When you want to structure your communications so they’re more persuasive
Star Wars changed many things about the film industry. It might also help change how you structure your communications.
Did you know, you don’t have to watch any of the six Star Wars films? The titles tell you everything you need to know. To understand what I mean, you only need know that the goodies are called “Jedi” and the baddies are called “Sith”, who work for the “Empire”.
The six films are called:
1.The Phantom Menace
2.Attack of the Clones
3.Revenge of the Sith
4.A New Hope
5.The Empire Strikes Back
6.Return of the Jedi
In other words:
1. A baddie appears
2. There’s a fight
3. The baddies win
4. There’s hope for the goodies
5. But the baddies win again
6. And, finally, the goodies win overall
And that’s it.
If Star Wars Can Do It, So Can You
And why’s this relevant when you want to persuade someone? Well, they need to be able to follow your thought process. This means you need a clear, interesting structure.
So, like Star Wars, let your titles tell the story. Writing them before you write your content helps you flow smoothly from topic to topic. For example, if you were launching a new initiative, your titles could be:
Times are getting harder
And it’s costing us money
So, we looked at three options
Option X was too risky
Option Y was too expensive
Leaving Option Z as the clear way forward
So, our next steps are . . .
Three Quick Steps, to Embed the “Star Wars Way”
1. Always include “Next steps” as your final title. If you don’t, there won’t be any.
2. If it helps, use the four Ps to help create your titles (I used these in the above example):
Position – The current situation is . . .
Problem – And it’s bad for us because . . .
Possibilities – So our choices are . . .
Propose – Therefore I propose our next steps are . . .
3. Once you have your titles, simply add the relevant content under each, and you have a well-structured, persuasive communication.