfast
Thoughtful, thinker
Needs to digest,
then respond
Accurate,
seeks options
Relationships
important
Conscientious
Data-driven; uses
data to make sense,
solve problems
Keen on details,
even when not
pertinent
Needs time to
process

16. THE KEY TO
BECOMING
CONCISE:
PREPARATION

17. ALWAYS
PREPARE.
EVEN IF YOU’VE
BEEN DOING THIS
FOR x YEARS…

18. …YES,
EVEN IF YOU
KNOW THIS TOPIC
INSIDE AND OUT.

19. NEVER CONFUSE
KNOWLEDGE WITH
PREPARATION.

20. How do I make my
message more concise?

21. Three steps
Be aware of your strengths
and blind spots.
Consider your audience.
Prepare, then simplify.

22. Ideally….
1. Write out what you want to say.
2. Consider your audience.
3. Ask….
- “What do I want to say?”
- “What do they need to know?”

23. WHAT IS
IMPORTANT,
AND
WHY?

24. In reality…
Communication happens
on the fly.
Practice this on your feet.
Mentally take steps.

25. Who am I speaking to?
What is important
and why?
What does s/he
care about?

26. “WHAT DOES S/HE NEED
TO KNOW?”
VS.
“WHAT I FEEL LIKE
SAYING.”

27. Plan to leave
something OUT.

28. WORKSHEET TIME!

29. CAN YOU SAY
IT IN A TWEET?

30. K E V I N , I F O R G O
T T O T H A W O U T
T H E F I S H .

31. GOAL:
MAKE TALKS
CONCISE &
COMPELLING

32. GOAL:
MAKE TALKS
CONCISE &
COMPELLING

33. If your talk is stale…
…your audience will know.

35. Keep it fresh
Use story or data to reinforce
Share your real life
Don’t like personal? Talk “shop”
Share authentic self
“Authentic” does not equal
“deep dark secrets”
Share successes

36. Part 2:
Storytelling
with
Senator
Bill O’Neill

37. Part 3:
Effective Visuals

38. Why looks matter
Look & feel = first impression
Attention is at a premium
May lose opportunity to
make your point

39. Our American States –
Episode 12

40. Visual Guidelines
One idea per slide
3 x 3 rule
“WIIFM?”
Consistency is key
Content must be relevant
Use negative space

41. A note on fonts….
This is a sans-serif font.
This is a seriffed font.
This is an obnoxious font.

42. BAD EXAMPLES.

43. Spending by IL Candidates
Claire Underwood Attorney General $1,696,891.22 $1,696,797.46
Frank Underwood Attorney General $4,598,118.28 $4,467,298.99
Jackie Sharp Attorney General $3,582,252.28 $3,584,999.55
Cathy Durant Attorney General $10,658,261.39 $10,887,918.09
Candidate Office Raised Spent
Selina Meyer Governor $8,426,760.88 $8,909,312.19
Richard Splett Governor $16,751,017.16 $16,952,111.67
Jonah Ryan Governor $5,453,715.39 $5,524,610.78
Amy Brookheimer Governor $3,641,814.85 $3,637,359.97
Sue Wilson Governor $26,057,457.10 $23,405,439.43

44. Candidate Amount Spent
Selina Meyer $8,909,322
Richard Splett $16,592,101
Jonah Ryan $5,524,616
Amy Brookheimer $3,637,359
Sue Wilson $23,405,439
In Illinois Gubernatorial Race, Sue Wilson
spent the most of any candidate

45. August notable events in
history
• Oxygen discovered – On August 1, 1774, British Minister
Joseph Priestly discovers oxygen.
• Helsinki Act Signed- Also on August 1, in 1975, the
Helsinki Act on the last day of the Conference on
Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
• 8/2/1776 – members of Congress signed the Declaration
of independence.
• 1850 – French short story author Guy deMaupassant is
born in Dieppe, France. He began studying law in 1869,
then volunteered for the army.
• First transatlantic cable completed – Aug. 5, 1858. Cyrus
West.

46. Historical Notable Events - August
1774 Oxygen discovered
1776 Declaration of Independence signed
1850 Guy deMaupassant born
1858 First Trans-Atlantic cable completed
1975 Helsinki Final Act signed

47. Notable August Events
Through History
1774
Oxygen
discovered
1776
Declaration of
Independence
1858
Transatlantic
Cable

48. Agenda
• Background
• Writing groups
• Writing/Reading events

49. Agenda
-Background
-Writing groups
-Writing/Reading events

50. Present Data Effectively
“We should work to present data
more effectively so that our work is
easily read, comprehended, and
understood.
Presenting data effectively changes
the conversation.”
- Stephanie Evergreen,
stephanieevergreen.com

51. Graduation rates by major
85
90
75
60
75
80
95
80
65
77
60
100
95
50
79
English Comp Sci Comms Math Theater
Graduation Rates by Major
2013 2014 2015
Image: stephanieevergreen.com

52. Graduation rates by major
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
English Comp Sci Comms Theater Math
2013 2014 2015
Theater Dept. has lowest
graduation rate for
2015; recommend
tutoring or switch major
Image: stephanieevergreen.com

53. Make a handout!
Useful for visual learners
Frees up hands/brains/ears
Static reminder of your
key point(s)
Audience remembers/
references afterward

54. Handout guidelines
Not a data dump.
Must be useful.
Lots of negative space.
What’s the purpose?
Include resources and
contact information.

55. WHAT WOULD YOU
LIKE TO ASK?

56. Resources
By Nancy Duarte
Slide:ology The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations
Resonate Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences
By Stephanie Evergreen
Data Visualization Tips:
stephanieevergreen.com
Blog: Simple 1-page Handout:
stephanieevergreen.com/easy-simple-one-page-handout/
Skills Practice – Concise Writing
From The New York Times, 10/11/2013
https://nyti.ms/2un1CXP

57. DEEP DIVE:
Communicate to
Succeed
Thank You!
Marianna Swallow
mariannaswallow.com
Senator Bill O’Neill
New Mexico