How To Effectively Communicate Your Message In Eight Seconds

According to a Microsoft study a few years ago, the average attention span for us ever-scattered humans is now shorter that a goldfish's; eight seconds. So, how do you stand out? How do you communicate effectively? How do you not waste time?

Paul Hellman answers these questions and gives you 100 fast and actionable tactics to make your eights seconds meaningful. It's all in his book, You've Got 00:00:08 Seconds.

He teaches you three key ingredients:

1. Focus: How to say less with more meaning.
2. Variety: How to stand out as slightly different.
3. Presence. How to be notable and boost your reputation.

Paul Hellman

His tactics will serve you well in all these types of situations:

• Making presentations
• Interviewing
• Emailing
• Networking
• Storytelling
• Leaving voice mail

Here are some of my favorite takeaways from Hellman's book:

• In one-to-one conversations, talk less than the other person. Ask at least one thought-provoking question per conversation.
• In meetings, speak in 30-60 second bites. Provide the headline news first, with details later, and only give details if asked. You'll be surprised by how much you can say in 30 seconds.
• When presenting, slim down to 10 PowerPoint slides or less. 

And, if you really want to Own the Room when presenting, Hellman recommends you:

1. Avoid the podium.
2. Move. 
3. When you get a question, step forward toward the audience.
4. Keep your hands in front of your body.
5. Gesture.
6. Look at individuals.
7. Speak louder (as though the room were twice as large and you wanted to be heard).
8. Speak as though your message matters.